Art UK's Tagger Tool Sparks Community Connection in Stoke-on-Trent
During the Digital Collections Summit 2026, Katey Goodwin and Natalie Willatt showcased the transformation of the crowdsourcing tool Tagger to enhance community connections. Initiated in May 2024 with backing from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the initiative in Stoke-on-Trent has involved nearly 1,500 participants across 68 events. Notable activities include a local-themed guessing game for the city’s 2025 centenary and a joint textile banner crafted with local artist Siobhan McAleer. Regular gatherings of Tagger participants have fostered friendships and established routines. In December 2025, volunteers curated Christmas artworks, boosting confidence and alleviating isolation. Online, over 600,000 tags have been added to 73,000 artworks, with Art UK's platform featuring over one million artworks and 5.6 million users in 2025.
Key facts
- Art UK's Tagger tool was launched as a community volunteering programme in May 2024 with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
- The programme is based in Stoke-on-Trent and has delivered 68 activities with nearly 1,500 participants.
- Activities include tagathons, workshops, photo walks, creative challenges, and community sessions.
- A giant guessing game using artworks has been themed around local subjects like bottle ovens, harvest, and writers.
- A collaborative textile banner was created with local artist Siobhan McAleer and poet John Paul Green.
- Online taggers have added over 600,000 tags to more than 73,000 artworks.
- Art UK's platform hosts over one million artworks from 3,500 collections and had 5.6 million users in 2025.
- Katey Goodwin and Natalie Willatt spoke at the Digital Collections Summit 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Katey Goodwin
- Natalie Willatt
- Siobhan McAleer
- John Paul Green
- William Blake
Institutions
- Art UK
- Digital Collections Summit
- National Lottery Heritage Fund
- Portland Inn Project
- Urban Wilderness Art Club
- Appetite
- Creative People and Places
- MuseumNext
Locations
- Stoke-on-Trent
- United Kingdom
- Longton
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Cardiff
- Pontypridd
- Merseyside
- Southampton
- London
- USA