What’s On
Delivering programmes for diverse audiences, participants and communities.
Events - Workshops - Shows - Festivals
Neurodiversity Learning CIC | Creative Minds
“At Neurodiversity Learning, our mission is to foster creativity, support collaboration, and empower neurodiverse young people, their parents, and siblings.” Navedia Young
Creative Minds, with support from The Co-op Local Community Fund, is a photographic series celebrating community special educational needs projects using art as an enriching and therapeutic tool to support wellbeing and embrace the power of creativity among neurodivergent learners. Creative practice serves as a vital tool for offering new ways to connect, understand, find peace and combat anxiety, and by focusing on its communicative power, Neurodiversity Learning aims to facilitate nurturing spaces where individuals feel secure and valued, enabling them to flourish in their unique ways.
These photographs by Mark Chilvers illuminate the positive impact of creative endeavours on inclusivity and wellbeing, recognising organisations working in and around West Norwood, London that celebrate neurodiverse ways of sensing and interacting with the world. This show is also an invitation to help create a world that appreciates and rejoices in the vast spectrum of human talents and possibilities.
Featured community partners include Fritz Tutoring, A2ndvoice CIC, L'Arche UK and the National Autistic Society (Lambeth Branch).
Neurodiversity Learning CIC was founded by Navedia Young, a mentor and educator, specialising in supporting individuals and families with additional needs. In 2025, she will launch her advising, coaching, and tutoring service, both face-to-face and online, offering personalised support for neurodiverse individuals and their families while helping to navigate children’s educational needs. For more information, you can contact Navedia at Hellovedaguidance@outlook.com. To join her mailing list, link here.
Mark Chilvers began his photography career in 1998 at The Independent. In the 26 years since, he has published internationally and travelled extensively with his camera on assignments to all seven continents. He also volunteers with the Lambeth branch of the National Autism Society and runs the successful Boxing for Autism group at Miguel's Boxing Gym in Loughborough Junction, London, which he set up in 2022.
Maha Satish | In Dog We Trust
“I once heard Yinka Shonibare talking about his choice of subjects, and somewhere he mentioned a turning point in his career, based on a teacher’s suggestion, that led to his explorative journey into cultural identity and historical contextualisation.
During COVID, to alleviate the stress and mental-health situation of many of my friends and followers, I began to paint dogs. Continuing with dogs as a lynchpin, I explored different compositions and themes. At the start, I remember thinking a good deal about what would make interesting modern subjects, because I figured people are interested in the decision trail of your work.
But whether I painted dogs or spoke at depth about impressionism or Krasner-Pollock partnership, I found a territorial tension being generated, almost like a trespass situation, reminding me of who I am, of how I have, in so many instances, been ‘recommended’ to paint sacred Indian cows or try miniature painting. Much of these experiences and explorative thoughts have led me to paint themes that sometimes obscure my labels and expand into an otherwise less traversing world.
My themes in the past among others have included county cricket grounds in England; portraits of people I know with their everyday possessions, like shoes or glasses or sewing tools; a series of sketches of the iconic moments of The Football World Cup; indoor plants in my house and so on.
I find myself continuously challenging the idea of me and my work being seen as an ambassador of a certain section of the social hierarchy.”
Maha Satish lives and works in London. Her work has been shortlisted at numerous shows and she has exhibited across London and abroad. She paints on cotton and linen canvases in oils, a medium she loves for its malleability and challenges.
Each painting is crafted over months owing to the layers used to build up each image, and drawing on an archive of collected imagery and background references, Maha works through her compositions to create deeper angles and visually striking works. With figuration at the centre of her practice, she is passionate about playing with focus using colour fields to capture and create light and layers of space in her paintings.
In Dog We Trust is Maha’s latest solo show.
Life Drawing at Finchley Church End Library
Everybody can draw. It’s true!
And we put it to the test at this life drawing workshop for all levels of ability. From short sketches to longer drawings, participants will be guided through an experience that will build your skills and confidence in figure drawing, regardless of the last time you drew.
Artists' model Roy Joseph Butler - Would I Lie to You?, Life Drawing Live and Drawer's Off - will be offering up a variety of poses that will no doubt challenge, but will also engage even the novice sketcher in exploring their creative side. And, he'll be semi-nude, providing form as well as discretion for the adventurous and the coy alike.
