How arts-based adult community learning transforms community well-being: from isolation to belonging

This paper explores the pivotal role of arts-based adult community learning (ACL) in the UK, highlighting ACL's broader impacts on well-being, including social, emotional, and mental health, and belonging for diverse groups of adult learners. ACL has a social role at individual and group levels; future research might tackle the latter potential in more detail. ACL in the UK is an alternative provider of adult education, usually for learners aged 19+, often delivered by local authorities, or general further education colleges. ACL faces underfunding, and its benefits remain largely unexplored. The study is based on interviews of 17 artist-teachers in ACL. Data collection was carried out between 2021 and 2022, online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Artist-teachers in ACL are understood as professional artists and teachers, who are dedicated to both, and have the competencies needed to work in and through art and ACL. The paper highlights ACL's distinctive qualities, challenges, and its impact on community well-being, and makes comparisons to global ACL contexts. The paper concludes by recommending that access to ACL may be improved through increased funding and better access to ACL centres for learners.