Artist Mark Leckey piloted a free month-long art course called Music and Video Lab this summer in Redruth, Cornwall, aimed at attracting people aged 18 to 25 who lack access to formal art education. The course, costing £15,000 with support from Arts Council England, was initiated by curator Teresa Gleadowe of CAST and artist Liam Jolly of Auction House, with final works screened at CAST from August 5 through September 3.
This initiative matters because it addresses the decline of public funding for arts education and the lack of opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Leckey, who himself benefited from grants and housing benefits to attend art school in the 1980s, notes that such support has vanished, making college unaffordable or culturally invisible for many. The course deliberately avoids framing itself as an arts course to attract a broader range of applicants, aiming to expand access to creative skills and networks beyond the traditional art school system.