Figurative artist Joe Barrow will be your guide, providing tuition to develop skills, enhance practice and encourage personal creativity.
Materials are included, but feel free to bring your own.
In partnership with Barnet Library Service and the London Borough of Barnet.
FREE. Online booking essential.
Watercolour Portraits (Families)
A treat for Grandparents’ Week.
In this mutual portrait painting workshop, grandkids - ideal for ages 7 to 13 - and grandparents get to celebrate each other in full, unadulterated (water)colour. And, yes, they’ll be taking it in turns to paint each other's portrait(s).
This exuberant art workshop is for all levels of ability. Guidance is provided, and so are the materials. All you'll need to bring is the grandparent(s) - or grandchild(ren) - and bags of imagination.
Part of the Grandparents’ Week 2024 in the London Borough of Barnet.
In partnership with Barnet Youth, Barnet Library Service and the London Borough of Barnet.
Free. Online booking essential.
Exhibition Launch - Maha Satish | In Dog We Trust
Launching the latest exhibition by painter Maha Satish.
Join us in person on Friday, 20th September at the Picturehouse for the launch of this free exhibition, featuring original works exploring the critical relationship between the human animal and our canine friends.
No RSVP necessary, just turn up!
The evening also celebrates the exhibition launch of Creative Minds by Neurodiversity Learning CIC.
Sales proceeds go towards supporting the artist’s growth and funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.
Exhibition Launch - Neurodiversity Learning CIC | Creative Minds
Launching a community photo series by Mark Chilvers.
“At Neurodiversity Learning, our mission is to foster creativity, support collaboration, and empower neurodiverse young people, their parents, and siblings.” Navedia Young
Join us in person on Friday, 20th September at the Picturehouse for the launch of this free exhibition, a photographic series celebrating community special educational needs projects using art as an enriching and therapeutic tool to support wellbeing and embrace the power of creativity among neurodivergent learners.
Featured community partners include Fritz Tutoring, A2ndvoice CIC, L’Arche UK and the National Autistic Society (Lambeth Branch).
Sponsored by The Co-op Local Community Fund.
No RSVP necessary, just turn up!
The evening also celebrates the exhibition launch of In Dog We Trust by Maha Satish.
Life Drawing at Burgh House: (In)Visible Bodies
Drawing the In(Visible)
We return to Burgh House Museum this autumn with another exuberant evening of multi-model life drawing for all levels of drawing ability. It will also be the final figure-drawing event in the series for the museum’s Marie-Louise von Motesiczky and Dorothy Bohm exhibitions.
In September, we welcome Michael Hill and Daven Lee to the life room - Michael modelling for one of the first times in his life, Daven re-approaching the discipline after many years away, both offering a fresh take on the subject of the figure that is bound to excite and inspire.
Drawing will take place in the Burgh House public space, with a drink included in the ticket price.
Materials, boards and paper are provided, and you are welcome to bring your own.
Limited spaces, booking essential.
Members & U25s: £16.96 + 1.96 booking fee | Non-members: £20.21 + £2.21 booking fee
Tickets via Burgh House Museum
Ever considered trying life modelling yourself? For information about gaining experience, ticking off that bucket list item or properly getting started in the industry, get in touch or visit the Starkers Academy.
Watercolours in Practice with the V&A
Bring your brushes, paints and paper and indulge in the unpredictable and magical personality of watercolour.
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Unlock the expressive potential of watercolour in this live online webinar with our very own Leo Crane. Explore how artists from medieval to contemporary times use watercolour to create mood and movement in their art, whilst trying out the techniques for yourself.
This session will be held live on Microsoft Teams and will also be recorded. The recording will be emailed to ticket holders after the live event and will be accessible for five days until midnight on Sunday, 15th September 2024.
Note: Materials are not included, and a list of readily available materials will be sent to ticket holders in advance of the session.
£5. Tickets available online, booking essential.
Drawing and Storytelling with the Clothed Figure (8 - 13 years)
Combine your love of telling stories with the joy of drawing!
In this workshop, you will use a variety of drawing mediums - including charcoal, pencil, marker and pen - to draw a clothed artists' model. You will also learn to construct your own story from your drawings. Expect tips on drawing clothing as well as how to capture the model in imaginary spaces.
