Community Arts North West

Community Arts North West Community Arts North West (CAN) is a dynamic and innovative Manchester-based charity focused on arts, migration and socially engaged practice.

Community Arts North West is a Manchester-based arts organisation led by artists and creative producers. We work with diverse communities and artists to create access to cultural production for people that are excluded from or on the fringes of the mainstream. We facilitate cultural expression and visibility for the many complex and diverse communities that make up Greater Manchester, working across the performing, visual and media arts. CAN strongly allies itself with the historical struggle of communities to create a better world. Our work brings people, artists and communities together in urban spaces to articulate and share hidden histories, to explore the complex identities of communities and to shape social and cultural agendas. Most of all, we create access to high quality experiences and beautiful art. Collaboration and partnership is core to what we do and we have worked for over 30 years with individuals, communities, the voluntary sector, cultural agencies and artists to develop and create a rich portfolio of work with a deep and lasting cultural and social legacy. At CAN we believe that inter-cultural dialogue creates a dynamic space where commonality and difference, tradition and modernity can be explored to create rich new cultural forms. Diversity is central to our work and we collaborate with urban communities across Greater Manchester, working with a range of ages, cultural backgrounds and art forms.

06/10/2026

CAN Young Artists have been exploring mask and movement in their autumn workshops at 🎭

Working with award-winning mask and theatre artist Simone Tani () and musicians Mara Cruz, Emma Marsh and Sam Carson, the group have been creating characters, experimenting with movement and using music and performance to explore creative expression.

There’s been lots of making, playing, trying things out, with plenty of collaboration along the way! 🎭🎶

Take a look at some of what they’ve been getting up to 👀

CAN Young Artists is for young people aged 13–20 who want to get creative, meet other young people and work with professional artists.

🔥 It’s FREE 🍕 Free pizza 🚌 We can help with your bus fare ✨ No previous experience needed

Know a young person who would enjoy this? Share this post with them!

Huge thanks to for ongoing support with CAN Young Artists ✨

21/09/2026

CAN is now registered for donations on Facebook and Insta! Please show your support and donate!

‼️ We’re recruiting new trustees at Community Arts North West (CAN) ‼️We’re looking for passionate people to join our Bo...
21/09/2026

‼️ We’re recruiting new trustees at Community Arts North West (CAN) ‼️

We’re looking for passionate people to join our Board of Trustees and help shape the future of CAN.

If you care about creativity, community and social justice, and want to help us continue empowering diverse communities across Greater Manchester through creativity, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re particularly interested in people with skills or experience in finance / Treasurer roles, safeguarding, fundraising, HR and people, marketing / communications / digital, arts and culture, community development and governance.

We’re also keen to hear from people bringing valuable lived experience and strong community insight.

You don’t need to have been a trustee before. Curiosity, good judgement, collaboration and a commitment to CAN’s purpose matter just as much.

📍Interested? Email [email protected] for the recruitment pack or an informal chat.

Come and be part of shaping CAN’s future! ❤️

SocialJustice

CAN YOUNG ARTISTS ARE BACK! 🔆We’re back with a new project and we’re looking for young people aged 13–20 to come and mak...
15/09/2026

CAN YOUNG ARTISTS ARE BACK! 🔆

We’re back with a new project and we’re looking for young people aged 13–20 to come and make, create and have fun with us!

📍 Contact (Contact)
🗓️ Every Wednesday, 5pm–8pm
📅 Starting Wednesday 16 September
🎭 Free drama, music and animation workshops

Come and make friends, try something new and work with a brilliant group of artists.

New to CAN? CYA workshops are free and open to all. We’d love to welcome you 💛

Find out more and get involved via the link in our bio!

