Croydon’s cultural scene is a mix of (a) community and individual artists initiatives including the cultural programme of folk and other music events and film at Ruskin House, (b) top down initiatives such as most of the programming at Fairfield Halls and by Croydon Council; and (c) organisations parachuting in. The Croydon Culture Network co-ordinated by the Council brings many of those involved in the mix together. Many of those in the community do not have the time to be involved or are suspicious of the Council’s motives and the way is seen to distort the role of organisations.
Details about the Council’s Cultural Strategy can be seen at https://seancreighton1947.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/croydons-new-cultural-plan
Apart from the Museum of Croydon working with the members of the Local Studies Forum there has been little recognition in the Council’s cultural strategy, policies and action of the importance of Croydon’s history and built environment as part of culture. This is being redressed through the members being invited to attend the Culture Network meetings.
New initiatives are emerging all the time like the Croydon authors group that has emerged from the Made in Croydon market stalls at Boxpark on 1 and 8 December.
There is a constant emphasis on ‘the diasdvantaged’ a disparaging phrase which many of those said to be ‘disadvantaged’ reject. Shaniqua Benjamin (see below) and Stormzy are examples of the talent embedded within the ‘disadvantaged’ communities. In reality they are communities that are exploited and discriminated against, mostly working class irrespective of gender, ethnicity or religion as the Labour Government’s Social Exclusion Unit analysis of ‘deprivation’ in the early 2000s revealed.
There is a danger that many initiatives rooted in middle-class values are trying to impose its cultural values on essentially the working-class (whether in work or on benefit). There is a long history of cultural ‘wars’, whether against the fairs like Croydon’s in the 19thC, or the sanitisation of folk music and dance in the late 19th and early 20thCs. Essential reading on this is the work by Thornton Heath based artist and writer Stefan Szczelkun: The Conspiracy of Good Taste (1993), which can be ordered through me.
The cultural scene also ignores the long Croydon creative history before Fairfield Halls opened. Lip service is paid to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor despite the bottom-up initiatives like the 2012 Commemoration Festival and the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Network which I co-ordinate.
https://sites.google.com/site/samuelcoleridgetaylornetwork
Events
Wednesdays to Saturdays to 29 February. 11-5pm & until 8pm Thursdays. Technical-Adjacent // Taylor Le Melle + Ima-Abasi Okon
Turf Projects, Whitgift Centre.
Thursday 6 February: LGBT+ History Month Feb 2020 Launch Event
Fairfield Halls
Friday 7 February. 7.30pm. I am not your negro
Film at Ruskin House, Coombe Rd
Friday 7 February. Mahadev: Journey of Shiva
This free public sharing will be followed by an opportunity to give feedback and help to shape the future development of the piece.
Fairfield Halls
Saturday 8 February. Celebrate National Storytellers Week 2020
Melrose Magical Storytellers present a day of sharing stories in our community.
Tuesday 25 February. Croydon Culture Network.
Details to be announced.
Thursday to Sunday 26 – 29 March. Croydonites Festival of New Theatre
For more details see
For more events happening across the Borough visit
Just Croydon, Now Croydon, Check Out Croydon & Fairfield Halls & David Lean Cinema
Shaniqua Benjamin & Well Versed Ink
Shaniqua is a Croydon a writer and spoken poet, who works with young people using poetry. In January 2016 she launched Young People Insight which was registered as a Community Interest Company in January 2019. In October 2017, she was named Young Achiever of The Year at the Mayor of Croydon Civic Awards 2017.
https://youngpeopleinsight.com
Born from Thornton Heath Arts Week 2014 and incorporated in 2015, Well Versed Ink is a Croydon-based Community Interest Company which hosts and produces creative events to connect and empower communities through writing and performance.
Creative Croydon Community Singing
Creative Croydon seeks to create community through song, story and the arts. It is taking sign-ups Croydon based community singing groups for Winter 2020. Free to over 55s this term
‘(F)ind your way into singing through global sounds, songlets and rounds! No audition, no judgement, lots of fun with Steve & his guitar.’ See video at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUKDns1OOtI
See organiser Catherine Pestano’s Love song video at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pspfk5–QIg
This is her folk treatment of Robert Smith’s (The Cure) song, written for his then fiancee as a wedding gift.
Museum of Croydon ‘What’s Your Croydon’ programme
The programme, with its first of 3 temporary exhibitions from 1 February – 2 May is led by local artists, organisations and communities coming together to stage their own creative exhibitions in response to Museum of Croydon collections and our first theme of ‘Place’.
