Image: Kas Darley and Mark Stevenson | Teatro Vivo, and Dima Karout | Arts Curator
How are artist-led methodologies and cultural programmes in local government transforming civic participation, service provision, policy-making and governance?
In this Learning Lab, we bring together several of The Mayor’s London Borough of cultural programmes, which have incorporated creative acts of convening, speculation, community manifesto-making and collaboration between artists, council workers, service users and wider residents.
As part of We Are Lewisham, The Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2022, we will engage with the recent Artists of Change Residencies, co-developed by Lewisham Council and Counterpoints Arts, highlighting Teatro Vivo’s focus on Lewisham Council’s call to action on Climate Emergency, and Dima Karout’s engagement with Lewisham’s proud status as the first to declare as a Borough of Sanctuary.
Alongside this, we will hear from on-going cultural programmes, including the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham’s New Town Culture, which is embedding culture as a core part of social care services, and the Mayor of London’s commissioned 2.8 Million Minds, which is exploring how culture can support young peoples’ mental health.
This Learning Lab provides an opportunity for collective learning from live case studies and a practical space to workshop commissioning processes. It also aims to evaluate the tangible impact of creative collaborations and community manifestos that connect residents and local authorities in shared conversation and ownership of a borough. We welcome all council teams, artists, producers and community organisers.
Reflections from the Learning Lab will be visually documented by Migrants in Culture.
Learning Lab is a Counterpoints Arts’ programme.
Catalysts for Change – Arts, Culture and Engagement in Local Governance is designed in collaboration with Joon-Lynn Goh, cultural organiser and Civic Futures Fellow 2021/2022 with GLA.
Part of We Are Lewisham, the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2022. It is funded by Mayor of London with support from Lewisham Council, Horniman Museum and Gardens and Counterpoints Arts.
