Croydon Arts & Culture

In 2021 Croydon successfully won its bid to become Borough of Culture for 2023, with plans underway for a celebration of the borough's unique identity, diverse communities and rich heritage, culture and creativity. The programme for This is Croydon will showcase Croydon to the world.

To kick start their plans with the local community, members of the local Council, and Croydon Music & Arts wanted to speak to several groups of youngsters in the borough, to explore what they would like to see in the Borough, where and how best to connect with others.

Led by Croydon's Poet Laureate Shaniqua Benjamin, the council ran a session with a group of young people in the run up to Croydon Borough of Culture - and we had an interactive element where students added post-its to the drawing and I added them in digitally later alongside shading.

By adding an interactive element to the artwork, we were able to capture the thoughts of those not as confident to speak in the group discussion. Shaniqua has a huge amount of experience in youth work, and was a key element in creating an open space for the children to let their voices be heard.