Art is essential for happy mind and soul. It creates meaningful connections, reduces social isolation, helps to establish community cohesion, improves communication skills, strengthens connections, values difference and creates positive relationships.

21st Nov 2023 - What's on your mind? is a community based participatory project led by Pragya Kumar, funded by Arts Council England. Pragya in collaboration with Eltham Arts and Eltham Library is inviting the SE9 community to engage with an arts and wellbeing project to have creative discussions about the current socio-economic conditions. Through this project, she wants to raise awareness about natural sustainable materials in visual arts. She is currently exploring and experimenting with natural dyes, paper mache, willow and also recycled materials to create pieces of art for an exhibition in Gerald Moore Gallery, Eltham in March 2024. 

More info to follow soon. 

15th Nov 2021 - Creative Roots of India is a research by Pragya Kumar together with photographer Nitin Yadav to explore, understand and document the history of folk visual art forms in India. The research has being funded by Arts Council England through Develop your creative practice fund. Being a Southeast Asian herself, she wants to raise awareness about the rich Indian art forms, some of which are on the verge of extinction. She wants to use her research to create a community engagement program, especially for the British Asian community, introduce them to their creative roots, help them understand the history of their rich arts, culture & heritage and encourage them to explore & create new art work using these art forms & old traditional techniques with sustainable materials.

9th Sept 2021 - Saakshaat - We are so excited to announce that Shermaine Slocombe has received an Arts Council England funding for our Saakshaat project. A well-being project for the Southeast Asian families to promote and encourage connection, listening, empathy, reflection and open-mindedness. Sessions will explore Hindu mythologies and fables to spark conversations around the cultural communication gap between generations to improve communication. Through writing, poetry, movement and theatre and visual arts, we will explore what the mind and body can do imaginatively. Sessions will be fun and engaging, enabling participants to explore creative ideas individually and in collaboration to feel a sense of achievement.

8th Oct 2020 - Creating Connections - We are delighted to announce our next participatory arts project Creating Connections devised and will be delivered for Eltham Arts. This well-being focused project funded by Arts Council England will engage young children (4-10 years) and 50+ senior citizens in SE9 to initiate a dialogue through letter writing to upskill participants in communication, inspire interaction and promote positive relationships. Letters exchanged between the two generations will inspire storytelling for young children to visualize their understanding of the content of the letters and support their representation of ideas. This is an opportunity for the entire local community to get involved to inspire others and to be inspired. 

1st May 2021 - This project was an experiment to understand if a participatory community project can be delivered 100% digitally and the benefits and challenges to do so. We are very proud of our achievements and it has been a learning for all those involved. It has definitively given us the insights into the digital world. Now the next step is to devise how we can sustain the balance between digital and physical spaces as we start to venture out. 

We have created a series of seven podcasts about this project. The first one tells you all about the process, our learning and the challenges we had in this process. The other six are reflections from those involved; discussing the project from their prospective. So, if you would like to listen to some of these then click the link below and don't forget to share with others!

To know more about the project, head to our Eltham Arts website

 Saakshaat -  participatory arts project 

“It’s been a wonderful idea and an eye opener for both parents and kids”

"Impressive. How much of an eye opener it has been for my child and me!"

 Exploring Identities - workshop for multiple needs children 

“Thank you for the wonderful exploring identities art workshop. The students had a meaningful interaction with materials that were not only sensory stimulating but fun too.”

Head of PMLD department, Royal Docks Community School

Lantern making workshop to reflect on the installation by Chila Kumari Singh Burman at Tate Britain.

"I thought the content of the workshop – making lanterns – was well thought through and executed. I liked that Pragya thought carefully about the end result. A very clear and thorough communication before the workshop I felt I could really trust Pragya with the task at hand and I liked how well prepared she was. I was very impressed with how she managed the class and they all listened when she talked! The kids enjoyed it and they had the opportunity to do physical making, reflecting on the artwork they saw, as well as learning about a new artist and interpreting it for themselves."

Tate Kids Producer, Tate Britain

Recreate - An upcycle project delivered for Artists in Residence 

"I would just like to say that on behalf of the children, parents and teachers of Davies Lane Primary School, thank you. Pragya, you have ignited a wonderful seed of creativeness in the children that I am sure will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Both parents and teachers have commented on the difference it has made in the children. The children can't stop talking about what they have created, they feel so valued and appreciated which has made this journey so worthwhile."

Head of Arts, Davis Lane Primary School

Revisit - working with people with Dementia 

“Thank you for being such a positive activity in our residents lives.”

Activity Manager, Sunrise Care Home, Sidcup

Bricks on the wall project parents workshop

“My child did not want to do any art. He is so inspired by your project that he wants to join an art club now!”

Wyborne Primary School, Year 2

Bricks on the wall project 

“The children really enjoyed learning and making the collages. They looked forward to going out for their art sessions each time and were keen to talk about it in the class. There was a lot of information which was very interesting. The advisers were very well organised and easy to work with. They were lovely with the children and adopted to suit their needs. The children really tried hard to produced careful and impressive work!”

Creative Hub 

“I love the fact that the children were given the liberty to make their own decisions on what they wanted to create. My kids definitely enjoyed the course and I was stunned by the themes they chose to work on.”

Rosetta Ahmed