Are you looking for a fun and engaging creative activity in February? Do you like hearing about sustainable art? Would you enjoy a free community event showing off your art while enjoying live music?

Look no further than Eltham Arts’ Fill the Light event! This free community event is designed to bring people together and spread joy and happiness in what can be a quieter month.

Join us at the following TALKS and WORKSHOPS which lead up to the celebratory art & music Fill The Light finale event on 17 February:

• First, there will be a Creative Practitioner Talk at Eltham Library (Archery Rd, London SE9 1HA) on Wednesday 24 January from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. The talk will be given by creative practitioners Nicola Reid, Diana Jones, and Pragya Kumar, who will discuss using natural sustainable materials to make art.

• Then, there will be Lantern-Making Workshops, also at Eltham Library, on Saturday 3 February from 10 am to 12:30 pm and 2 pm to 4 pm, and on Sunday 4 February from 12 pm to 4 pm. These are guided art sessions by professional artists to produce a beautiful lantern to bring to the Fill The Light event. We suggest one lantern to be made between two people or as a family, as it needs some team effort. Tickets are per lantern, not per person.

• Finally, the Fill the Light Celebration will take place on Saturday 17 February 2024 from 4:30 pm to 7 pm at Passey Place, Eltham SE9. The celebration will feature music, choral singing, food by local artists and performers, and of course, your lanterns. People can join in for a sing-along music performance and hold up their lanterns (and there may be some other artistic surprises along the way too!).

All events are FREE but it’s ESSENTIAL to book as space at the Talk and Workshops so we have an idea of the number of people at the event. Please book your free space for the Talk and/or Workshops via this Eventbrite link or scan this QR code:

Eltham Arts is collaborating with artist Pragya Kumar for this creative project. We are grateful to Royal Greenwich for Ward Funding for this project and to Eltham Library for their valuable contributions. Pragya’s ‘What’s on your Mind?’ project (Arts Council funded) overlaps with Fill the Light – it is a community-based, participatory arts and well being project culminating in an exhibition at Gerald Moore Gallery from 29 Feb 2024.

You can also follow Eltham Arts on social media to stay updated on the latest news and events:

Facebook – Eltham Art

Instagram – @eltham_arts

X (formerly Twitter) – @ElthamArts.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for Fill The Light and get ready to have some fun!

Book your FREE place via Eventbrite (click here) or by ringing Eltham Library on 020 3915 4347.

Date: Wednesday 15 March 2023

Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Location: Eltham Library, Archery Road, Eltham, London SE9 1HA (Google maps)

Are you looking to connect with like-minded individuals in your community? Would you like to expand your creative circle? If yes, then mark your calendars for 15 March and join us for a Creative Networking Evening at Eltham Library!

This free event is for anyone who is interested in the arts in Eltham and the surrounding areas within the Royal Borough of Greenwich – whether you are an artist, writer, musician, designer, or any other creative, be it professional, amateur or hoping to start, all are welcome, all ages. It is an opportunity for you to connect, collaborate, and share information about your work or interests with fellow creatives.

• The evening will kick off at 6.30pm with the Eltham Arts AGM open to all, when you can expect to hear about what Eltham Arts has been up to.
• A free wellbeing activity, as a taste of the wellbeing resource being launched (see below)
• This will be followed by the launch of the Breathing Space zine, a wellbeing resource arising from the recent RGB-funded project. You can read about the Breathing Space project here.
• Afterwards, there will be a Networking Session where you can mingle and get to know other creatives in the room. Refreshments, including some delicious light bites, will be provided to keep the conversation flowing.

So, whether you are a seasoned creative professional or hoping to start out, we encourage you to come along, make new connections and expand your creative network.

Please do book your free place so that we know numbers for the evening, especially the catering – thank you! – via Eventbrite (click here) or by ringing Eltham Library on 020 3915 4347.

We look forward to seeing you there!

At Eltham Arts, we are proud to present our new project “Creating Connections”. This is an opportunity for the entire local community to get involved to inspire others and to be inspired.

The project has been funded by Arts Council England to work with young children and senior citizens of SE9 area to address their wellbeing needs through arts. Read more …

Our project Update – The younger members have taken inspiration from the letters they received and have created their shadow puppetry stories! We hope to put these stories into a small animation/film in the new year and share it with the community through our digital platforms. We are also aware that many members of the community may not have digital access. So, to encourage their participation, we collaborated with Eltham library and hosted letter reading workshops over the phone. We are also planning to share our final outcome in a live event in February if the situation permits. Letters received through the project will be archived in the library for all members of the community to access.

We will be uploading few more letters during the Christmas break. So if you know someone – a neighbour, a friend or someone in your family who has been struggling with isolation, then pick up the phone and read them a letter. A letter can bring a smile and make someone’s day. We hope the letters bring some cheer to those who might not be able to see family and friends this Christmas.

Wish you all a calm, relaxed and safe Christmas. May the New Year bring new beginnings, hopes and aspirations for a better future.

Here is a lovely letter from one of our young writers …

Hope you managed to enjoy some of the great summer events in and around Eltham!

Just some of the events we’ve loved included:

•  the many events at the Eltham Centre Library, Severndroog Castle, Queenscroft Park and our other lovely parks and venues
•  June’s South East London Textile Festival at Woodlands Farm
•  July’s Eltham Park Festival
•  the Greenwich & Docklands International Festival events in Eltham
•  July’s Eltham Festival arts performances at Passey Place

The Eltham Arts Team is busy with exciting future plans – we’ll keep you posted. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and stay in touch.

Meanwhile, next up is this year’s Elthamread – the book is Bookworm by Lucy Mangan. Lucy will be visiting Eltham library on Tues 29th October, put the date in your diary and join in!