We find new ways for art and creative practice to benefit the lives of people in towns and cities.

Create London is an arts organisation that has pioneered working with artists to realise new social enterprises, charities and cultural spaces. We commission, curate and incubate long-term projects that are useful to society, supporting artists to work collaboratively with local communities.  We reimagine the role of the artist in the city, working outside of galleries to find new and often surprising ways for art to become part of everyday life.

Founded in 2009 by Hadrian Garrard, we began by leading the east London cultural programme for the 2012 Olympic Games, working across five London boroughs with national and international partners ranging from the BBC to the Rio Carnival.  Over our ten-year history, our focus has shifted from temporary projects in east London to establishing long-term artist-led initiatives across the UK. In our first decade we have helped to set up ten new organisations that include an adventure playground, an artist-led drinks company, a community-minded art school, and London’s leading employability programme for young people in the creative sector.

Our work is situated between cultural institutions, local government, artists and community and we use this position to develop projects that create lasting and sustainable benefit, and increase participation in creative practice, jobs and community growth.

We have commissioned and produced award-winning projects with artists and groups that include Monster Chetwynd, Jeremy Deller, Skepta, Grayson Perry, You Me Bum Bum Train, RunDem Crew and Anthea Hamilton and were the first organisation to commission work from the Turner Prize-winning Assemble collective. Here are some of the artists and partners we’ve worked with over the last 10 years.

Our work in policy underpins our practice and we have collaborated with the Universities of Edinburgh, Goldsmiths and Sheffield to commission pioneering research on inequalities in the UK cultural industry.

We are part of a growing international movement that seeks to expand what art can do and who it is for.

Download our 2018-19 annual report here.