Manifestos for Greener Arts Exhibition

Exhibition dates: From 4th August, end date tba

Made by the many hands and minds of the Green Arts Oxfordshire Network community in collaboration with the Old Fire Station. Designed and printed by commonbooks.org

What can an arts manifesto be?

What can it change?

Earlier this year Green Arts Oxfordshire Network and the Old Fire Station collaborated to harness the power of culture for climate action, in a creative manifesto writing workshop as part of Marmalade festival 2026. A manifesto is a sparkly public policy – something formed outside of institutions that comes from strong personal belief.

Artists, performers, musicians, writers and many others that work in the arts came together to discuss what an action plan for the arts could look like. We talked about the importance of communicating our values, together, in this climate emergency to work collectively towards climate justice and regenerative futures.

We heard from local artists who have already been creating manifestos for greener arts in Oxfordshire and beyond. Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck wrote a manifesto for The Ordinary Society For Kindness To All Animals In The Art World. Julia Utreras (Common Books) worked with Name it Project (Oxford Youth Enterprise), Sam Skinner of Fig Studio, Resolve Collective and Make Space for Girls to design a “Green Space & Us” Manifesto, written by young women in Oxfordshire.

Based on Julie’s Bicycle Environmental Policy and Action Plan writing resources, we explored 3 key questions that can help us to write manifestos for greener arts:

1. What is your motivation for taking environmental action?
2. What are your main impacts?
3. What are your key environmental commitments?

In a creative activity led by Common Books, we summarised our core values related to these questions in a few words, displayed here. Green Arts Oxfordshire Network invites you to share your own Manifesto for Greener Arts. What’s important to you?

Film Screening of Savages for International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

​Event date: Sunday 9th August, 2pm-5pm

Join Green Arts Oxfordshire Network, CUT Campaign and Oxford Friends of the Earth for a special screening of award-winning PG-rated stop-motion animation Savages, to mark International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples – complete with an snacks, an intro and Q&A!

In Borneo, near the tropical forest, Kéria rescues a baby orangutang in the palm oil plantation where her father works. Kéria’s cousin Selaï comes to live with them seeking refuge from the conflict between his indigenous tribe and the logging companies. Kéria, Selaï and the little orangutang, now named Oshi, will have to fight against their forest’s destruction.

This heartwarming and galvanising film is by award-winning ‘My Life as a Zucchini’ director Claude Barras, telling the story of a group of Indigenous people trying to protect their land from rampant deforestation – through the cinematic art of stop-motion animation. This event is in support of the Clean Up The Tropical Timber Trade (CUT) campaign and the Friends of the Earth Planet Not Profit campaign.

Supported by Oxfordshire County Council as part of CAG Oxfordshire’s Small Grants programme.

Accessibility:

The screening is wheelchair accessible, on the ground floor with street-level access, There are unisex single occupancy toilets, but unfortunately this site does not have an accessible toilet. There is an accessible toilet in the cafe next door.

Earth Day Arts & Culture Carbon Literacy Training

Event date: Wednesday 22nd April, 10.30am-2.30pm

Creative leaders! Learn the most impactful ways to tackle climate change through your creative practice or cultural organisation… Get certified as Carbon Literate, a certification recognised by the United Nations!

What is Carbon Literacy Training?

Carbon Literacy Training equips learners with the knowledge, skills, motivation and confidence to embed positive climate action in your work and personal lives. Our course is catered to South East England’s creative community, helping learners to measurably reduce the carbon cost of creative projects and creating a cultural shift towards climate justice and a regenerative future.

Is this course right for me?

Our course has been designed for staff and volunteers from cultural organisations and venues, independent creatives, freelancers, writers, performers and artists of all kinds. We welcome up to 2 representatives from each cultural organisation. To access this training, please join the network (for free) by signing the Green Arts Charter.

This session has been funded by Oxford City Council’s Community Impact Fund and the Science Together: Oxford Researchers and Communities programme as part of our Energy Culture Consortium project.

Spaces are limited. Please let us know if you can no longer attend, so that we can offer the space to someone else.

Who are we?

Green Arts Oxfordshire Network (GAON) exists to unite Oxfordshire’s artists and cultural organisations in their work to tackle the climate & ecological emergency. We believe that a better future is possible, and that we as cultural leaders need to create the change we want to see in the world.

What’s the format of Carbon Literacy Training?

Our training is a full day of learning made up of 3 parts:

Part 1: Online e-learning Platform

This section increases your understanding of the science behind climate change, and the global and local impacts. It is self-directed, including videos and quizzes, and is completed online in your own time ahead of part 2. We expect this to take around 2 – 3 hours.

Part 2: Online Training Session with a Carbon Literacy Trainer

This section outlines what we need to do as a society to reduce carbon emissions, introducing national plans, local initiatives and high impact actions that you can take, in the context of the creative sector. This is an interactive session including group discussions and opportunities to ask questions. The session will last 3.5 – 4 hours inclusive of a 30-minute break.

