Drawing for over 65s with Jeff (since 2020)

Since the spring 2020 we run a regular Wednesday 2-4pm drawing class free of charge for over 65s.

This is lead by Jeff Parkinson, who has worked as a drawing teacher for over 30 years at other centres such as St. Ethelsburgas Centre for Reconciliation and Peace and various community centres across London who have an arts and health arm.

Jeff teachers his students how to observe their environment, how to reflect on their own feelings and how to express themselves through drawing and painting. As part of this he slowly introduces each individual student to aspects of colour, composition and observation skills. He challenges his students to be ambitious with their work, to improve their drawing skills and to learn how to research ideas in books. He brought a large reference book library to our school, which is open to anyone to use.

Mosaic for Aghan Women (May-July 2022)

We have worked with a small group of young and older people from SWANA background between May and July 2022 to create pieces for an international mosaic project called ‘Mosaics for Aghan Women’.

Mosaicists from all countries are invited to draw inspiration from the colors, patterns, and textures of beautiful traditional Afghan dresses to create a long scarf to honour Afghan culture.

Summer School: Zoo Wall (2020-2021)

Summer School and holiday activities at our school

In s2020 and 2021 we ran daily (weekday) outdoor workshops throughout summer months. This was free for local residents, many of which were children. Attendees joined and created animals for our ‘Zoo’ project on the wall outside our space. This project continues to run for volunteers as ‘Local resident session’ on Thursday afternoons.

In the half term and holidays we periodically run workshops for kids. These are designed to teach kids the basics of mosaics and help them to create a piece of their own to take home. We run these classes with concessionary places for local kids who might not otherwise be able to afford to attend.

For more information email us at info@lsomosaic.com

This would not have been possible without our funders:

Cultural Recovery Fund

Awards For All

Clay and Cuppa (2020-2022)

At the London School of Mosaic, we want to support and engage with those in our local community from all different ages. Over the past two years, and thanks to funding from Ageing Better in Camden and Arts Council England (Cultural Recovery Fund), we have provided free classes for people over 65.

Clay and Cuppa sessions on Wednesday mornings with lunch included from Mother Canteen:

We have had ca. 80 local people attend these sessions, creating artworks in clay for our outside walls and for themselves to take home or offer to friends and family as gifts. Please have a look at the video below to see how this has enriched their lives during and after Covid.

Local resident volunteering session (since 2017)

Every Thursday between 4-6pm during term time we have created an opportunity for local residents to join in for a maker session as volunteers. Volunteers are initially trained by one of our tutors and can then progress in their mosaic making skills as they work on our projects.

In the past we have worked on the following projects

• Zoo community mosaic outside of the school (beginner level)

• Mosaic for Afghan Women (intermediate level)

• Mosaic coasters for sale at St. Paul’s Cathedral, which help us to raise money for the school (intermediate to advanced level)

Camden Youth Justice Services (since 2017)

In partnership with Camden Council, we provide mosaic workshops for young people who are serving community sentences as part of their rehabilitation programme.

The sessions are a forum for the young people to focus on their strengths and talents, build their self-awareness and express their creativity in a non-judgemental environment. Attendees often feel a great sense of pride in developing mosaics which are often donated to, or commissioned by community organisations.

Sessions with Camden Youth Justice Service run on Mondays between 4:30 and 6pm. If you are interested in being a volunteer for these sessions, please get in touch.