Making Places: Open Call

Waltham Forest is a borough in north-east London. It is a place which inspires and supports creativity, attracts artists and cultural businesses and has a long history of making.

Waltham Forest is the first ever London Borough of Culture. The award from the Mayor of London will ensure arts and culture is placed at the heart of its communities. The year will explore the theme Radicals, Makers and Fellowship in a collaboration between residents, artists and creatives producing a once in a lifetime celebration of the borough.

Making Places is a £1m initiative by Waltham Forest Council which will deliver a creative project in each of the twenty wards across the borough, in partnership with local councillors and communities. Projects will have a lasting impact, creating places which are brighter, safer and where residents and visitors enjoy spending time.

In 2017, residents nominated spaces in their neighbourhood that they wanted to see transformed. A lead councillor for each ward made the final decision on which site to put forward for Making Places. The list of sites includes parks, street corners, alleyways, stations and housing estates. Resident and councillor feedback has been incorporated into the Site Information document, in the 'suggestions for approaches' section.

Projects for the first 14 Making Places sites were selected following an open call in 2017. Projects completed to date include a communal table at Albert Crescent, multi-use community spaces at Aldriche Way and Attlee Terrace, a sculptural installation in Low Hall Wood, an amphitheatre in Higham Hill Park and a pavilion in Ridgeway Park. We are now seeking creative proposals for the remaining sites through a second open call.

Making Places is being managed in partnership with Create, an agency which exists to explore the ways artists can contribute to the lives of people in cities. Create helps artists to connect more closely with communities through an ambitious programme of projects and their work is primarily focused in east London.