Part of the Summer Reading Challenge 2024 - London Borough of Barnet.
Materials are included, but make sure you bring your imagination and creative spirit.
In partnership with Barnet Youth, Barnet Library Service and the London Borough of Barnet.
Free. Online booking essential.
Life Drawing at Burgh House: (In)Visible Women
Capturing the In(Visible)
We return to Burgh House Museum this summer with another exuberant evening of multi-model life drawing for all levels of drawing ability.
As part of the museum’s programming around their Marie-Louise von Motesiczky and Dorothy Bohm exhibitions, we welcome Patricia Oon and Jane Roberts to the life room, celebrating the power of their physical selves, inspiring with the stories of their bodies and promoting the visibility of women who are often absent or overlooked in the art world.
Drawing will take place in the Burgh House public space, with a drink included in the ticket price.
Materials, boards and paper are provided, and you are welcome to bring your own.
Limited spaces, booking essential.
Members & U25s: £18 booking fee | Non-members: £15 booking fee
Tickets via Burgh House Museum
Ever considered trying life modelling yourself? For information about gaining experience, ticking off that bucket list item or properly getting started in the industry, get in touch or visit the Starkers Academy.
Exhibition Launch - Chrissy Thirlaway | Intimate Stories
Launching the latest solo show by fine artist Chrissy Thirlaway.
“I use the human form to examine…tensions between light and colour, culture and emotion.”
Join us in person on Friday, 28th June at the Picturehouse to immerse yourself in this free exhibition by the artist, featuring a living collection of paintings that tap into the innate vulnerability and power of the human form.
No RSVP necessary, just turn up!
The evening also celebrates the exhibition launch of As the Bruises Turn to Yellow by Cyril Ferrando.
Sales proceeds go towards supporting the artist’s growth and funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.
Exhibition Launch - Cyril Ferrando | As the Bruises Turn to Yellow
Launching the debut exhibition by Cyril Ferrando.
“For the pain and the grief. In the name of melancholia. This is the first time I’ve painted with so much intent.”
Join us in person on Friday, 28th June at the Picturehouse for the launch this free exhibition, featuring new works exploring the artist’s innermost self and darkest thoughts, and anchored in love.
No RSVP necessary, just turn up!
The evening also celebrates the exhibition launch of Intimate Stories by fine artist Chrissy Thirlaway.
Proceeds from all sales donated to Packed Lunch Productions, funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.See the feeling.
Cyril Ferrando | As the Bruises Turn to Yellow
“This is for Shardae-Rose. For our love. For our respective struggles. For the pain and the grief. In the name of melancholia. This is the first time I’ve painted with so much intent. And I have done so always thinking of you, Shardae-Rose.”
Cyril Ferrando was born in 1986 in Toulon, France.
Painting is his salve, his mode of soothing the sorrows of life whilst indulging in listening to bands like The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Emma Ruth Rundle and multiple other artists who are always carefully selected for the moment. “I stretch and prime all of my canvases using the finest materials, such as super-fine French linen… Often, Serge Gainsbourg plays in the background too, and all of this is part of how much I love painting. So much.”
As the Bruises Turn to Yellow is Cyril’s catharsis, featuring paintings evocative of his innermost self and darkest thoughts… Works appreciated most in the light. The title is taken from the lyrics of ‘Pierrot the Clown’ by Placebo. The paintings are all named after songs from The Cure.
A free exhibition, with proceeds from all sales going to the artist’s growth and funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.
Chrissy Thirlaway | Intimate Stories
“I use the human form to examine…tensions between light and colour, culture and emotion.”
Chrissy Thirlaway is a fine and creative artist working out of Brixton, South London and Los Angeles, California. She began serious drawing, she would say, at the age of nine, during a period of several years living in Brazil and with no contact with other children.
“Like many people, I've felt a bit of an outsider since I was a child, born in one country, raised in another… Drawing was my companion and my teacher then, and still is now, allowing me to relate and respect the subject.” For Chrissy, drawing was and is a journey of exploration “of our interface with the world I find myself living in and its consequences. I am in awe of the beauty of what is. What comes from me are delicate, precise, emotional narratives about [people’s] common experiences and what it is to be human beings.”
