Centre for Creative Explorations

The power of community coming together is always deeply moving. Such an inspiring show of unity and hope.
Thank you for being there and leading the way in anti-racist art education 🙌

Exploring installation art today with yr 10 artists, inspired by our trip to the Chiharu Shiota exhibition .gallery. With only materials found in the art room and the space of their table, they had one hour to create a ‘self portrait’. Themes emerged around mental health, unpredictability of life, friendship and sadly multiple installations about the stresses of exams. One student explained that we (teachers) only see the top of table, not what it’s like underneath. My heart went out to them, as they so eloquently explained how it feels in this system. Hopefully the CAR report will insitsgate much needed change - we must do better by our young people.

Today I returned to glue skins, a sticky substance that I cannot quite disentangle myself from. They have offered such rich points of departure for my research exploring the histories of gendered and raced skin, while also creating space for creative conversations. Today they activated new thoughts around the CCE, supporting reflections on its future aims and ambitions, possible collaborations, and ways of situating the practice as a form of pedagogical rupturing.

The lines that map our bodies have always inspired my practice to disrupt colonial and patriarchal ideologies, yet they also offer beautiful metaphors for becoming, collaboration, and connection.

I also happened to be wearing my critter skirt today—another gentle reminder of our more-than-human entanglements.

Thanks for being so generous and inspiring. We have much work to do!

Thanks to who provided the space for these reflections as part of their residency programme.

Loved being part of this conversation with and , reflecting on the thinking behind the Oak/NSEAD art curriculum work.

We unpacked what it really means to design resources with care and intention, grounded in research, shaped by the Visualise report and anti-racist checklists, all to support braver, more empowering conversations through the creative curriculum.

Good to discuss practical examples of how a more open and inclusive approach to Art, Craft and Design can genuinely shift how young people see themselves, each other and the communities around them, to help build a sense of belonging and community.

Such a fun and liberating day on the Arts in Education Leadership course. Reimagining structures and constraints and the possibilities of the ‘what if…’ might not be able to change the world straight away, but small ruptures are always possible! Let’s see what happens …

An incredible night celebrating 10 YEARS OF THE CCE and the sharing of our current creative research project ‘IRL Club’ with the incredible artist in res Catherine Morton-Abuah and our ever inspiring young creative activists Ava, Zaidat, Alyssa, Davida and Maxima! A year long project navigating increasing concerns around social media by re-centring and prioritising our humanity and wellbeing In Real Time, focusing on friendship, shared experiences, cultural connections and a love of making and music. It was a night of discussions, drawing, dj-ing, dancing, animations, eating and connecting. Pure creative joy! It was also a call from our young people to bring creativity to the heart of education and create more non-judgemental spaces where they can thrive. Thanks to all who came to share and support, especially our wonderful A level artists Lara, Amy - especially Aminata for leading the round table, aswell@as our CCE alumni and Margot Henderson, and the many valued creative activists and collaborators, Sandra Vacciana and huge thanks to for your continued support.

FINAL EVENT for IRL Club for Friendship, a sharing event marking the conclusion of a year-long residency hosted by the Centre for Creative Explorations (CCE).

The residency brings together students, artists, academics, and the wider community, and this year we have had the pleasure of collaborating with artist Catherine Morton-Abuah. The event will celebrate the work developed over this year and will take place at South London Gallery. The event will feature workshops, film screenings, a roundtable discussion, and collective mural-making.

Event details:
Date: Wednesday 7th January 2026
Time: 4:00–6:00 pm
Location: Clore Gallery, South London Gallery 65 Peckham Road, London SE5 8UH

Programme:
4:00–5:00 pm - Workshops and film screenings of Party in the Park
5:00–5:30 pm — Roundtable discussion
5:30–6:00 pm — Mural making

If you would like to join us, please RSVP. We would be delighted to welcome you.

It was such a pleasure to explore Donna Haraway’s theory of Cat’s Cradle, a beautiful physical metaphor for how ideas are passed between us, reshaped through connection, care, and shared (post colonial) responsibility, in relation to my practice research with the MA Art Education, Culture and Practice UCL Institute of Education . This metaphor of holding, passing, and remaking patterns together resonates with the practice of the CCE, which embraces entanglement, co-creation, and the generative possibilities found in the spaces between.
I was truly inspired by this group of critical thinkers, whose curiosity and insight give me great hope for the future of art education in all its wonderous forms!
Thank you , for the invitation💥 💥

It was inspiring to be part of the Time for Art conference at the National Portrait Gallery on Friday. It was a powerful reminder that meaningful change in art education often begins with a single idea or concern. Huge thanks and credit go to art teacher Nitya Paul for her decisive action in bringing this important gathering to life.

So many art teachers are feeling the impact of rising inequality, shrinking budgets, the legacy of the EBacc, and a constantly shifting exam landscape—all of which place additional pressure on our time, which is further impacted by unacceptable work load for our young people and a lack of clarity in assessment. Coming together with fellow arts educators, exam board representatives Jaclyn Wiid , Sandra Allan , Julia Harrison, Picard and Karl Goodere Dale, arts unions National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD) , and sector leaders to share ideas for a more equitable future felt genuinely hopeful.

But hope must now be matched with action. I sincerely hope that the exam boards hear these concerns and take decisive steps to improve the quality of art education for all.

Our HGAED community is collecting donations to support the people of Jamaica affected by hurricane Melissa. We are reaching out for any donations, big or small from the list. Do stubs can be dropped of during school hours at Homestall Rd, SE22 0NR. Please share! Thanks for your support!

It’s been a long time coming, but what wonderful news to come home to after a full day teaching in the art room. The end of the is here!!! A scheme which has sidelined and actively diminished the importance of the arts. One of the initial instigators for setting up the Centre for Creative Explorations was to fight back against the Ebacc and its damaging rhetoric positioning art as a ‘soft’ subject, or as not being ‘rigorous’ or ‘academic’. The creative research which flourishes through the CCE and at is testament to how absurd this is. We need our young people to be confident in their own power, willing to take risks and be critical creative thinkers. Art and creativity have to be central to that journey.

And then… IRL ‘club’ with artist/DJ in residence Catherine Morton Abuah! Making connections through music, spending time ‘IRL’! It’s not easy to stand up and perform in front of your peers and people you don’t know, so huge respect to all our participants 💥💥 !