Category Archives: Eltham Arts

The Eltham Arts Winter Festival is over!

November 22, 2016Eltham, Eltham Arts, Festivalreevacharles

Last Sunday we celebrated the end of three exhilarating weeks of Festival art, music, theatre and much more. We had so much Festival fun and hope you did too! We were pleased with the comments we received from visitors some of whom said they didn’t realise we had so much going on in SE9. You can follow the action as it unfolded on our Festival Facebook page and on Twitter.

photostableau — Just a few of our Festival events – how many do you recognise?

Many friends, supporters and musicians gathered in the White Hart on Sunday 20 November to mark the end of the Festival with singer-songwriters performing in a Song Challenge and to congratulate the winners of the Eltham Arts Awards.

musicians-gw-performing — Festival Finale: L-R Susan Turner, Dave Kenningham, Zahira al-Zahira, Keith Ferris, Gaynor Wingham

For their outstanding contributions to community arts, our Awards were presented – by Eltham MP Clive Efford and Greenwich Councillor Denise Scott-Macdonald – to St Thomas More secondary School’s innovative SE9 Container Gallery, to the community-minded Eltham Library and also to the White Hart itself for their support and community fundraising.

ea-awards-ce-libraryladies — Eltham Library scoops Eltham Arts award: Paula Bellamy, Clive Efford MP, Miriam Storey

We want to thank all the many artists, community groups and organisers who took part in the Festival and made it a great success! Thank you too to all the supporters who turned up to events and to those who promoted it. We’re taking stock now (and sorting our photos and videos!) but if you still have festival-fever you can always explore the films on our You Tube channel as well.

Our Festival may have drawn to an end but there’s still plenty of creativity around Eltham for you to enjoy especially in the coming festive season. And of course, we’ll be back with more creative enticements soon! Keep in touch and watch this space!

The Festival is in full swing!

November 9, 2016Eltham, Eltham Arts, Festivalreevacharles

The party has truly started! We’re in Week Two of the fabulous Eltham Arts Winter Festival which runs to 20 November. How many of the creative community events have you been to?

The community kicked off the Festival in style at a lively opening event in Passey Place on 29 October. We overcame the roadworks and enjoyed the Mayor opening the proceedings, the ebullient Make a Noise Choir and Hulviz‘s Peter Pan cast aswell as a host of musicians including the Pytchwood folk duo. There’s a reminder of this and just some the other events which took place in Week One in our one minute highlights film:There’s still plenty more events to go. Join us for more inspiring community art, music, theatre, walks and talks up until 20 November.

We’d also love to see you at our Festival Finale celebration on 20 November at the White Hart, from 7.30pm, with entertainment from singer/songwriters from our Festival Song Challenge. We’ll also be making Eltham Arts Awards to recognise some special people and places in our community.

See our special Festival page here for full listings, or our Festival Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.

Thank you to all the great artists, musicians, organisers and venues who are doing a great job!

As ever, we are grateful for support from Greenwich Visitor, our free community newspaper. Pick up the November issue from around Eltham – including Sainsbury’s and the Eltham Leisure Centre – for full printed listings and interesting articles about the events and artists involved. gv-bothfrontpages-snip

Countdown to Eltham Arts Winter Festival!

October 26, 2016Eltham, Eltham ArtsEltham Arts

It’s almost here – are you ready? Our Arts Festival kicks off this weekend. Three weeks of live music, arts, drama and fun all over the SE9 area. progsnipslanted It all starts this Saturday 29 October from 11am to 3pm with a pirate-themed Festival Opening Day in Eltham’s Passey Place. Bring your little, or big (!), pirates! There’ll be live music, crafts and kids activities. The cast of Bob Hope’s Peter Pan will even be visiting – come along and have a photograph with them!

Visit our special Festival page to download the full programme and venues and also details of our special Arts Trail.

Pick up October’s Greenwich Visitor (special supplement p8 onwards)- free in local outlets including Sainsbury’s and the Eltham Centre – to read articles about the Festival and get the full printed programme.

Come and support our great community – see you there!

Eltham Arts in 2016

Since last year’s successful Winter Festival, the Eltham Arts committee has been busy planning its activity for 2016.

Winter Song CD
Some of you may remember we organised a Winter Song Competition as part of the festival, in which songwriters performed their songs at the finale at The White Hart on Eltham High Street, on 22 November. We’re pleased to let you know that we are planning to record a CD of the 10 Winter Festival songs, which will be available to buy in due course.

Winter Festival 2016
We’re also delighted to announce that the second Eltham Arts Winter Festival will take place between 29 October-20 November 2016.

We’re working on the format now, so if you have any creative ideas, or would like to be involved, do let us know.

Eltham Arts Winter Festival hailed a great success

The Eltham Arts Winter Festival, which ran from 31 October to 22 November, created a first-ever platform for local creative talent – existing, emerging and new, to showcase the rich artistic and cultural life of this part of the Royal Greenwich borough.

The 23-day arts fest offered more than 120 events from art exhibitions, music competitions, crafting, literary and historical tours, beer festivals and theatre. The diversity of venues reflected the community with events taking place in community halls, local pubs and retailers as well as established arts and historical venues. The offerings also included a first-time Art Trail including over 18 different venues around the SE9 area. The varied programme also featured a tour of the Avery Hill Mansion House as well as various healthy walks with Greenwich Get Walking.