Part 3: Participant Details Forms

The final part of the training involves you developing an action pledge both as an individual and with a wider group, in order to reduce carbon emissions. This section should take around 1 hour to complete.

Accessibility

If you have any access requirements, please let us know when you book your training session. We have live transcriptions available on request (in advance) to support learners during our training sessions.

What’s the impact?

The sustainability consultancy firm Jacobs did a study on the effectiveness of Carbon Literacy training, and discovered that there is between a 5 – 15% carbon saving per person for those that undertake the training. A study at the University of Leeds also found that Carbon Literacy is an effective way of instigating lasting change.

Testimonials from GAON Carbon Literacy Training Participants

“The trainer was very passionate and inspirational. The training has really opened my eyes to what changes I can make as an individual and artistic director of a small charity. Thank you and please keep up the great work!”

“Thank you Green Arts Oxfordshire for providing such a thorough, well-informed, accessible training! I feel the training helped us gather more accurate info about our carbon footprint, and gave a lot of useful insights on how to reduce it. Everyone should take this course!”

“This is a very informative and helpful introduction for anyone in our times.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed the training. I learnt a lot and it helped me clarify what direction I should take next in my commitment to doing something about climate change. It left me feeling positive, which is something I rarely feel when our future can appear overwhelmingly disastrous.”

* This session may be postponed if we do not secure 15 bookings.

Acknowledgments

The development of this course was supported by Oxford City Council’s Community Impact Fund, as well as Fusion Arts, Tandem Collective, Oxford Friends of the Earth, CAG Oxfordshire and anonymous donors. This funded session has been made possible by Oxford Community Impact Fund and the Science Together: Oxford Researchers and Communities programme.

Manifestos for Greener Arts in Oxford

​Event date: Tuesday 21st April, 7pm – 9pm

Bringing together artists, performers, musicians, writers and all that work in the arts!

​Come together with Green Arts Oxfordshire Network to harness the power of culture for climate action, in a creative manifesto writing workshop.

​What does an action plan for the arts look like?

​This is an opportunity to connect with the community for future-thinking, inspire regenerative creative practice and contribute to refreshing the Green Arts Charter for Oxfordshire.

This workshop is hosted by Green Arts Oxfordshire Network and The Old Fire Station.

With artists:

Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck: Painter, transdisciplinary artist, cultural practitioner and allotment plot holder from France now based in rural Oxfordshire. Founder of The Gardening Drawing Club and The Ordinary Society For Kindness To All Animals In The Art World (TOSKAAAW).

About Green Arts Oxfordshire Network (GAON): GAON unites Oxfordshire’s artists and cultural organisations in their work towards climate justice and regenerative futures. We believe that a better future is possible, and that we as cultural leaders need to create the change we want to see in the world. 

Accessibility: This event will be in the Old Fire Station’s Studio. Please enter the building at 40 George Street via the foyer. There is level entry into the foyer of the Old Fire Station, and step-free access to the Studio via a lift. There is an accessible toilet on the same floor.

Reimagining Waste: Creative Climate Action Conversations

Green Arts Oxfordshire Network and Sustainable Wantage are bringing together creative minds to reimagine waste and share rubbish ideas about sustainable procurement. How can we harness arts and culture as a tool to reduce waste through both the ways that we work and how we inspire others? Is waste the ultimate opportunity for creativity? Connect with the community, enjoy a free meal from Down to Earth Cafe made with surplus food and a creative workshop with Andrea Sharp at this Creative Climate Action Conversation, exploring creative approaches to sustainability topics, issues and solutions.

Who are we?
Green Arts Oxfordshire Network (GAON) unites Oxfordshire’s artists and cultural organisations in their work to tackle the climate & ecological emergency. We believe that a better future is possible.

Sustainable Wantage is a Community Action Group working to have a positive impact on the environment and increase our resourcefulness and resilience as a community.

Who is this for?
Both professional and hobbyist creatives of all kinds, (including writers, artists, performers, curators, musicians, photographers and more), as well as anyone working or volunteering in the arts & culture sector are invited to join this community gathering and exchange free-flowing ideas. You do not need to already be creating ‘green’ artwork to join the conversation!

Accessibility:
This event will be at The Old Stables – Makespace in Wantage. The building is level-access (wheelchair accessible), with an accessible, gender neutral toilet. You can watch a virtual tour of the venue here.

Getting there:
In the interest of reducing the carbon impact of this gathering, we encourage you to consider taking public transport, walking or cycling if these options are accessible to you, but unfortunately there a few public transport connections to Wantage. By bus, you can catch the S9 to Wantage from Oxford, via Botley, Cummor, East Hanney and Grove. If you are driving, the venue is a short walk from the Waitrose carpark and can be accessed via a footpath opposite the BP Garage (Wallingford Road and Seessen Way).

Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge that this event has been funded by the Vale of White Horse District Council Climate Action Fund, as part of our Creative Climate Action Conversations project.