Curate Enfield, London Borough of Enfield for London Borough of Enfield

Curate Enfield, London Borough of Enfield for London Borough of Enfield

 

Curate Enfield is an intergenerational grassroots public art programme empowering residents to transform their town centres and high streets through vibrant, site-specific artworks. With over 40 artworks delivered across Enfield, residents have shaped their surroundings and celebrated local culture and heritage. Each project turns everyday spaces into vibrant shared experiences, fostering pride, connection, and belonging. By championing collaboration and local voices, Curate Enfield demonstrates how public art can inspire, unite communities, and leave a lasting creative legacy.

 

 

Describe the context of the community engagement. Why did the engagement take place?

 

Curate Enfield piloted community-led art commissioning, enabling local people to develop a high-quality public art project for their local high street and district centre. Completed this year, the project has produced 5 public art commissions, delivered in the town centres of Angel Edmonton, Enfield Town, Palmers Green, Southgate; and Southbury – an emerging priority place. 
 
A key innovation was the creation of 15 new ‘Public Art Champions.’ These included 11 young people aged 16-30 and 4 community leaders aged 40-80. Recruited from each town centre/place, the champions were assigned a dedicated artist-mentor. This formed a creative cluster of 2-3 champions and one mentor in each place, working together to deliver their project. The champions received specialist training in public consultation, site research, permissions, artist briefs, artist selection, project management, and communication. This gave them the skills and knowledge to influence the project from concept to delivery. Additionally, over 450 residents, children and young people participated in street-level conversations, co-design workshops, and assisted in the creation of the artworks. These engagement methods allowed participants to flex their creativity, share stories, ideas, and aspirations; and directly shape the artistic direction of each public artwork. Curate Enfield has now delivered 40 new public artworks across Enfield and has provided creative learning and skill development opportunities for residents. The project has given residents genuine creative agency and enabled them to transform their town centres and high streets through vibrant site-specific artworks. This has strengthened civic pride, celebrated cultural diversity, and built new intergenerational connections.

 

Who did you engage with and how?

 

Curate Enfield targeted under-represented and marginalised people located in some of Enfield’s most deprived areas. 
 
15 Public Art Champions aged between 16-80 included young carers, disabled and neurodivergent people, and participants from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Champions were selected via open calls and extended outreach through schools, youth groups, community organisations, and faith networks. This ensured we targeted people not already on the council’s radar, who although talented and eager, did not have the visibility or connections often needed to participate in art and civic programmes. Each received a small honorarium to support their participation. 

 

Champions committed 12–24 months, contributing to every stage of the process, from site selection and artist briefs to consultations, delivery, and launch events. Schedules were flexible and worked around the Champions’ other commitments. The format included structured training sessions, bespoke mentoring from their assigned mentor, self-led activities and ongoing support from the Place Shaping Manager at Enfield Council. As part of each commission, creative and co-design activities were delivered in schools, shops, community halls, libraries, churches, youth clubs, day centres, cafes and parks. Around 450 residents participated including migrant families, children aged 5-11, young people aged 13-18, boys participating in youth justice reparation, older people aged 60+ and people participating in mental health programmes and SEN students. The resulting public artworks reflect the breadth and diversity of Enfield’s communities. Themes were shaped directly by community input, capturing Enfield’s particular rhythms, everyday lives, histories, and resident’s aspirations rather than imposing external narratives.

 

Have you continued the conversation? Will the community stay involved? 

 

Many of the Public Art Champions remain actively involved, shaping the borough’s creative future and carrying forward the skills and confidence gained through the programme. Several have progressed into creative and civic roles. Helainah now runs the Enfield Young Creatives Network, supporting emerging local talent, while Safia has joined the Council’s Place Shaping team, applying her learning to local decision-making. Others, like Trini, have gone on to collaborate with local artists such as The Matchbox Collective and develop her practice. Older Champions have used their experience to lead community engagement programmes, sharing expertise and inspiring new participants. This includes John who has just joined a new stakeholder-led Steering Group for Enfield Town. The wider community - children, young people, schools, and residents - remain part of the ongoing story. Their involvement in co-designing the artworks has fostered lasting civic pride and connection to places. School-children and families frequently revisit the artworks, teachers use them as learning resources, and residents have reported a renewed sense of ownership and belonging in their neighbourhoods. Building on this momentum, the Council is creating more paid work placements and embedding co-creation into additional Place Shaping and Regeneration projects. Curate Enfield’s approach has become a blueprint for inclusive commissioning, informing a new Public Art Strategy and supporting other council officers to deliver community-led projects. Curate Enfield continues to enrich Enfield’s creative ecosystem through strengthening intergenerational ties, fostering new partnerships between creatives, the Council and communities, and creating a lasting model of participation and local leadership.