I am excited to have begun work at Community Arts by ZK as their Community Artist after having completed my History of Art BA Hons at the University of Manchester. I geared my degree towards some of my main interests, those of social history and how this can be communicated through the arts and in particular practices that have inspired social change. As such I explored necessary debates and conversations surrounding art such as anti-colonialism, gender and sexuality politics, and our current ecological crisis. An example of my work can be found on The University of Manchester’s Art History blog, where I reviewed the Forensic Architecture’s exhibition, ‘Cloud Studies’ whilst looking at the work of the scholar Rob Nixon and his concept of ‘slow violence’.I have worked and volunteered in both the government-funded arts sector as well as the more business-oriented art world including Castlefield Gallery, the Whitworth, Lots Road Auctions, and Mouldernart. Through these various organisations I gained insight into Manchester and London’s cultural institution's partnerships, networks, and their interconnections. From this work and my time in studies I felt an increasingly need to extend the joy and potential arts can offer to communities underrepresented in this sector. I am working with the Pendle community carrying out art workshops with a particular focus on marginalised groups. The aim of these workshops is to bring communities together from different age ranges, walks of life and social, cultural backgrounds. Not only do they allow participants to express themselves more effectively and communicate their ideas in a creative ways, but there is a strong emphasis on community cohesion and integration helping to build friendships and a stronger community.