Home is where the garden is – Associates Programme

Home is where the garden is was our programme cycle for 2024-26. This cycle invited artists and community members to explore the evolving and rhizomatic threads that connect our shared civic spaces, through a series of artistic commissions, collaborative projects, public workshops, and community initiatives.

The Associates Programme curriculum drew on the central themes of Home is: material, produce and civic space, and continued artistic explorations first initiated through our Civic and Despacito Art School programmes.

Commencing in September 2025 and culminating in June 2026, the Associate cohort developed new work and research, whilst producing events and exhibitions in response to a foundation of research and artistic outcomes generated by guest artists and community partners through our Civic Programme.

The Associate cohort exploring Open School East, as part of Unstable Ground, devised and led by Hugh Nicholson

The Associates Programme curriculum was structured around three terms, each comprising a range of projects, modules and activities.

During term one (September–December 2025) the Associates joined artists Flora Parrott & Sara Trillo for an introductory, cohort-building workshop centred around local histories and fieldwork methodologies; devised and led their own series of peer workshops, introducing the rest of the cohort to their practices; joined artist and researcher Hugh Nicholson in a four-part research project that unpacked the central themes of Home is where the garden is; engaged in critically focused thinking through a reading group with artist Harun Morrison; and developed an interim exhibition, Give Ground, as part of Off Season 2026.

During term two (January–April 2026) the Associates joined visual artist Samara Scott and Despacito Art School for the first of two intergenerational peer-to-peer projects; took part in 1:1 mentoring sessions with their dedicated mentors; participated in a series of talks and workshops as part of the Social Practice Module; took part in workshops and talks from visiting guest artists; and launched an Associate-led Public Programme 2026: Towards the Edges, which invited 9 guest artists to lead sessions in response to processes of co-learning, reassembly of power structures, and connections through language and sound.

During term three (April–June 2026) the Associates joined artist Camilo Pachón and Despacito Art School for the second of two intergenerational peer-to-peer projects, making a collaborative video work together; continued mentoring sessions as well as instigating their own crit and reading groups; took part in a Print & Publishing Module with artist and designer George Harding (OSE Prog. Producer), which explored different approaches to artistic publishing; and dove into their studios at OSE to develop new works and research for the Summer Exhibition 2026, whilst working with their Guest Curator, Harun Morrison, to refine and frame the exhibition.

Guest artists, practitioners and mentors
Sepake Angiama, Simeon Barclay, Polly Brannan, Amauta García and David Camargo, Anna Cutler, Benedict Drew, George Harding, Harun Morrison, Hugh Nicholson, Harold Offeh, Sally O’Reilly, Shenece Oretha, Camilo Pachón, Flora Parrott, Keith Piper, Gabriella Riccio, Samara Scott, Cooking Sections, Marley Starskey Butler, Dan Thompson, Lily Tonge and Sara Trillo.

Partners
Ark: Cliftonville Cultural Space
Cliftonville Community Centre
Turner Contemporary