The process of painting is an extended, layered process of her practice, often taking months to complete, while clarifying her insight(s) into the impulse(s) for a particular work. Sometimes, it is a window into the world she knows, and other times the canvas' edge is the world. Her subjects are naked and natural, stripped of all disguise, and in their nudity are both vulnerable and powerful.
Chrissy also works in three dimensions - including textile, copper and glass - and her work is held in private collections in the United Kingdom, the USA, Brazil, Indonesia, Qatar, Portugal, Germany and France. Intimate Stories is her latest solo show.
A free exhibition, with proceeds from all sales going to the artist’s growth and funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.
Introduction to Life Drawing: Celebrating the Body
Join the Southwark and Lambeth MS group in celebrating the power and strength of bodies that live with chronic illness.
Creative expression is within us all - able-bodied and otherwise. To celebrate this potential, we’ve partnered with our local Multiple Sclerosis society to offer an afternoon of inclusive, accessible life drawing for all levels of ability.
Our model will be Jane Roberts, a graduate of the Starkers Academy for new and developing life models. Jane also lives with a chronic physical condition that once limited how she viewed her body and its potential. She now uses that same body as a source of artistic inspiration for creatives across London.
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“As a woman with a disability, I am always pushing myself that bit harder. Life modelling is such a peaceful and in-the-moment discipline. It provides me with the chance to really appreciate my body, along with its limitations. What I have pleasantly discovered is that my body remains motionless without any tremors.” - Jane Roberts
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Materials provided, but if you prefer bringing your own, dry mediums only, please!
Paper also provided, as well as guidance for all new drawers on where to make your first marks and how to continue.
Spaces are limited, online booking essential. A massive thanks to West Norwood Library for the space to host this community workshop.
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Ever considered trying life modelling yourself? For information about gaining experience, ticking off that bucket list item or properly getting started in the industry, get in touch or visit the Starkers Academy.
Life Drawing East of Eden
Packed Lunch Goes East of Eden
The creative spirit is within us all. To recognise and celebrate this potential, this reality, we’ve partnered with fitness studio East of Eden to offer life drawing for all levels of ability.
In keeping with the East of Eden exhibition for the E17 Art Trail, Finding peace in the human experience by Heather Milner, this is an experience where model and drawers alike can find their own fresh, unique ways to flex their creative muscles, finding that secret dialogue and synthesis between them that encapsulates something of themselves.
We’ll also be welcoming a new art nude to the life room, Ravi, a transman and creative soul whose personal experience of finding peace in the human experience (and body) will no doubt inspire.
Materials provided, but if you prefer bringing your own, dry mediums only, please!
Paper also provided, as well as guidance for all new drawers on where to make your first marks and how to continue.
Spaces are limited, online booking essential.
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Ravi is part of the Starkers Academy, an initiative for new and developing life models. Ever considered trying life modelling yourself? For information about gaining experience, ticking off that bucket list item or properly getting started in the industry, get in touch or visit the Starkers Academy.
Painting Imagination (Parent-child) - Waitlist Only
The mind is a powerful thing. Ever changing. Ever creative.
In this free family workshop, you'll be given all the tools and inspiration you'll need to pool imaginations and create unique, vibrant works of art. The mediums of choice will be gouache and watercolour paints, with a host of supplementary materials to make your creations really pop.
Materials are included, but make sure you bring your imagination.
In partnership with Barnet Youth, Barnet Library Service and the London Borough of Barnet.
Free. Online booking essential.
Dulwich Festival
Presenting new and original work by figurative artists Natalie Charles and Roy Joseph Butler, exploring the narratives expressed by the human form in space and over time. Part of the Artists' Open House at Dulwich Festival 2024.
Natalie Charles (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist from London whose work explores connections between people and the impact of our personal histories. The Things I Have Inside features paintings and lino-cut prints that are an investigation of the artist's ancestry and the innate spiritual guidance that steers and protects us all in life. Proceeds from all sales will support the artist’s growth and fund public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.
Roy Joseph Butler (he/him) uses photography to convey aspects of belonging, his most recent series, From the Life Room, highlighting the connection between the artists' subject and both the space and the viewer that contextualise and interpret them. All proceeds from this show will be donated to Packed Lunch Productions, supporting our work in advancing visual storytelling and enhancing the social capital of everyone who engages with our initiatives.
