Here and Now is a national and local celebration of culture within communities. 40 new projects will take place in and around 40 arts centres across the country throughout 2020, led by artists and co-created with local people. Each project will tell the story of the place and the people, and a digital commission will tell the national story of the project, making it available to people across the UK and beyond.

Here And Now will examine communities’ hopes and dreams, aspirations and fears. Many participating venues will be looking at the role of the arts centre in a community, as a hub, as a space for expression, as an arena for discussion and reflection. The project will show the impact of the National Lottery on community life and arts, celebrating their 25th birthday.

With artworks as wide-ranging as an immersive Midlands Asian wedding experience to explorations of the concept of “home” for disabled and D/deaf communities, Here and Now is a hugely diverse project that establishes a new democratic template for arts commissioning, moving away from a top-down approach and towards a level-playing field, so everyone can feel involved in arts and culture.

See the Here and Now website for further information and updates