London Borough of Culture 2025 | October 2025 – March 2026
Above: Roopa Basu speaking at the opening of We Art Wandsworth, Battersea Arts Centre, 2026. Photo: Ewan Michael Riley
We Art Wandsworth was an artist-led, borough-wide visual arts programme for London Borough of Culture 2025, creating, connecting and celebrating our diverse borough.
Bringing together artists, community organisations and residents, the programme connected creative activity happening across Wandsworth into a shared, visible journey. Through workshops, artist-led events and exhibitions in accessible, community-facing venues, We Art Wandsworth invited people not just to view art — but to take part.
We Art Wandsworth was supported by a Welcome to Wandsworth grant as part of London Borough of Culture 2025.
The Vision
Wandsworth has a thriving visual arts scene, working brilliantly at a local level.
We Art Wandsworth brought these strands together — creating moments of connection across neighbourhoods, generations and communities.
The programme focused on:
- Participation over spectatorship
- Collaboration over silos
- Visibility for artists and communities alike
The vision was to make visual arts part of everyday life across the borough — in libraries, schools, studios, galleries and shared spaces.
Two Connected Phases
Autumn 2025 – March 2026Create Together
Artist-led workshops and talks were delivered across the borough, with activities taking place in accessible venues including libraries, community spaces, Sprout Arts and Putney School of Art & Design.
This phase centred on:
- Hands-on creative workshops
- Artist-led talks and demonstrations
- Curriculum-linked and community outreach activity
- Creative wellbeing and connection
Selected work created during this phase was exhibited as part of Celebrate Together.
January – March 2026Celebrate Together
A series of exhibitions and public showcases brought together professional, emerging and community-created work.
Exhibitions took place at:
- Sprout Arts
- Putney School of Art & Design
- Battersea Arts Centre
The programme culminated in a borough-wide visual arts celebration at Battersea Arts Centre in March 2026, showcasing the breadth of creativity across Wandsworth.
The Impact
We Art Wandsworth directly engaged over 1,300 residents through workshops, exhibitions and collaborative creative activity across the borough.
The programme included 23 creative sessions, with 82 professional and emerging artists exhibiting at Battersea Arts Centre alongside work created in community settings.
Approximately 40% of participants had no previous experience of art activities, demonstrating the programme’s success in opening up creative opportunities to new audiences.
The Community Spotlight was particularly significant, giving work created in health, care and community settings visibility alongside that of practising artists.
“Mobilising multiple micro-communities — artists, workshop participants and volunteers — created a layered and connected network of creative engagement across Wandsworth.”
How It Unfolded
Explore the workshops, exhibitions, community collaborations and artist opportunities that brought We Art Wandsworth to life.
Historical programme materials and original call-outs can be explored below.
📍 Battersea Arts Centre📅 21 January 2026, 3.00pm Lino Printing with Phillippa Egerton
Turn your pet: dog, cat, reptile, insect (all welcome!) into a bold, colourful lino print at this workshop that takes you from drawing to inking to printing!
No drawing or printing experience needed — lino is expressive, forgiving, and great fun * All tools, inks and paper provided *You can bring a photo or your child’s drawing of your pet and use that as the basis for your print
📍 Battersea Arts Centre 📅 23 January 2026, 11:00 Faceless Self-Portrait with Tiah
Led by neurodivergent multidisciplinary artist Tiah Algalarrondo, this inclusive textile-based workshop invites participants to explore identity using scrap fabrics, felt, and thread — creating expressive self-portraits without facial features. Participants will also contribute fabric speech bubbles reflecting on Wandsworth as London Borough of Culture, combining art-making with reflection and voice.
📍 Balham Library 📅 29 January 2026, 11:30 Stencil Art with Felicity Prazak
Delivered in partnership with Balham Library’s Forget-Me-Not Group, the session supports creativity, memory, and social connection. This dementia-friendly workshop is led by visual artist and educator Felicity Prazak, whose practice centres on confidence-building and accessible creativity. Participants will explore Felicity’s signature layered stencil technique, building imagery inspired by Wandsworth’s paths, greenery, and foliage.
January – March 2026Exhibitions
Sprout Arts 27 Jan - 7 Feb 2026
74 Moyser Road
Furzedown
London SW16 6SQ
Putney School of Art and Design 2 Feb - 28 Feb 2026
Oxford Road
London SW15 2LQ
Battersea Arts Centre 16 Mar - 28 Mar 2026
Lavender Hill
London SW11 5TN
As part of We Art Wandsworth, a series of community art workshops were delivered through Putney School of Art and Design’s Community Art Programme, working in close partnership with Mushkil Aasaan and supported by EMHIP (Ethnicity Mental Health Improvement Project).
Across November and December, artist-led sessions brought together women from the Mehfil Group at Mushkil Aasaan for hands-on, tactile making using colour, paint, fabric and textured materials. These workshops created a calm, welcoming space for conversation, creativity and shared making — where stories, memories and cultural expression were explored through touch, pattern and colour.
The sessions centred wellbeing, connection and creative confidence, recognising art as a powerful tool for reflection and belonging. The artworks created are richly layered, expressive and deeply personal — shaped by collective making rather than individual outcomes.
Selected works from these workshops were exhibited as part of We Art Wandsworth at Battersea Arts Centre, ensuring that community voices and lived experiences were visible within the wider borough-wide programme.
This call-out has now closed. It is kept here as a record of how community groups were invited to take part.
Community Call Out Is your community group or charity creating art?
