About Us
EXTRAORDINARY NEW OUTDOOR ART FOR EVERYONE
Without Walls is a pioneer and trailblazer of exceptional outdoor art in the UK. We forge and spearhead a network of cultural organisations and festivals.
We work in partnership to commission, co-create, and share outdoor art with communities across the country, and ensure onward touring nationally and internationally.
We exist to innovate artistic approach, collaborative working, financial sustainability, and inclusive practice. Working with artists, producers, and presenting partners, we collectively enable the outdoor arts scene to realise its full potential and operate as a global leader in the industry.
Without Walls nurtures established and emerging talent through professional and creative development opportunities and training. Through our Artistic Directorate, we provide R&D funding and commissions for a broad range of artists including those who identify as being deaf, disabled, neurodivergent and from the Global Majority, all of whom are underrepresented in our sector. We are driving positive change and committed to improving the representation of diverse cultural leaders in outdoor arts.
Through our Touring Network Partnership and Creative Development Network, we provide advice, guidance, and strategic support to festivals of all scales, from grassroots to mid and large-scale presenting partners, together strengthening the national infrastructure and creating a platform for ongoing touring work.
Our approach to inclusive practice, commissioning of diverse artists, and our network of festival partners in areas of low cultural provision, enables us to take free-to-access relevant, high-quality creative experiences to some of the most under-served communities in the country. In doing so, Without Walls seeks to democratise access to culture, and enable great art to build a strong sense of connection, identity and belonging.
Without Walls is funded by Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation.
OUR VALUES
Care and Respect
We care. We value difference and treat everybody with respect and sensitivity. Structures and systems are important, but people come first.
Trust and Listen
We trust those we work with. We take time to listen and learn. We may not have the answer to every question but know there are people within our networks who will.
Inspire and Collaborate
We inspire and are inspired by others. We celebrate what we do to spark creative collaboration across our networks and with the artists we support.
Honesty and Purpose
We are honest. We are clear about what we can and can’t do. We are driven by our purpose and not afraid to recognise that we can always do things better.
WHEREVER YOU ARE, WHOEVER YOU ARE, THE ARTS ARE YOURS
Outdoorartsuk, 101 Outdoor Arts and Without Walls are delighted to share ‘Wherever you are, whoever you are, the arts are yours: A Strategy for Joy and Belonging for, with and by the Outdoor Arts Sector’. Supported by Arts Council England and developed by Sud Basu of Third Version Creative, the strategy has been created for, with and by the Outdoor Arts sector. Find out more about the strategy.