Hosted in partnership with West Norwood Picturehouse, 1 - 7 Norwood High Street, London, England SE27 9JU.
The artists will be on-site on:
Saturday 11th May, 10 - 6 pm
Sunday 12th May, 10 - 6 pm
Saturday 18th May, 10 - 6 pm
Sunday 19th May, 10 - 6 pm
Life Drawing at Burgh House: Women and Portraiture
A beautiful marriage of art appreciation and art practice for all levels of ability.
May. The month when many cultures celebrate Mother’s Day and the world observes International Victorious Woman Month and Women’s Health Month.
It also marks our return to Burgh House Museum with an inter-generational multi-model life drawing experience promoting the visibility of women often overlooked, and too often absent, in the art world.
As part of the museum’s exhibitions of works by painter Marie-Louise von Motesiczky and photographer Dorothy Bohm exhibitions exploring the (in)visibility of women, we welcome Poppy McMurtrie and Jane Roberts to the life room, celebrating the power underpinning their physical selves and inspiring drawers of all abilities with the stories of their bodies.
Drawing will take place in the Burgh House public space, with a drink included in the ticket price.
Materials, boards and paper are provided, and you are welcome to bring your own.
All levels of drawing ability are welcome and encouraged.
Spaces are limited. Booking is essential.
Members: £15 + 1.96 booking fee | Non-members: £18 + £2.21 booking fee
Ever considered trying life modelling yourself? For information about gaining experience, ticking off that bucket list item or properly getting started in the industry, get in touch or visit the Starkers Academy.
Exhibition Launch - Roy Joseph Butler | From the Life Room
Launching the debut photo exhibition by art nude and creative Roy Joseph Butler.
“As a model, I am an artist.”
Join us in person on Friday, 19th April at the Picturehouse to immerse yourself in this free exhibition, a documentation in photographs of those spaces where he, the artist as artists’ model, has been both inspiration and subject, encouraging viewers to consider how they see, how the subject who would otherwise inhabit the space may view them and how that, in turn, translates into a conversation of creative collaboration and acceptance.
No RSVP necessary, just turn up!
The evening also celebrates the exhibition launch of The Things I Have Inside by multidisciplinary artist Natalie Charles.
Proceeds from all sales donated to Packed Lunch Productions, funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.
Exhibition Launch - Natalie Charles | The Things I Have Inside
Launching the latest solo show by multidisciplinary artist Natalie Charles (she/her).
“These [works] are the things I have inside that I toss out because there are burdens with which you cannot live or drag along…” - Belkis Ayón
Join us in person on Friday, 19th April at the Picturehouse to immerse yourself in this free exhibition by the artist, featuring new works tapping into her ongoing interest in the connections between people and the impact of our personal histories.
No RSVP necessary, just turn up!
The evening also celebrates the exhibition launch of From the Life Room by Roy Joseph Butler.
Sales proceeds go towards supporting the artist’s growth and funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.
Roy Joseph Butler | From the Life Room
“As a model, I am an artist.”
As a model, writer and filmmaker, storytelling is central to Roy Joseph Butler’s practice, one now shifting towards a critical exploration of his life journey and a heritage - personal and social - informing both his identity and his outlook as a body-positive Queer person. Consequently, he is compelled to introduce and engage ever-newer audiences with the life room, a place of compulsory collaboration between fine artist and life model and a formative creative centre in which his body and the history traced upon it are displayed, ready for critical artistic interpretation. In this space, he perpetually rediscovers himself.
Roy’s work is mainly concerned with expressions of belonging. From the Life Room, his debut exhibition, is a documentation in photographs of those spaces where he, as artists’ model, has been both inspiration and subject, encouraging viewers to consider how they see, how the subject who would otherwise inhabit the space may view them and how that, in turn, translates into a conversation of creative collaboration and acceptance. In that conversation, the creatives on both sides of the easel function as artists and necessary agents, and in the tacit dialogue between them, they find manners of expression and, it is hoped, real senses of place.
Roy is the founder of charity and social enterprise Packed Lunch Productions, whose mission is to advance visual storytelling through fine art, moving image and performance, subsequently improving the social capital of its partners and participants alike. All proceeds from From the Life Room will go to supporting the organisation’s public programming.
