A Brave Space for Creativity – Spotlight on Arts with Rebecca Carter
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In this episode of Spotlight on Arts, we’re joined by Rebecca Carter, Arts Coordinator at Leicester Adult Education, whose professional journey is as rich and layered as the creative community she now supports. From managing bars and teaching in secondary schools, to curating arts programmes across Leicester’s adult learning venues, Bec’s story reflects the winding and often unconventional path many people take to reclaim their creative identities.
We begin by tracing Bec’s roots in the Midlands’ cultural scene—first as an art history graduate struggling to find a foothold in the sector, then as someone who inadvertently stepped into a different world behind the bar at Bossa. What follows is a compelling account of finding meaning through creative teaching, and how a late return to the arts proved both professionally rewarding and personally transformative.
Much of the conversation focuses on the unique power of adult education—a space where learners from all walks of life come together to rediscover their creativity. Bec shares insights into her current role coordinating courses ranging from pottery and printmaking to drawing and textiles, and highlights the value of learner-led approaches that centre individual stories and experiences. This isn’t about ticking boxes or climbing career ladders. It’s about finding expression, connection, and purpose—often for the first time.
What stands out is how place and belonging are woven into the learning process. The Adult Education Centre on Belvoir Street, with its open café, kilns, exhibition spaces, and community atmosphere, isn’t just a venue—it’s a social intersection. A meeting point for people who might never otherwise cross paths, but who come together through a shared interest in making, learning, and being.
Rebecca also touches on the importance of wellbeing, especially post-Covid. Art, she reminds us, isn’t always about grand ambitions or careers in the creative industries—it’s often about small, quiet moments of joy. It’s about picking up a pencil or a piece of clay and making something for yourself. And in a world where many feel pressured to commodify every aspect of life, these spaces for unpressured creativity are becoming ever more vital.
Throughout the discussion, we reflect on the deeper social role of adult education—not just as a provider of courses, but as a catalyst for personal transformation, social cohesion, and cultural renewal. Whether you’re seeking a fresh start, a creative outlet, or a way to meet like-minded people, adult learning offers more than skills. It offers community.
As Rob notes in the closing minutes, what adult education nurtures might best be described as a “brave space”—a place where trying something new is encouraged, where fun and curiosity are welcome, and where learning doesn’t have to serve a market goal to be worthwhile.
Spotlight on Arts is produced by John Coster and Rob Watson for Soar Sound, sharing the voices, experiences, and reflections of Leicester’s creative community. If you’d like to feature on a future episode or have a story worth telling, get in touch.
