The CDS Artist Community is a network of almost 270 independent artists and arts workers, who come together to collaborate, learn from each other, build solidarity, and advocate for a more inclusive arts sector. These artists are the beating heart of CDS, activating our space through their wide-ranging interdisciplinary art practices. The Artist Community are CDS’ artistic leadership, regularly inputting their ideas to guide our values, ethics, programmes, and direction.
Applications to join The Artist Community will reopen in early 2027.
Being part of the CDS artist community feels grounding and reassuring. It’s a space where I know i’ll be in rich exchange with other artists. CDS staff are always very supportive and interested in what artists bring and who they are; they encourage each artist to own the space and to take responsibility for their work and their role within the community.
- Manuela Albrecht, Artist & Researcher, Collaborator @ CDS
Once joined, artists can stay in our community as long as they like. As a reflection of how artists’ lives are constantly in flux, we have created two different roles, which change every September:
Collaborators: These artists make up the majority of our community. Collaborators feel an affinity with the practices and values of CDS, but can engage as little or much as they like. These artists receive most of the same benefits as Activators, but are in a supporting, rather than leading, role.
Activators: This is a smaller, core group of around 65 artists, who are of Global Majority heritage and/or Disabled/Neurodivergent experience. These artists meet more regularly at four gatherings per year, and form a supportive cohort, nurturing each others’ practices. They also take on a key role in collective decision making and shape CDS’ programmes.
In addition to these two roles, five artists represent their community through our Artist Committee, a paid steering group who work with staff and trustees to lead CDS’ direction. These artists meet for a day per month and rotate every two years. This role prioritises those who experience racism and/or ableism, furthering the leadership of marginalised artists.
You can learn more about the committee here.
Being an Activator at CDS has been a lifeline for me. It’s provided me with a community, a family and opportunities that I never thought I would get as a neurodiverse and Disabled artist.
- Blodwyn Jenkins, Artist & Choreographer, Activator @ CDS
A Long History of Artist Leadership
Many versions of our community have existed since the 1980’s, when the X6 Collective founded CDS as an artist-led space. Our current model was imagined by the 2024 Artist Committee cohort, who sought to make our community more open, inclusive, and move towards more democratic ways of working.
This work was also supported through our participation in the ‘Transformational Governance Learning Cohort’ from 2023-2024, where staff explored new ways of radically redistributing power and leadership.
At CDS we believe it is crucial that the voices, experiences, and needs of marginalised artists are enshrined in our leadership. In today’s dance and performance sector it is becoming ever-harder for artists to get their foot in the door, and influence change. Our work seeks to proactively address this situation—to empower artists to make things happen for themselves, with us, and with each other.
Photos of Past Programmes
Got a question? Email Sonya, our Artist Community Producer, on sonya@chisenhaledancespace.co.uk