Making the announcement Robin Hutchinson MBE, Chair of the Trustees, said “We owe an enormous thanks to Louise who has been a brilliant CEO and leader of Creative Youth. She has overseen so many great initiatives for the charity and steered it through the enormously challenging times of Covid and onto new successes. Her work has been driven by a passion to ensure that young people’s ideas and voices fuel and direct our work. Louise is stepping away from the CEO role but remains with the charity to help focus on our fundraising efforts. Everyone involved with the organisation would like to thank her for her work.”

Creative Youth is excited to announce that Louise’s leadership role will be taken up by two young people with several years involvement with the charity between them. Archie O’Neill & Daniel Cartlidge will take up roles as Co-Directors from September. Louise will continue to support the new leaders in a part time role focused on fundraising.

Robin Hutchinson MBE said “The trustees have decided to keep faith with our driving mission to support young people in the arts by appointing two young practitioners to lead the Creative Youth and oversee the next stages in the charity’s growth.”

Outgoing CEO Louise Coles said “It has been the most fabulous and exciting journey to be at the helm of Creative Youth over the last few years – to see it develop and grow from a project-based organisation to a year-round one with the addition of our new creative space FUSEBOX – despite the challenges of Covid, Brexit and current economic conditions. Our young people are taking a greater role in running the charity with a board of 15 Young Creatives – and now two young leaders will take over my role from the beginning of September as Co-Directors.”.

Incoming leaders Archie O’Neill & Daniel Cartlidge said “We are both incredibly excited to be supporting Creative Youth through one of the most exciting chapters in our history. By working closely together, we hope to champion more young people than ever to make use of the spaces, programmes and opportunities provided by Creative Youth.”

Daniel Cartlidge is moving into the Co-Director role from his position as General Manager at Creative Youth. He has a passion for exploring and highlighting underrepresented identities on stage and supporting emerging artists within the industry. Daniel trained at both the University of Leeds and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, where he received a BA (Hons) in History and a MA in Creative Producing.

Co-Director Archie O’Neill is currently Community & Participation Manager at Creative Youth. His role involves collaborating with community groups, schools & colleges, youth services and artists from underserved backgrounds. Having previously studied at King’s College London and the Courtauld Institute, Archie has worked at museums and galleries such as The British Museum, The National Gallery, Tate and Dulwich Picture Gallery.

When David Bowie took to the stage at the Toby Jug pub in February 1972, the 60 or so people in the room had little idea that they were witnessing history. 50 years on, Kingston Museum’s Bowie And Beyond exhibition will look at the remarkable moment that Ziggy Stardust was launched in Tolworth and the wider music and pop culture scene in the borough.

Through a curated collection of music memorabilia sourced from local people, original artworks and interviews with people who were there and people who were inspired (including musicians, artists and authors), Bowie and Beyond looks at the impact Bowie’s alter ego had on art, music and pop fashion. More broadly, the exhibition will reflect on how society in Kingston reflected, and sometimes helped to shape, national and international trends.

The exhibition takes in Kingston’s shifting musical landscape since the 1970s, exploring the loss of historical venues and celebrating those that continue today. It will look at Kingston Polytechnic’s role as music venue and creative hub, cult bands from the area such as Cardiacs and The Trudy, and the scene that sprung up around 90s indie band Dodgy, who settled in Kingston prior to their chart success and established a popular club night.

Bowie and Beyond is part of charity Creative Youth’s music heritage project AMP Kingston and is presented in partnership with The Community Brain and Kingston Museum. Among the artworks will be Guy Portelli’s Circle of Hands, which features handprints of collaborators from throughout Bowie’s career, and album artwork from Bowie’s Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust records provided by original illustrator Terry Pastor. Continuing the legacy into the present day, local young artists supported by Creative Youth will produce artistic responses to the items in the collection and will be displayed alongside them.

Speaking about the exhibition Chair of Creative Youth Robin Hutchinson said
“The launch of Ziggy Stardust is a momentous piece of pop culture history that happened in Tolworth. It reflects the huge amount of creativity and musical talent that can be found in suburban towns. Yet, as this exhibition will explore, 50 years later we are rapidly losing music venues across the borough and you’d be hard pressed to find a Toby Jug equivalent.

This exhibition celebrates the rich vein of musical legacy that runs through Kingston, while also asking where would an artist like Bowie play today?”

In the months leading up to the exhibition, Creative Youth and The Community Brain are continuing to collect items related to the search for items, photographs, mixtapes and memories linked to music in the local area. Anyone with objects they can loan or memories to share is encouraged to email our researcher.

Listings information
Bowie And Beyond
Art Gallery, Kingston Museum, Wheatfield Way, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2PS
31 March – 16 September 2023
Free Entry
kingstonheritage.org.uk

Kingston Upon Thames will soon have a new home for creativity as FUSEBOX opens next month. This newly converted 750m2 space on the Thames riverside features areas for performance, exhibitions, creative practice, socialising, co-creation and more.

Situated underneath the John Lewis department store in an extraordinary space which houses the footings of the original 12th century Kingston Bridge and the remains of a medieval cellar, FUSEBOX will provide a vibrant new cultural centre for the area, its young people and communities, support the regeneration of the area and drive employment and training opportunities.

After a 7-month renovation project led by charity Creative Youth and supported by Kingston Council, John Lewis and the Mayor of London, the space will now open to the public for a pilot season of activities and drop-in tours of the space. FUSEBOX was named by Creative Youth’s board of Young Creatives and wider team to capture its dynamic multifunctional purpose and echoes the name of FUSE International, Creative Youth’s annual festival of performance (formerly the International Youth Arts Festival).

