Lewisham Creative Change Fund

Creative Change Fund successful recipients revealed

Thirty-six creatives have been awarded funding from Round One of the Creative Change Fund as part of the Mayor's London Borough of Culture 2022 programme, We Are Lewisham.

Round one of the Creative Change Fund saw 36 successful applicants awarded grants of up to £5,000. Delivered in the first half of the programme, events will range from visual and performing arts, filmmaking, street art, spoken word to creative writing and green projects that transform neglected spaces.

The Creative Change Fund is a grant scheme supporting local people and organisations in the borough to lead and deliver their own activities as part of Lewisham’s year as the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture. It is an amazing opportunity to celebrate all that is good about Lewisham and our history, deliver a legacy for future generations and improve our health and wellbeing as we start to move on from the pandemic.

Read on for information about the successful applicants and their projects.

Still I Rise
A creative writing showcase with inspiration from  “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. Work will be shared with approximately 100 women supported by Action For Refugees in Lewisham (AFRIL).

Stollywood Dreams
Members of the Stollywood Creams will participate in several films about their engagement with digital technology, run in partnership with Stanstead lodge, Lewisham Elders Resources Centre and Catbytes.

Creatively Corbett
A diverse group of residents from the Corbett Estate and surrounding area will come together for a multi-cultural writing project, sharing life experiences for a greater understanding.

Creekshow
A site responsive performance installation about Deptford Creek exploring urban wildlife in a rapidly changing area.  The project will connect local residents with each other and with wildlife in the creek.

Rose Hill Designs X Community Mural for Lewisham Homes
Rose Hill Designs have created an interactive and inclusive mural design for Lewisham Homes, offering community members a series of free community engagement workshops.

Haus of His/Herstory
In a true celebration of Ballroom culture, the theme of the ball will be iconic in an exploration of lesser known figures in Lewisham’s history, with participants from the Know Your Worth programme.

London Borough of Culture Bop (LBoC Bop)
Creating Lewisham’s own signature movement sequence, the LBOC Bop is a fun, collective shared experience that can be performed by all, celebrating achievements and events throughout We Are Lewisham.

Concrete Legends
A community art project led by muralists Amy Dolan and Liv Wright in partnership with New Cross Learning. Working with older residents of New Cross, miniature artworks will be painted on four concrete blocks.

Self Love Club presents: ‘The Black and Asian Experience’ Event
An interactive workshop will invite participants to capture experiences on camera, leading to an online photographic exhibition.

Creative Crit Evenings for young People Of Colour
Three sessions for young artists and creative people of colour, led by artist Sola Olulode. A chance to show work and participate in group discussions in a supportive environment, culminating in a small exhibition.

Seasons Change: Celebrating Brookmill Park’s biodiversity with neuro-diverse young people
Artist in residence, Cash Aspeek, will develop four workshops exploring the biodiversity of Brookmill park with neurodiverse students from Lewisham College.

Vietnamese Harvest Moon Cultural
Weekly online cultural sessions will host music, art and storytelling for children, young adults elderly people, to connect, increase confidence and support mental health.  A final artwork will be showcased at the Vietnamese Moon Festival in September.

Live well with Yarn arts project and art Quilt
Workshops for elderly residents, culminating in a collective ‘Art Quilt’ to express the diversity of the borough. Participants will create and share their stories around this home craft.

Wuntanara – Drumming and Dance Participatory Performances
Accessible and diverse drumming and dance performances followed by a participatory drumming and dance circle for all.

Squidz Club: Heart n Soul
Showcasing the creativity of young people with learning disabilities, Squidz Club is a place for the local community to come together and have fun.

Blackheath Halls Pop-ups
Showcasing diverse musical talents around Blackheath Village, musical pop-ups will promote cultural activism through music in Lewisham, in partnership with Trinity Laban, Blackheath Yoga and Blackheath Conservatoire.

