Lewisham has been announced as the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture for 2022. An award that shines a light on arts throughout the borough and places their cultures at the heart of the community.
With a call to action on the climate emergency and a celebration of Lewisham’s diversity, character and cultures, this year long event will take place from venues to parks and street corners to highlight the stories of Lewisham’s trailblazers and rich history of activism through dance, music, debate, public art and much more! It aims to celebrate the things everyone has in common and the things that make us different, in a year-long celebration of the real cultures of London by the people who live here.
Jointly led by Lewisham Council and the Albany, We Are Lewisham will bring together all neighbourhoods, communities and stories with events taking place all year long to champion the talents and culture of the local community.
The year of culture kicks off on Friday 28th January with a day of live events taking place on the hour, every hour with live music, creative challenges and workshops throughout the borough, as well as mass collective dance performance led by Alleyne Dance and IRIE! Dance Theatre.
Following on from this throughout the year there will be events popping up everywhere, from Breathe: 2022, a public art exhibition showcasing the impact of air pollution on the borough and beyond, to ‘People’s Day’ in Mountsfield Park in Catford, South-East London’s longest-running free festival at which the whole community is invited to listen to great music, see fantastic art and get crafting, along with the chance to take home some goodies from local businesses.
Lewisham Council will also be commissioning training and skills to build opportunities for Lewisham’s London Borough of Culture 2022 year. The ‘Creative Futures’ programme will be aimed at Lewisham residents aged 16-30 and focus on raising inspiration and giving insight into careers in the creative industries while also offering practical skills support that increases employability and aids career progression. To find out more about this programe, click here!
The Council are also calling out to artists to create a wide and diverse database of freelance creatives who can be contacted for paid work. As there are many talented creative professionals in Lewisham, the hope with this database is to make it easier to provide paid freelance work and establish new relationships to increase cultural networks in the Borough. The main focus of this call out is for photographers, videographers, muralists, filmmakers or graphic designers, and job lengths could vary from hours to days. Find out more about the call out here!
To see what other events are on throughout Lewisham’s year of culture, click here!
