London School of Mosaic

2017 to date, Organisation development

In 2017 I co-founded London School of Mosaic, based on the legacy of the socially engaged mosaic practice at Southbank Mosaics in Waterloo, where I volunteered since 2007. The charity took over abandoned premises under a social housing estate in Camden and established its education and volunteer offer there. This included:

  • setting up of a functional and efficient workshop space for bespoke craft courses for a team of freelance tutors, unlocking an unused workspace in a strategic location for social and economic impact

  • putting in place an operations team to oversee the smooth running of the education programme, volunteer offer and commissions

  • implementing a networking and IT infrastructure for the business, including communication channels (website, social media and newsletter) to our growing audiences

I have launched the first higher education course in Mosaic Studies in the UK, which can be considered a lost art form with unique qualities for work with communities, decorating surfaces and urban regeneration. The course has achieved the following:

  • The school’s educational offer has been recognised by the prestigious Leverhulme Trust which has given out 12 scholarships for our diploma for students from diverse backgrounds who find it difficult to access higher education otherwise

  • The diploma developed the school’s capacity to facilitate large scale commissions, which we have championed with multiple cohorts graduating and attaining traditional mosaic making skills previously not taught in the UK

I became the school’s Director in 2021, overseeing its expansion into a 1960sqm large community hub and artist studio provider collaborating with architects Public Works, which ensured the creation of improved workshop facilities for the school and a more sustainable income position.

 Image credit: 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7  Stephen Norman Young
Previous
Previous

Art schools and place

Next
Next

The Undercraft