We All Belong: Myatt Garden Primary School
A series of events celebrating diversity and anti-racism will culminate in the Myatt Festival in June 2022, telling the unheard stories of migration, street art and drum and dance performance.

Halo Hair the Musical/Feature Film: Kender Primary School
Workshops will explore different themes regarding black hair, working with the local community, barbers and salons to discuss their experience, offer advice and tips. Sessions will be filmed and curated by Heyday Films.

Untitled Refugee Project: Create Without Borders
A weekend festival of art, music, food, fashion and workshops in collaboration with refugee artists and chefs in Lewisham. This is a collaborative project led by Create Without Borders and Refugee Café.

The Food On Our Tables: Stories of Food, Family and Home
Capturing stories from people in Lewisham surrounding food, writers will take up residence in five independent cafes and restaurants in Lewisham, producing a written work for each location.

Brockley Max: Max Media Arts CIC
A 9-day locally produced community arts festival featuring theatre, music, comedy, poetry, creative writing, film, art exhibitions, children’s events and workshops.

NOISE workshops and performance: Nua Dance Ltd and Remark
Two dance workshops and one video design workshop will invite D/deaf young people to learn new skills.  Followed by a dance performance for both deaf and hearing audiences by Nua Dance Company using sound reflective visuals and vibrating soundscapes.

FUTURE KIDS PROJECT – Protecting the place we love
Creating a play space in Evelyn Children and Family Centre in Grove Street focused on climate change. The space will be designed as an escape room style event for families and small groups to experience.

THE GROWMOBILE: Grow Lewisham
A bike powered shed set to travel the borough running workshops and pop-up events around food growing and cooking. Workshops will focus on producing local food using environmentally conscious methods.

Films to Reflect and Inspire Change: Lewisham’s Young Voices: South London film School C.I.C.
A 6 week film course for secondary school pupil across the borough will produce short films that celebrate We Are Lewisham’s themes, particularly what it means to be a ‘borough of sanctuary’.

LGBT+ Collaboration: Staying Out and Metro Centre

Hosting inclusive LGBTQIA+ events that celebrate Lewisham’s diversity through intergenerational film projects and screenings, and community workshops in performance, collage, sewing and clothing design.

Youth Voice 2022: Lewisham Youth Theatre
Youth-led performances, centred on youth activism and empowerment will develop the voices of young people as performers, writers, directors, producers, designers and technicians.

CRIPtic x Lewisham – a microfest of D/deaf and Disabled artists
A celebratory day of workshops and performances from D/deaf and disabled people in Lewisham, showing that there is a place for the community at a professional level in the arts.

Setting Up Shop: Migration Museum
An exhibition and public engagement campaign to highlight stories of Lewisham’s migrant and ethnic minority business owners and the energy they have brought to Britain, transforming the economy and our lives.

Come Dine in Blue: hARTslane
A participatory art project bringing together 100 Lewisham residents and local artists to create a Willow Pattern inspired dining room installation exploring the underrepresented legacies of migration to Lewisham.

‘END OF…’: Climate change outdoor theatre project in Sydenham
An outdoor theatre show inviting children to draw inspiration from climate activists. By Spontaneous Productions Theatre Company Ltd. in collaboration with local theatre practitioners, writers, and primary schools.

Catford Gyratory: A community dance project
A project uniting the rich network of community groups based around Catford Gyratory will invite groups to devise & rehearse a short performance of theatre, music or dance.

Clay Links in Ladywell: Bethlem Gallery
Clay workshops to improve wellbeing, encourage mindfulness and bridge communities through creatively handling clay in an environmentally conscious way, in partnership with SLaM.

Artists at Work: Acme @ Childers Street
A project to celebrate the impact that our diverse communities of artists have made towards shaping Lewisham over the past 32 years, during their continuous studio occupation of 165 Childers Street, Deptford.

Lewisham Irish Mini Festival: Lewisham Irish Centre
A mini festival at Lewisham Irish Centre and other venues in the borough will showcase the best of Irish and Irish Traveller Culture through music, dance, song and storytelling.