Art Assembly 2019

Art Assembly is a one-day festival brought to you by Art Fund and Waltham Forest, the first London Borough of Culture.

Taking place in Walthamstow from 12-6pm, the line-up features a dynamic programme of workshops, talks, displays and performances, all within walking distance of William Morris Gallery.

Join some of the leading UK arts organisations actively making a difference to people and communities, and experience their pioneering projects first-hand – from theatre that’s transforming young lives, to an outdoor classroom hosting talks from villages across the globe, to art activists whose work addresses mental health, climate change and more. And don’t miss our closing debate on how artists today are carrying on William Morris’ legacy, held in the Council Chamber at Waltham Forest Town Hall.

To start planning your Art Assembly day download the full programme or take a look at the schedule below

Featured partners

Grizedale Arts

Join Grizedale Arts at Art Assembly where they will construct an outdoor classroom and host a series of workshops with people from partner villages across the globe. You’ll get the chance to learn about self-build, fermentation and bakery, and see how craft skills can benefit wider culture and society.

Based at the historic site of Lawson Park farm in the Lake District, arts organisation Grizedale Arts focus on craft skills, collaborative production and the expertise of makers. Their projects pursue the idea of ‘a valuable function for art’ through commissioning, curating, making and education.

Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA)

At the festival, the team from MIMA will showcase the innovative ways that they engage with their communities to reflect the voices, stories and experiences of the extraordinary people they serve.

MIMA play a key role in the cultural life of the Tees Valley and wider North East. Their work with local communities encompasses urgent themes: climate change, migration, inequality, ageing and wellbeing. Through exhibitions, collection displays, learning activities, projects and community-focused initiatives, MIMA promote creativity as part of everyday life.

Arts Catalyst

For Art Assembly Arts Catalyst have invited artist duo a place of their own (Sam Vardy and Paula McCloskey) to consider approaches to climate change and the environment, against the backdrop of Walthamstow Wetlands.

Over 25 years non-profit organisation Arts Catalyst have worked with more than 170 artists on projects that focus on how environmental issues affect local communities – staging exhibitions, events, performances and publications that bring together arts, science and technology.

Synergy Theatre Project

See Synergy Theatre Project’s latest play To My Younger Self, which examines the issue of knife crime and features a cast and crew of professional actors and artists with lived experience of the criminal justice system. Written by Natalie Mitchell (Ackley Bridge, Eastenders), the play comes to Art Assembly as part of its tour of schools and colleges across London in November.

Synergy Theatre Project uses theatre and related activities to help prisoners, ex-prisoners and young people at risk of offending work towards rehabilitation and resettlement, while bringing public attention to wider issues surrounding criminal justice. Their work is founded on the belief that theatre can be transformative, and challenges perceptions of both prisoners and society.

Heart of Glass

Artist and mental health activist the vacuum cleaner and arts organisation Heart of Glass will bring elements of their Madlove Take Over Festival to Walthamstow for Art Assembly. In a pop-up space at Bangs Hair Salon on the High Street, artists will share their work while visitors enjoy a moment to relax, whether through free haircuts, styling and manicures or even just a cup of tea and a chat.

Heart of Glass are a social arts organisation based in St Helens. They run an annual festival, Take Over, which reimagines public spaces through art projects. This year they are collaborating with the vacuum cleaner, who is bringing his utopian mental health design project, Madlove, to St Helens.

Talk Art

Actor Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament host a special live edition of their popular podcast, Talk Art, with special guest, Turner Prize 2019 nominated artist Helen Cammock. Join the audience at Mirth, Marvel and Maud for the recording and a Q&A session which follows immediately afterwards.

Talk Art is a podcast dedicated to the world of art, featuring exclusive interviews with leading artists, curators, gallerists, and well-known art lovers.

Plan your day

Time	Event	Venue
11-11.30am	Young producer guided tour of Pioneers: William Morris and the Bauhaus Discover the relationship between the Arts and Crafts movement and the Bauhaus school of art in a brand new exhibition. Turn up on the day. Limited numbers so entry on a first come, first served basis.	William Morris Gallery (1)
12-5pm	Arts Catalyst & ; a place, of their own. present Myths for a Wetlands Imaginary An installation inspired by Walthamstow Wetlands about new ways in which we can respond to the climate crisis. Discover more	Winns Gallery (2)
12-5pm	MIMA Get creative at MIMA’s colourful pop-up space, co-curated with disabled activist Lisette Auton.	202 Hoe St (3)
12-5pm	Grizedale Arts: A confederacy of valleys In a specially constructed outdoor classroom, take part in talks and workshops with people from villages across the world, sharing their traditions. Find out more	Walthamstow Town Square (4)
12-5pm	Madlove takeover: Heart of Glass & the vacuum cleaner Monster-making workshops, a care map of Walthamstow, and cups of specially blended tea open up conversations about mental health in a local hair salon. Find out more	Bangs Salon (5)
12.30-1.45pm	Performance: Synergy Theatre Project: To My Younger Self A new play examining issues around knife crime. Followed by a Q&A with cast and crew. Booking advised to avoid disappointment.	Walthamstow School for Girls (6)
2-3.15pm	Talk Art podcast recording Join actor Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament for a live recording of their popular arts podcast, with special guest, Turner Prize 2019 nominated artist Helen Cammock. Followed by a Q&A.	Mirth, Marvel and Maud (7)
2-5pm	Family Spectrum Mural Drop-in Colour Spectrum Painting Project Local Walthamstow artist Sharon Drew will be running a drop-in workshop where visitors of all ages can add to the creation of a giant, multi-coloured mural as part of a brand new collaborative artwork Across the Spectrum.	1 Hoe Street -– Info Hub for Art Assembly (8)
2-2.30pm	Young producer guided tour of Pioneers: William Morris and the Bauhaus	William Morris Gallery (1)
3.30-4.45pm	Performance: Synergy Theatre Project: To My Younger Self	Walthamstow School for Girls (6)
5-6pm	News from Nowhere(thamstow) Step inside the council chamber and have your say in Art Assembly’s closing debate, chaired by a 'reincarnation' of William Morris. Find out more	Waltham Forest Town Hall Council Chamber (9)
6-10pm	Liberty: Deaf Rave Make an evening of it and head over to this multi-sensory club night with a line-up of d/Deaf performers. Suitable for audiences of all hearing abilities (ages 16+).	Welcome to the Forest Bar (7)

Head over to the Art Assembly Info Hub at One Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17 4SD and show your National Art Pass to collect your free Art Assembly tote bag. Offer available Saturday 23 November 2019 from 12pm to 5pm, while stocks last. One tote bag per named Art Fund member.

Main image credit: Naomi Edmondson, Survival Techniques / Talk Art image credit: Tom Lardner for Plus Agency, London