Deptford Cultural Showcase Awarded £30,000 for Development
27th March 2007
Arts & Business, the creative network dedicated to linking the cultural to the commercial, has awarded the P&B Cultural Showcase, a new arts initiative in South East London, £30,000 towards its development. This is A&B's first investment into the regeneration of the 2012 Olympic site and surrounding areas this year. It signals a move by Arts & Business to back the growing trend for developers to incorporate cultural branding into site development.
P&B Cultural Showcase will use the Arts & Business investment to deliver a groundbreaking project that will promote the very best artists and creative businesses in Deptford, Greenwich and Lewisham through a website soon to be launched.
The project will ask artists and creative businesses in South London to submit examples of their work to an independent selection panel who will choose up to 30 of the best candidates three times every year. The selected artists will be showcased on the website.
P&B Cultural Showcase is the brainchild of Future City Arts and property developers P&B Developments who recently won planning approval for a mixed-use scheme at Paynes & Borthwick Wharves, Deptford. Their vision for the site is to create a new cultural destination with residential apartments, art galleries, restaurants and retail space providing a focus for the area's thriving artistic and creative community. The 11,000 sq ft riverside scheme is due for completion in 2008.
Colin Tweedy, Chief Executive, Arts & Business, said: "The London 2012 Olympiad is breaking new ground by recognising cultural as well as sporting excellence. Arts & Business wants to play its role in ensuring the legacy of the games through building arts into the fibre of our communities."
Mark O'Grady, of P&B Developments said: "The decision of Arts & Business to award this funding demonstrates their view that the Cultural Showcase will have a positive effect on the local creative community. By showcasing local talent through the website we hope to encourage the input of this talent into the revitalisation of Paynes & Borthwick Wharves and begin to develop a strong cultural identity for the local area."
Deptford and Greenwich has one of the largest concentrations of creative industries in the capital and has been designated a Cultural Hub by the London Development Agency.