The Eltham Arts Committee out in force at the festival’s opening event on 31 October

The Festival was organised by Eltham Arts, a voluntary community organisation, who responded to a suggestion by its network of individual artists and artistic groups. Taking up the call several months ago, the Eltham Arts Committee started busily putting together the eclectic programme of events and the Art Trail. An array of artistic talent was unearthed of existing arts practitioners, of emerging artists but the call also sparked creativity in those needing a bit of encouragement and confidence.

The celebratory opening event on 31 October in Eltham’s Passey Place, set the tone with its playful poetry, mellow music and children’s crafty fun, the latter in conjunction with nearby Eltham GPO pub. The costumed cast of Wizard of Oz, a regal town crier and some friendly visiting local police added to the fun.

Clive Efford at closing event — Local MP Clive Efford at the Festival’s closing event

At the closing event on 22 November at the White Hart on Eltham High Street, local MP Clive Efford agreed on the important role of the Festival and said: “Too often we don’t recognise the talent which exists in our community and events like the Eltham Arts Winter Festival have an important role in this. Not only has it led to a wider appreciation of existing artistic venues such as the Bob Hope Theatre but it has highlighted the contribution of local pubs, a longstanding fine tradition in British life.”

Meanwhile as the umbrella of the Festival closes for this year, the artistic and cultural life of Eltham continues with plenty of ongoing artistic happenings.

Eltham Arts has so far organised many creative events in the local area including a short story, poetry and postcard competitions, live music events, talks, tweetups, conferences and quizzes.

Follow @ElthamArts on Twitter and www.facebook.com/ElthamArt on Facebook to find out about Eltham Arts’ future activities.

Eltham Winter Festival: More information about our Art Trail

October 25, 2015Eltham, Eltham ArtsEltham Winter Festivalduffinamy

Need more information on the Eltham Arts Winter Festival Art Trail?

Download a document outlining details here: Eltham Art Trail venues handout.

Any questions? Contact us.

DOWNLOAD: Eltham Arts Winter Festival programme, 31 October – 22 November

October 1, 2015Eltham, Eltham ArtsEltham Arts Winter Festivalduffinamy

The Eltham Arts Winter Festival is currently taking place in Eltham, and comprises a huge selection of arts-related events for the whole community to attend.

DOWNLOAD > Eltham Arts Winter Festival programme

If you simply wish to see a list of events taking place during the festival, you can do so here.

The Eltham Arts Winter Festival programme runs from until 22 November, where it will conclude with a closing event at the White Hart pub on Eltham High Street.

Printed copies of the programme are available in various local businesses in October’s edition of The Greenwich Visitor.

If you have any questions about the programme, please contact us.

For further ideas on things to see and do in Eltham, visit the Visit Greenwich website.

Announcement: Eltham Arts Winter Festival

We are delighted to formally announce that we’ll be organising the Eltham Arts Winter Festival between 31 October – 22 November 2015.

Please save the dates now!

The festival will consist of a variety of events over the course of three weeks, and a full programme will be available here soon.

The idea for the Eltham Arts Winter Festival was born out of last year’s Eltham Arts conference, where we came up with five big ideas for the future of the arts in Eltham.

If you’d like to get involved or want to organise an event during the Eltham Arts Winter Festival, contact us.

Keep checking this website, follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook to stay-up-to-date with developments.

A postcard from Eltham

The next creative challenge from Eltham Arts is a competition to design a postcard that shows Eltham as an attractive and creative place to live, work or visit.

You don’t have to be an expert artist to enter. Be a part of creative Eltham – it’s your community!

Prizes and awards for all age groups and special prizes. This competition is organised by Eltham Arts.

For more information contact elthamarts@aol.co.uk or call 020 8859 4678. You can also follow us on twitter @elthamarts.

Competition rules
1. Entry is free and all ages can enter. Up to 3 entries are allowed per person. You must write on the back of each entry in pencil, your name, age [if under 18], email address/ telephone number and the title for your postcard.
2. If you are under 18 your parent/guardian must give permission by signing the back of each entry and giving their name and contact details.
3. Entries must be placed in an envelope. Envelopes must be clearly marked A POSTCARD FROM ELTHAM. Multiple entries from schools can be placed in one envelope. Entries can be posted or delivered by hand to either of the following addresses. • Eltham Arts c/o 17 Greenholm Road, Eltham, London SE9 1UQ • Eltham Library, The Eltham Centre, 2 Archery Road, Eltham SE9 1HA
4. The closing date for entry is Sunday 1st March 2015. After this date no further entries will be accepted. Your entry will not be returned.
5. There will be prizes and awards in two categories, under 18 and over 18, and some special prizes. Winning entries may be turned into postcards and used to promote and celebrate Eltham.
6. Each entry must be on A5 size stiff paper or thin card. Your design must be original, not infringe any copyright and must contain or have the words ‘a Postcard from Eltham’ on it. This can be small but must be readable. You can also give your work a title if you choose
7. You may use any medium. For example, water colour, charcoal, pen and ink or acrylic or mixed media such as collage. Your design can be abstract or realistic and can use letters as part of the design.
8. Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges. The judges will be looking for original design and an imaginative use of colour and form as well as technical skill in the use of the medium you have chosen. Above all the judges will be looking for entries that show Eltham as a great place where people will want to visit or live.
9. The judge’s decision in all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. There will be a celebratory event on World Book Night 23rd April 2015 when the winners will be announced.
11. There will be an exhibition and maybe a sale of the original artwork. Selected designs will be printed as postcards and sold. All profits will be donated to local groups and charities.
12. In entering the competition you agree to the use of your entry in any publicity material or publication in relation to or designated by Eltham Arts. The copyright remains with the artist
13. By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions and has read and accepts all the rules for the contest.