Changing the way arts and cultural organisations are run and led
Image credit: BAC Beatbox Academy
About
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FentonMicklem is the creative partnership of cultural leaders Matt Fenton and David Micklem.
We're passionate about supporting arts organisations, charities and commercial organisations of all sizes to meet the challenges of a rapidly-changing world, and to evolve new business models.
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We want to see a world where theatres, galleries and festivals are filled with people of all ages and from all walks of life. Where the things people flock to reflect the diversity of the towns and cities in which they live. Where active participation in arts and culture is central to every community. Where organisations look like the people they serve, and where the business that underpins them is booming.​​
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Our partnership is rooted in our individual artistic practices, experience of senior leadership at key venues, and a deep commitment to making arts organisations more democratic and people-centred.
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"Matt and David’s contribution has left a lasting impact that will guide SAA-uk for years to come. We highly recommend them for their expertise, professionalism and ability to deliver meaningful, lasting results.”
Keranjeet Kaur Virdee, MBE, Chief Executive, South Asian Arts UK
Programmes
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​​The challenges and pressures facing arts and cultural organisations can feel overwhelming. It has never been harder to achieve artistic ambition while remaining solvent, sustainable and accessible.
We know from experience that by changing the way they are run and led, organisations can become more relevant, representative and resilient.
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To help organisations discover a more sustainable future, we currently deliver three adaptable programmes of support:-
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1. Better Ideas – working with leadership teams and staff to generate more creative ways of imagining the future and supporting the delivery of these plans
2. Better Governance – working with trustees and senior leaders to develop more relevant and future-facing governance structures and decision-making practices
3. Better Culture – working with entire organisations, artists, young people and local communities to shift the culture from ‘top-down’ to ‘all together’
These programmes are scalable and dynamic. They utilise creative and accessible models of thinking and collective decision-making, backed up by real-world experience of running complex organisations.
Some of our work is just a few days at key moments, other projects are major organisation-wide change programmes over the course of two years.
For a free initial chat, get in touch
Who
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​​David Micklem and Matt Fenton bring unparalleled experience from careers running arts venues, co-ordinating national funding programmes, commissioning major events and festivals, overseeing capital redevelopments and establishing new cultural organisations.
As well as being experienced facilitators, we both work as independent artists and bring an artist-led, creative approach to our work with organisations.
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Together we provide a wealth of practical experience in supporting cultural
organisations of all scales and art-forms bring their communities closer to the heart of
what they do.
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"Their skills, experience and knowledge, while centring access, inclusivity, representation and sustainability, have been truly invaluable."
Matt Burman, Artistic Director & Chief Exec, The Junction, Cambridge
David Micklem
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A writer, producer, experienced cultural leader and strategic thinker with a demonstrable track record in supporting artists and arts organisations, delivering significant projects and influencing policy. David's specialisms are in strategic planning and supporting organisations to contemplate and articulate core purpose - what do we do, why, and for whom.
Matt Fenton
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A practicing theatre director, producer and dramaturg, Matt brings wide experience from a range of Artistic Director and Chief Executive roles across the arts, including at Contact Theatre and Lancaster Arts. He supports organisations to experiment in practical ways with new forms of governance, programming and audience engagement.
Press and writing
Creative decision-making is
better shared
David Micklem
Arts Professional
2023
Reflections on
power and privilege
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David Micklem
Culture Reset
2023
Postcards to the Future
David Micklem
Changing the world
with Olivia Lee (age 20) (Podcast)
2020
Citizen Curators
at the helm
Matt Fenton
Arts Professional
2022
Young People
in decision-making
Matt Fenton
Exeunt Magazine
The Legacy Tapes
(Podcast)
2016
Theatres as
social enterprises
Matt Fenton
The Stage
2018
Board Diversity & Young People in Decision-Making
Matt Fenton &
Reece Williams
CultureHive
Arts Council England
2017
Case studies
South Asian Arts - UK
Throughout 2024 and 2025, FentonMicklem led South Asian Arts-UK's Step Change programme, an organisation-wide strategy to grow the company's ambition, scale and reach following major funding uplift from Arts Council England. The project covers education, talent development and community-led decision-making, as well as providing 1-1 support for the Chief Executive and Chair.
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“Working with FentonMicklem has been a truly valuable experience. Their thoughtful and strategic approach helped us align our growth with our vision, ensuring we’re well-prepared and confident for the future.” Keranjeet Kaur Virdee, MBE, Chief Executive
The Junction, Cambridge
Over the summer of 2024 FentonMicklem was engaged by the board and Exec of The Junction to develop an ambitious new business plan for the organisation. The project engaged the full staff team, young people and artists in an open democratic process to explore options for The Junction that build on past successes and acknowledge the changing cultural ecology in the city.
"It has been brilliantly useful to work with David and Matt on our new ten-year business plan. They acknowledge that we are the experts, while being constructive critical friends in telling compelling stories and taking new approaches to familiar challenges.” Matt Burman, Artistic Director & Chief Executive
64 Million Artists
David co-founded 64 Million Artists with Jo Hunter in 2013 to unlock the creative potential of everyone living in the UK. He’s developed thought leadership around the notion of Cultural Democracy – the idea of a culture that is debated, designed, made by, with and for everyone.
Contact
As AD/CEO of Contact, the leading UK cultural organisation to place young people at the heart of decision-making, Matt restructured the organisation to place the young people’s team at the centre, absorbing programming and producing within that team to respond to young people’s priorities and interests.
He then increased young people’s representation on the board of trustees to minimum 50%, overseeing the appointment of Contact’s first young chair, Junior Akinola. Young people were at the helm of the organisation’s major £7million capital redevelopment, appointing architects and construction team. In 2022 Matt handed over to Keisha Thompson, the first AD/CEO from Contact’s local community.
Theatre Royal Plymouth
David led a year-long consultation process for TRP CEO James McKenzie-Blackman to radically re-imagine creative leadership for the organisation. The resulting appointment of six creative leaders provides a solid basis for a more distributed and representative way of making artistic organisations.
“David has been my go-to consultant over many years. He knows how to ask the right questions to make you see things differently. He facilitates meetings, away days and seminars in a safe, supported and inclusive way that delivers results and helps drive change.”
James McKenzie-Blackman, CEO