A free exhibition.
BIAF presents: Charcoal Animation Workshop
Come and learn erasure charcoal animation with artist and animator Leo Crane. Everything will be provided, you just need to bring your smart phone.
Easter Art Fun (8 - 13 years)
Hop into Spring…
…with a FREE Easter arts workshop that lets your creative spirit roam free!
Using a mixture of ingredients - from paints, crayons and coloured pencils to ribbons, sparkles and magazines - you'll create a series of mixed-media art works that shine a light on what Easter means for you.
Materials are included, but make sure you bring your imagination.
In partnership with Barnet Youth, Barnet Library Service and the London Borough of Barnet.
Free. Online booking essential.
Natalie Charles | The Things I Have Inside
“These [works] are the things I have inside that I toss out because there are burdens with which you cannot live or drag along…” Belkis Ayón
Natalie Charles (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist from London whose work explores connections between people and the impact of our personal histories. She honours her sensitivity to materials and flexible approach as a ‘toolkit’, working across a range of media, including drawing, painting, printmaking and animation. The foundations of her practice are materiality, shadows and texture. She makes some of her materials, enabling her to connect with and understand their potential. Her work then draws the viewer in by highlighting the intimacy in quieter moments, often through cleverly cropped compositions and delicate attention to shadows. Scale and rigour are imperative to her process, as is maintaining a playful approach to texture, pushing the surface and medium to evoke an emotional response in the viewer.
Natalie has of late been investigating her ancestry, personally and through her practice. The Things I Have Inside, a new body of work taking its name from a quote by Cuban printmaker Belkis Ayón that deeply resonated with her early on in her journey into generational healing, is an articulation of the innate spiritual guidance that steers and protects her in life.
Natalie is currently on the Drawing Year 2023/4 at the Royal Drawing School having graduated with a BA Hons in Illustration from the University for the Creative Arts in 2013. She worked as an animator before pivoting to Operations and Communications management for arts charities. Natalie is a Trustee at Packed Lunch Productions and Content Manager for Middleground Magazine.
A free exhibition, with proceeds from all sales going to the artist’s growth and funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.
Life Drawing at Ajamu Studios
A new year, a new thing.
And, in 2024, our newest thing is the partnership with artist-photographer, curator, archivist and activist Ajamu X to bring life drawing to his South London creative haven.
In March, we welcome dancer, singer, actor, yogi, fitness instructor, art nude and all-around diva Kage Douglas to the life room at Ajamu’s studio, offering up his unique brand of gesture, grace and athleticism for the drawing public. Expect dynamism. Expect poise, confidence. Expect poses that will both challenge and invite interpretation and freedom.
But, not to worry. This is a drawing experience for all levels of ability, because, frankly, everyone can draw. Believe it!
Boards, paper and materials are also very much included.
However, spaces are extremely limited, so book asap!
£15 per person (complimentary ticket for assistant)
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Ever considered trying life modelling yourself? For information about gaining experience, ticking off that bucket list item or properly getting started in the industry, get in touch or visit the Starkers Academy.
Life Drawing at Burgh House (SOLD OUT)
Fancy a resolution?
How about stretching your creative muscle with life drawing?
We return to Burgh House Museum in the new year with an exuberant evening of multi-model life drawing for all levels of drawing ability. And in 2024, even the art nudes have resolutions - to model for the very first time!
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In February, we welcome Terry Mason and Jonathan Dockney to the life room, making their creative debuts as life models for the drawing public. Terry and Jonathan are the latest inductees of the Starkers Academy, an inclusive body-positive learning initiative for new and developing art nudes.
Drawing will take place in the Burgh House public space, with a drink included in the ticket price.
Materials, boards and paper are provided, and you are welcome to bring your own.
Limited spaces, booking essential.
Members: £11 + 1.62 booking fee | Non-members: £14 + £1.87 booking fee
Tickets via Burgh House Museum - SOLD OUT
Ever considered trying life modelling yourself? For information about gaining experience, ticking off that bucket list item or properly getting started in the industry, get in touch or visit the Starkers Academy.
Art Business for Artists
In this business boot camp, students will develop personalised strategies to become successful artists in today’s international art world.