Thanks to our brilliant team of artists Samuel Carson Mäřa Cruz Emma Simone Tani

🎭 **YOUR STORY. YOUR VOICE. YOUR STAGE.**Calling all young creatives in Manchester! 👀Our latest **CAN Young Artists proj...
15/09/2026

🎭 **YOUR STORY. YOUR VOICE. YOUR STAGE.**

Calling all young creatives in Manchester! 👀

Our latest **CAN Young Artists project** is now recruiting — and we want YOU to be part of it.

From music 🎶 and performance 🎭 to masks 👺, character, movement ❤️ and storytelling 🗯️, this is your chance to explore your creativity, try something new and bring your stories to life.

✨ No experience needed.
✨ No auditions.
✨ Just bring yourself and your imagination.

**What to expect:**
🎭 A friendly group of young people aged 13–20.
🎶 Creative sessions with brilliant artists.
🔥 Space to experiment, make, perform and be heard.
💬 A chance to share your stories and build confidence.

📍 Contact, Manchester
🗓️ Wednesdays, 5pm–8pm
📅 Starting Wednesday 9 September

Whether you’re already performing or have never stepped on stage before, there’s a place for you here.

**Come as you are. Make something amazing.**

👇 Ready to join us? Drop us a DM or find out more through the link in bio.

With Samuel Carson Simone Tani Mäřa Cruz Emma

ThingsToDoManchester CreativeYouth YouthArts ManchesterEvents

We’re now on PayPal Giving Fund!Your donation helps Community Arts North West create opportunities through creativity, c...
07/09/2026

We’re now on PayPal Giving Fund!

Your donation helps Community Arts North West create opportunities through creativity, connection and community.

❤️ Donate here:
https://www.paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/3140450

Every gift, however small, helps us build a more creative and connected Greater Manchester.

Every voice deserves a platform.The arts give us ways to share experiences, celebrate identity, challenge injustice and ...
01/09/2026

Every voice deserves a platform.

The arts give us ways to share experiences, celebrate identity, challenge injustice and tell stories that might otherwise go unheard.

But too many people remain absent from our stages, galleries and cultural conversations.

At CAN, we work alongside artists and communities so that people can tell their own stories, in their own voices and on their own terms.

Creating a more inclusive arts sector is not simply about inviting people in. It is about listening, sharing power and recognising the value of every lived experience.

Whose stories would you like to see represented more often?

https://comartsnw.org.uk

The arts should open doors, not create barriers.True access means more than extending an invitation.It means considering...
31/08/2026

The arts should open doors, not create barriers.

True access means more than extending an invitation.

It means considering where activities happen, what they cost, how information is communicated and whether people feel represented, respected and genuinely welcome.

It means listening to communities and being prepared to change how we work.

At CAN, we believe cultural opportunities should be shaped with people—not simply provided for them.

Together, we can create an arts sector in which more people can participate, contribute and thrive.

https://comartsnw.org.uk

When people create, communities change.The impact of community arts does not end when the workshop, exhibition or perfor...
30/08/2026

When people create, communities change.

The impact of community arts does not end when the workshop, exhibition or performance finishes.

Creativity can build confidence, strengthen relationships and help communities express what matters to them. It can uncover hidden stories, challenge assumptions and turn shared experiences into collective action.

At Community Arts North West, we believe that bringing people together through creativity can help build fairer, stronger and more connected communities.

Art cannot solve every problem—but it can help people imagine that something different is possible.

Discover our work: https://comartsnw.org.uk

Creativity creates belonging.Making something together can help people connect across differences in age, language, cult...
29/08/2026

Creativity creates belonging.

Making something together can help people connect across differences in age, language, culture and life experience.

A shared song, performance, painting or story can begin a conversation. It can build confidence, create friendships and help people feel part of something bigger.

At Community Arts North West, collaboration and co-creation are at the heart of our work. We create spaces where people can meet as artists, neighbours and equals.

Because when people feel welcomed and valued, creativity flourishes.

Learn more about our work: https://comartsnw.org.uk

Address

61 Old Birley Street�Hulme�Manchester�M15 5RF
Manchester
M155RF

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

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