The pilot season includes Creative Sparks scratch nights, held every Friday from 3 February from 7-9:30pm, offering a chance to see a selection of new performance in its early stages of creation. Full details and booking can be found at fuseboxkingston.org

There will also be two free exhibitions by past and current Creative Talent Programme artists, Chiyana Ankhrah and Tanvi Ranjan.

Former Creative Talent Programme artist Chiyana Ankhrah’s thought-provoking exhibition returns to Creative Youth following its debut at FUSE International 2023. LABELS: Black Mental Health and Me is a photographic documentary that focuses on anecdotal experiences of 4 Black British men and women who are currently dealing with or have dealt with mental illness. This project uses their stories to explore the impact of situational and intergenerational trauma as well as racial bias within mental health services and how these elements can negatively impact Black people’s mental health.

Current Creative Talent Programme artist, Tanvi Ranjan, exhibits four pieces from her studio. Ranjan’s work explores subjects of the human-machine relationship while elaborating on the techniques of textile making and the role of women in sculpting the future of digital and information age. By highlighting the intersections between textile and digital information, the artist makes visible the complexity of modern technology and internet that is often obscured by the high-speed electronic transmission of data in the form of bits.

Speaking on the opening, Creative Youth’s Chair, Robin Hutchinson MBE said:

“It has been a dream for Creative Youth to have a home to support young talent to explore and develop their cultural ideas and practices. FUSEBOX gives us that opportunity in a remarkable new space that will be a playground for the imagination. Through our valued partnerships with Kingston University, Kingston College, Kingston Council and other groups and organisations we can bring together our communities to explore and realise ideas. FUSEBOX will bring a positive energy to this part of Kingston’s riverside and throughout the town, and we are extremely grateful to the Mayor of London, John Lewis, Kingston Council and many other local partners for their support and help.”

Andreas Kirsch, leader of Kingston Council said:

“Kingston Council has been working with partners to regenerate this area under John Lewis as part of its heritage-led Transform Kingston programme, to bring new opportunities for the borough’s young people and entrepreneurs. I am thrilled to see FUSEBOX opening. This is an amazing project, which will bring people together, giving them a space to be creative, to explore, and to enjoy. It will be a wonderful addition to Kingston’s great cultural offer, filling the historic place it will be located with new life.”

Artist Tanvi Ranjin said:

“FUSEBOX is one-of-a-kind space in the heart of Kingston for young creatives from all disciplines. As this year’s Creative Talent Artist, I am excited to use FUSEBOX for my creative practice and to connect with other artists. Its heritage backing would elevate the experience of the art that is produced, performed, and exhibited here. It is not only a platform for artistic expression but also for collaboration and co-creation. I am confident that FUSEBOX will bring together many artists and build a community that can grow within various art forms.”

About Creative Youth

Creative Youth is a charity based in Kingston-upon-Thames that exists to enable young people to realise their potential through the arts, involving them in innovative, original and ambitious projects. Projects include FUSE International festival and heritage project AMP Kingston; Art, Music and Pop Fashion.

Twitter: @fuseboxkingston | @creativeyouthuk
Insta: @fuseboxkingston | @creativeyouthuk

creativeyouthcharity.org | fuseboxkingston.org

PRESS CONTACT Elin Morgan, hello@elinmorgan.co.uk, 07984 816 948

Tanvi’s work explores subjects of the human-machine relationship while elaborating on the techniques of textile making and the role of women in sculpting the future of digital and information age. By highlighting the intersections between textile and digital information, the artist makes visible the complexity of modern technology and internet that is often obscured by the high-speed electronic transmission of data in the form of bits.

To keep up to date with all of Tanvi’s work and more about Creative Youth Charity feel free to sign up to our mailing list by clicking here 📧

AMP Kingston; Art, Music and Pop Fashion is a project to uncover Kingston’s music heritage. The ideas are a continuation of the Kingston RPM; Records, People and Music project we delivered in 2017.

To keep up to date with the AMP project and more about Creative Youth Charity feel free to sign up to our mailing list by clicking here 📧 

FUSE International shows for 2022 have been announced. Theo Bosanquet explores this year’s festival programme ahead of tickets going on sale on Thursday 26 May.

The headline act at the Rose will be Ethiopia’s Circus Abyssinia, whose show tells the story of Derartu Tulu, the first African to win Olympic gold.

Other highlights include This Is Not A Show About Hong Kong by Max Percy and Friends, looking at censorship in Hong Kong; Shenanigan’s Wake, a “spoken word spectacle” from The Bobolyne Poets; and The Next Girl by acclaimed playwright Alex McSweeney, a series of short plays exploring the issues facing young women in society.

Read the full article here

Taste of Kingston was a five-day global food trail taking local people on a journey around the world via hospitality businesses and high streets in Kingston’s town centre. Nine local businesses with connections to global cuisine were involved; from Parisian brunches at Haché, to Middle Eastern flavours at The Cheeky Pea, and the Chicago-inspired menu of Woody’s Bar and Kitchen. Alongside this, seven artists collaborated with the businesses to create bespoke events to draw people through their doors.

Read the full story in Voice Magazine

Creative Youth has received a grant from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen.

More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including Creative Youth in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

Creative Youth is a charity that focuses on widening access to the arts to ensure all young people are given the opportunity to develop their skills and confidence through participation in creative and cultural activities and events. 2020 has demonstrated how vital the arts are to everyone and how important it is for platforms to exist for young people to share their thoughts and be involved in high-quality creative programmes.