established the University of Warwick's Centre for Cultural Policies Studies in 1999, having previously established the MA in European Cultural Policy and Management in 1993. He has published widely on cultural policy, intellectual history, and cultural politics. He is the founding editor of the International Journal of Cultural Policy and a founder member of the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Cultural Policy Research (ICCPR). In 2012, he was awarded a higher doctorate (DLitt) by Warwick for his contributions to cultural policy research. Professor Bennett's current research focuses on the institutional promotion of hope, conceived as a form of 'implicit' cultural policy. He has a long-standing interest in questions of pessimism/ optimism and has recently completed a sequel to his book Cultural Pessimism: Narratives of Decline in the Postmodern World (2001). Entitled Cultures of Optimism: The Institutional Promotion of Hope (2015), this book explores how and why powerful institutions propagate 'cultures of optimism' in different domains, such as politics, work, the family, religion, and psychotherapy.Nick Clements studied fine art at Cardiff and then set up The Pioneers Art Group in 1981. They were an artist-led community arts team, specializing in the use of creativity (multi-art forms) in areas of high social need. He has worked in over 300 schools, institutions, and charities enabling literally tens of thousands of people to express themselves using creativity. He is presently working for Valley and Vale employed by the NHS to train managers and staff in the inclusion of creativity in care plans for the elderly and those with mental health issues. His outstanding contribution to the field was recently recognized when he was made an Honorary Professor at Staffordshire University.
Andrew Crummy was born inCraigmillar, Edinburgh, in 1959. His mother Helen Crummy was the organizing secretary of The Craigmillar Festival Society from 1962 to 1985. He studied as an illustrator at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, and then completed an MA Design course at Glasgow School of Art. His professional life started as an illustrator in London following which he went on to complete many murals and community projects. He has designed for Contributors Contributors xiThe Great Tapestry of Scotland and other similar large-scale community embroidery projects involving over 2,000 stitchers.Janet Hetherington is a senior lecturer in civic engagement and regeneration at Staffordshire University working in the Creative Communities Unit. With a background in theatre education, Janet established the Arts Programme at Birmingham Children's Hospital Foundation Trust, and was a project manager and researcher for a range of organizations including Save the Children UK, Playtrain and Children's Express. She was a joint founder of the MA in Community and Participatory Arts at Staffordshire University with Mark Webster and has taught many short courses and undergraduate modules in participatory arts and is currently ...
