Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Tottenham’s unique venue, inspired by the vision of the late Bernie Grant MP and designed by Sir David Adjaye, champions the power of the arts to transform lives. Its mission is to reduce bias in the arts by supporting, nurturing and championing Black artists to tell their own stories. This is achieved by prioritising Black narratives and Black led work, serving diverse audiences and impacting positively on people of all ages, income brackets and protected characteristics within the arts centre’s locality. Current projects include:
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Hi! Culture: Tottenham High Road - Shaped By Innovation, Inspired By Community
A vibrant creative partnership with Bernie Grant Arts Centre, the North London Community House, Bruce Castle Museum and Haringey Council High Street Action Zone Team. The partnership explores the rich diverse and multicultural influences that generations of migration from across the globe have helped to shape the shops, businesses and communities of Tottenham High Road today
Hundreds of conversations with Tottenham’s communities will uncover hidden voices and memories about the shops, businesses and communities that make the High Road. These stories and experiences will inspire small and large-scale creative activities and cultural happenings throughout 2022, raising visibility of the high street as an exciting cultural destination, and leading to a dazzling all nations High Road Celebration in 2023
Hearticulate
An arts-led social prescribing programme that supports Tottenham’s Black African and Caribbean communities to share experiences and memories of the extraordinary events since March 2020, and reflect on the town’s 30 year history of unrest.
Haringey's Area Profile (2019) shows that 80% (41,500) of Haringey’s Black Caribbean and African population (50,000) live in Tottenham. The majority live in the wards with the borough’s highest levels of deprivation, with social & economic conditions exceeding thresholds for lower life expectancy, greater health inequalities, high unemployment, poor housing conditions and low educational attainment.
Hearticulate is a community of learning, a collaboration of facilitators, organisers and volunteers, who come together to reflect the community’s experiences through visual art, film, creative writing, digital and social media, sharing inspirational stories of individual and community wide strength, bravery and power in Tottenham.
The project gives voice to the marginalised who often go unheard. It raises visibility of multigenerational injustice and inequality faced by far too many for far too long. It speaks optimistically of unity, friendships, solidarity, love and humanity. It calls for urgent, meaningful and sustainable change.