‘As an introduction to its forthcoming 150th anniversary Croydon Natural History & Scientific Society is exhibiting from its John Gent Postcards Collection a display of Charles Harrison Price photographs which allow a unique insight into life in the borough of Croydon during the first half of the 20th century. This beautiful exhibition will be on display in our atrium area and is supported by the Bourne Society.’
Good Wolf are displaying ‘Storytellers’ upstairs in the Museum Now gallery. ‘Discover the famous writers who have been educated, grown up, worked and lived in Croydon. Appreciate the many ways in which people of Croydon have told, and continue to tell, stories. Explore themes from the Museum’s archive such as storytelling as propaganda, and storytelling which puts Croydon on the map!’
Play for Progress are running ‘Roots and Branches’ in the Exhibition Gallery. ‘Through creative projects in visual art, photography, music, and painting over the past year, the community of young people and associate artists explored themes of roots, displacement, branches, growth, nourishment, survival and the importance of connections to others and to the self.’
‘Throughout the duration of the 12 weeks, each exhibition will have a series of workshops and activities for you to find out more, learn something new and experience more of our collections and collective heritage.’
Praise for Croydon Museum
https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/youngreporter/18189138.museum-croydon/
The Museum exhibition times are Tuesdays 1 – 5pm, Wednesdays – Saturdays 10 – 5pm. All exhibitions are free.
The Croydon Creative Collective
A new Arts Council funded major performing arts programme for Croydon. ‘The programme aims to reach diverse young people to participate and train in theatre, dance, spoken word and music production. The project is led by Croydon Music and Arts in partnership with an impressive range of Croydon arts organisations including Well Versed Ink, Syrus Consultancy, BRIT and Talawa Theatre.’ It is offering free sessions for young people aged 8 – 18 in South Norwood and Thornton Heath. ‘We are also very keen to link with organisations who work with groups of young people. We may be able to offer some free provision. Get in touch with Ciara.brennan@croydon.gov.uk or look at our website to find out more.’
Social Inclusion Charter
The Croydon Creative Enterprise Zone is on a mission to bring more inclusion, participation and access within the borough’s creative sector. A Social Inclusion Charter is currently being developed to specifically review the uptake and barriers to participation, for disadvantaged groups in 4 specific areas:
- a) Involvement on boards and decision making bodies.
- b) Uptake of training and funding opportunities.
- c) Event programming.
- d) Participation in community events.
Shuba Rao (The Shift Collective), a policy researcher and active member of the Culture Network, is the external lead for this project. She will contact members of the Culture Network over the next month for opinions, experiences and stories. shuba@theshiftcollective.org
Please help by taking a moment to respond to the survey questionnaire.
Croydon Music City Industry Steering Group
Croydon Music City now has a steering group made up of people working in the music industry in Croydon, the U.K. and internationally. The group bring together a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience that is already helping shape the future of the initiative.
The steering group members are:
- Kiarn Eslami of Live Nation and founder of “The Ends” festival.
- Esther Sutton of The Oval Tavern bringing her unrivalled experience of all aspects of Croydon’s grassroots music scene.
- Romano Sidoli, brand partnership expert and former Managing director of the New Musical Express.
- Graeme Miall, longtime promoter and programmer for the likes of the London Jazz Festival, Streatham Hideaway and the Fairfield Halls.
- Tony Nwachukwu, founder of CDR (Create Define Release), an artist development and music education organisation.
‘The steering group are currently working on establishing the priorities for Music City, looking at the broad areas of establishing a music industry network in Croydon, working with digital platforms for audience development and how best to market and promote Croydon’s music ecosystem. They will also support the awarding of Croydon Music City Grants. For further information, please contact Marcus Harris – Noble, Croydon Music City Project manager at Marcus.harris@croydon.gov.uk’
Editorial Note. Several items above are edited from the latest Croydon Culture Network newsletter.
History & Social Action News and Events 
Pingback: Croydon news at 30 January | History & Social Action News and Events
Just seen this but thanks again for your signal-boosting! We appreciate it. We hadn’t been previously aware that you coordinated a Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Network! Did you manage to catch our ‘Croydon Plays Itself’ exhibition by Harold Offeh which made reference to him & worked in collaboration with young people from the SCT Centre? We’ve also been a bit puzzled over the musical heritage of the borough feeling a bit overlooked in the prevailing narrative – between that and Croydon School of Art there’s so much rich creative history which isn’t really shouted about enough.
Thanks
Re-music heritage see my discussion paper on Borough of Culture 2023 at
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Network is at https://sites.google.com/site/samuelcoleridgetaylornetwork/
Sean