Over five live sessions, students will meet expert guest speakers and be guided through the key components of a business strategy for professional fine art practice. The course starts with defining success and identifying workstreams to balance creative freedom with income generation. Participants will learn how to build relationships with cultural institutions and public sector funding bodies, as well as positioning within a global market, from pricing works of art to effectively negotiating commissions and gallery representation. Students will also explore the wealth of potential of digital strategies from social media to the rise of web3. In the final session, students will consolidate their learning into a framework for their own individualized practice.
Sketching the Museum
Capture the museum in these guided sketching classes led by artist Leo Crane. After an introduction by Leo, you’ll explore the galleries in a small group, capturing details from our vast collection. Using a variety of sketching techniques, you’ll develop your pencil drawing practice and style, whilst looking at objects in a new and detailed way.
£35
1.5 hours (three time slots to choose from)
Book via the V&A website for 10:30 - 1200, 13:00 - 14:30 or 15:00 - 16:30
Sketching the Museum
Explore the galleries of the National Army Museum and develop your drawing skills in this sketching workshop led by artist Leo Crane.
Take inspiration from the varied objects on display in the National Army Museum’s galleries in this guided drawing session led by artist and educator Leo Crane.
Following an introduction by Leo, you’ll explore the Museum, selecting objects, details and spaces to create your own visual narrative under his guidance. You’ll be encouraged to develop your drawing techniques, as well as to look at objects and artworks in a new way.
Tickets are £20. You can book onto one of these sessions via the National Army Museum website:
10.30am - 12.00pm
1.30am - 3.00pm
Exhibition Launch - Maria Rado | Equilibrium
Launching the latest solo show by fine artist Maria Rado.
“I start a painting with my own vision of it, what it is and why it’s there but I leave it loose and open, so you can find your own world in it.”
Join us in person on Friday, 12th January at the Picturehouse to immerse yourself in this free exhibition of recent work by the artist, using inspirations from nature to create a string of ten paintings of dancing colours and dynamic forms that balance and speak with one another.
No RSVP necessary, just turn up!
The evening also celebrates the exhibition launch of Manifest. Oh? by maker and mixed-media creative Anna Marlen-Summers.
Sales proceeds go towards supporting the artist’s growth and funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.
Exhibition Launch - Anna Marlen-Summers | Manifest. Oh?
Launching the latest solo show by mixed-media creative Anna Marlen-Summers.
“What do we make when we want to make something special? What does that say about us, and what we think is important? When we make, we manifest. A thing is in the house that wasn’t there before, and what on earth are you supposed to do with it? What is it to crown yourself, especially if you increasingly look like your mother, who recently died. Is the sparkle real, and does it even matter?”
Join us in person on Friday, 12th January at the Picturehouse to immerse yourself in this free exhibition of recent re-works by the artist, created in response to the remnants of her previous exhibitions Trying (2022) and Trace (2021), a visit to Vienna (where she saw the relics of various saints in various churches and the bejewelled skeletons of Germany’s rural Catholic churches as photographed by Paul Koudounaris) and a vaguely remembered talk attended some time in 2010-ish.
No RSVP necessary, just turn up!
The evening also celebrates the exhibition launch of Equilibrium by fine artist Maria Rado.
Sales proceeds go towards supporting the artist’s growth and funding public programmes in advancing and diversifying engagement in visual storytelling.
Introduction to Watercolours
Discover the lively personality of watercolour painting. Through a series of exercises with expert tutor Leo Crane, each week, you’ll explore a different way to use this versatile medium, from luminous manuscript painting to precision illustration and spontaneous mark-making. By the end of the course, you will have tried out a variety of techniques, creating a mini portfolio of sample pieces and a final project.
Learn from our world-class experts wherever, whenever: watch classes live or view the recording later in your own time.
Time to explore: 12 hours of live classroom sessions over six weeks.
Consolidate your learning: watch over 20 specially commissioned How To videos to support your course. Receive feedback from the class tutor on your work.
Deepen your understanding: weekly Spotlight Sessions with V&A Curators, Art Historians and practicing artists explore the background to the projects.
Learn at your own pace: lecture recordings and study materials are available for six weeks after the course ends, so you'll never miss a minute.
Course fee: £260