We Art Wandsworth is inviting community organisations, charities and grassroots groups across the borough to take part in a shared visual arts programme for London Borough of Culture 2025.
If your organisation is already creating artwork with your community or beneficiaries — we would love to hear from you.
This is an opportunity to bring community-led creativity together, celebrate it collectively, and give it wider visibility across the borough.
What’s on Offer?
• Opportunity to spotlight existing artwork
• Potential inclusion in the We Art Wandsworth exhibition at Battersea Arts Centre
• Curatorial and practical advice on display and installation
• Feature across We Art Wandsworth communications and social media
• Free or highly subsidised participation (conditions apply)
Email us today
Tell us who you are, what you’re making, and how you’d like to take part.
This artist call-out closed on 23 February 2026. The original terms are kept here for reference.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Artist Call-Out | Final Exhibition at Battersea Arts Centre
We Art Wandsworth is a borough-wide visual arts exhibition celebrating the people, places, stories and spirit of Wandsworth.
Developed as a celebratory visual arts programme for Wandsworth’s year as London Borough of Culture 2025, We Art Wandsworth places visual arts centre stage — creating opportunities to create, connect and celebrate our diverse borough through art.
This final exhibition marks the culmination of the We Art Wandsworth programme and will take place at Battersea Arts Centre, bringing together artists living and working across the borough.
No commission is taken on sales, and artists retain 100% of the sale price of their work.
Exhibition Details
Venue: Battersea Arts Centre
Exhibition dates: 17–30 March 2026
Delivery of work: 15–16 March 2026
Theme: We heArt Wandsworth
We heArt Wandsworth is an open and inclusive theme, intentionally broad and open to interpretation. Artists are invited to reflect on their personal connection to Wandsworth — how the borough is experienced, remembered, and lived.
Submissions may explore (but are not limited to):
- Local places and neighbourhoods
Streets, landmarks, housing estates, commons, riverside views and everyday environments. - Everyday moments
The routines, gestures and small details that make Wandsworth feel like home. - Community and culture
People, traditions, diversity, shared histories and lived experiences. - Nature and environment
Parks, green spaces, the river, wildlife and changing landscapes across the borough. - Personal experiences
What Wandsworth means to you, and why you live or work here.
Who Can Apply
- Artists living or working in the London Borough of Wandsworth
- Emerging and established artists are welcome
- Individual submissions only (no collectives for this exhibition)
Eligible Media
All original visual art media are eligible, including:
- Painting (oil, acrylic, watercolour, egg tempera, etc.)
- Drawing and mixed media
- Textiles and fibre-based work
- Printmaking (linocut, etching, engraving, lithography, screen print)
- Sculpture and pottery
Please note:
- Giclée and digital reproductions are not accepted
- The emphasis is on original work
Size Restrictions
Due to space limitations, the following size restrictions apply:
2D Work
- Maximum size: 84 cm (33 inches) on the longest side
- Remaining side must be proportionally smaller
- Artwork MUST be ready to hang
Some 2D works may be displayed digitally if space is limited. Digital projections will be shown above the main staircase.
3D Work (Sculpture / Pottery)
- Maximum size: 60 cm (H) × 30 cm diameter
Space for 3D work is more limited than for 2D submissions.
Number of Entries & Fees
- Artists may submit up to two works
- Entry fee:
- £20 for one work
- £25 for two works (maximum of two submissions per artist)
- Each successful applicant will receive:
- An entry in the exhibition catalogue
How to Apply
Applications must be made online.
Submission Deadline
23 February 2026
Image Requirements
- One High-quality JPEG file
- Maximum file size: 5MB per image
- Images should be suitable for digital display
For 3D work:
- Please submit at least four images showing the work from different angles
- For flat objects (e.g. plates), two images are sufficient
File Naming Format
Please name image files using the following format:
FirstnameLastname – artworktitle – medium – dimensions – price
Example:
JaneDodd–BlueSkies–OilOnCanvas–60cmx70cm–£550
Artwork Information Required
For each submission, please include:
- Artist name
- Email address
- Artwork title
- Medium
- Dimensions (in cm, framed if applicable)
- Price
- Website (if applicable)
- Social media handle(s) (if applicable)
Selection Process
- All works will be selected by the exhibition committee
- Artists will be notified within one week of the submission deadline
- Where multiple works are submitted, artists will be informed which work(s) have been selected
Presentation & Hanging Requirements
- All work must be ready for hanging
- Clip frames and metallic frames are not permitted
Sales & Commission
No commission will be taken on sales.
Artists will retain 100% of the sale price of their work.
Artists are responsible for organising payment directly with buyers. A sales record book will be available during the exhibition to support this process.
Exhibition Supervision & Rota
The exhibition will operate on a rota system, with artists expected to either:
- be present during agreed times, or
- appoint a representative to attend on their behalf.
While there will be overall supervision in place during opening hours, the exhibition is volunteer-led, and We Art Wandsworth and Battersea Arts Centre cannot provide individual supervision of artworks. Artists are responsible for the care and monitoring of their own work during the exhibition period.
Marketing & Promotion
We Art Wandsworth will promote the artists and the exhibition through:
- Digital marketing
- Posters and printed materials
- Press releases
Artists are expected to:
- Promote the exhibition through their own social media channels
- Share via email and networks where possible
Insurance
While every effort will be made to handle artworks with care, Battersea Arts Centre and We Art Wandsworth cannot be held responsible for loss or damage.
Artists are advised to ensure their work is covered by their own insurance.