Artist Facilitator

Newham Council are looking for a Newham-based Black artist to hold two creative workshops during Black History Month 2025, facilitating participants in responding to a photograph from Newham’s archive. Thisis a remarkable, Victorian family portrait of James Braithwaite and his family. This image from the late 1800s is one of the earliest portraits showcasing a Black and mixed heritage family in the borough. In this image, James sits alongside his wife Emma and his young daughter. We know that James moved to Newham from the Caribbean, where he eventually ended up working as an electrical foreman at Tate & Lyle.

This image is an important part of our collection and offers a rare glimpse into family life in the period and Black presence in our borough.

We are looking for a local artist to plan and facilitate two workshops for members of the public that respond to this portrait, using art or creativity to explore themes of family, migration and pride; aligning with the Black History Month 2025 theme ‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride’.

Newham Heritage Service is currently working to improve representation within the borough’s archive, which has significant gaps when it comes to both diverse communities and Newham post-1980. We are particularly interested in workshop proposals that address these gaps.