WORKING CLASS CREATIVES
WHO ARE WE?
Working Class Creatives (WCCD) is an arts organisation and community confronting class-based barriers within the creative industries.
Founded in 2020 as an informal online response to experiences of exclusion within the arts, WCCD has grown into a UK-wide network of over 2,000 working-class creatives.
Over the past five years, we have created exhibitions, residencies, events, research, publishing and opportunities with artists, communities and cultural organisations across the UK. Our work creates space for working-class creatives to connect, share knowledge and resources, develop their practices and make things happen together.
Our work is rooted in lived experience, collaboration and mutual support. We believe culture should not be limited by class, geography or access to existing networks.
WHAT WE DO:
PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR WORKING-CLASS CREATIVES
We create visibility and connections through our member database, digital platforms, projects and public programmes.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES AND OPENING ACCESS
We work with artists, organisations and partners to create exhibitions, residencies, events, talks and other opportunities for working-class creatives.
BUILDING COMMUNITY AND COLLECTIVE POWER
We create spaces for people to connect, collaborate, share skills, knowledge and resources, and organise activity together.
BRINGING CLASS TO THE FOREFRONT
Through research, conversation, programming and lived experience, we challenge class-based barriers and bring conversations around class and inequality to the forefront of the creative industries.
WHAT WE'VE BUILT
Since 2020, WCCD has grown from an informal online network into a national community and platform.
2,000+ Working-class creatives connected across the UK
350+ Artists, writers and cultural workers directly supported
70+ Creatives supported through exhibitions
40+ Residencies and creative opportunities facilitated
Alongside this, we have developed exhibitions, events, talks, research, publishing and partnerships across the UK.
WE'VE WORKED WITH
WHY WE EXIST
Working Class Creatives was founded in 2021 by Seren Metcalfe and Chanelle Windas in response to our own experiences of navigating the creative industries without the financial security, connections or support that can make access easier.
While attending art school in London, we experienced barriers linked to our class backgrounds, including gaps in academic experience, limited industry connections, uncertainty after graduation, low confidence and imposter syndrome. We created the Working Class Creatives Database to bring together people facing similar barriers and build a space for connection, support and shared opportunity.
These experiences are not unique. Only 16% of people working in creative occupations come from working-class backgrounds, while those from middle and upper-middle-class families are significantly more likely to enter the sector.
Our research and conversations with members continue to highlight barriers including financial insecurity, limited access to opportunities, a lack of visibility and professional networks, and feelings of isolation and imposter syndrome.
Our community also extends far beyond major cities. Members come from smaller towns and rural areas across the UK, with many relocating in search of creative opportunities. This highlights the importance of building accessible networks, resources and opportunities that reach beyond existing cultural centres.
WCCD exists to bring people together around these shared experiences and create practical ways for working-class creatives to connect, support one another and shape their own opportunities.
We believe that access to culture is about more than building a career. Art can provide ways to communicate, understand our experiences, build identity, create connections and develop a sense of belonging. We want to help ensure that these opportunities are not limited by class, geography or access to existing networks.
THE NEXT PHASE
After five years of building WCCD alongside our own practices, jobs and lives, we are taking time to think about what the next phase of the organisation looks like.
Our focus is on building a more sustainable future for WCCD and developing the digital infrastructure needed to better support the community long-term.
We want to create a shared digital space where members can connect, organise, share opportunities and knowledge, publish work, develop ideas and support one another directly.
At the same time, we are encouraging members to use the connections and resources already within the community to make things happen. Organise an exhibition. Start a project. Collaborate. Share an opportunity. Bring people together around something you care about.
The next phase of WCCD is about building infrastructure that allows the community to play a greater role in shaping and sustaining itself.
READ OUR SELF-ORGANISING MANIFESTO
OUR TEAM
SEREN METCALFE
Co-Founder & Director
Seren Metcalfe is an artist, writer and curator based in London. She co-founded Working Class Creatives in 2021 alongside Chanelle Windas.
CHANELLE WINDAS
Co-Founder & Director
Chanelle Windas is a curator and arts professional. She co-founded Working Class Creatives in 2021 alongside Seren Metcalfe.
BOARD OF ADVISORS
Working Class Creatives is supported by a Board of Advisors who bring a range of experience, knowledge and perspectives to the organisation, supporting its development and future direction.Board of Advisors: