Creative Encounters Workshop Artists Call Out

What is Creative Encounters?

Creative Encounters is a space for sharing the joys of artistic experiences and connecting with each other. Every fortnight, we fill the Southbank Centre’s Clore Ballroom with making and creativity. These performances and workshops aim to help build connections between people who may be at risk of isolation, and help people in London feel less alone.

Creative Encounters include performance (eg. music, poetry, spoken word, dance etc), and a participatory workshop to get people working together creatively and forging connections.

Creative Encounters partners with the National Poetry Library, sometimes offering a pop-up offer artistically linked to the workshop.

Workshop information

We’re excited by a variety of workshops; crafts, spice blending, creative writing, calligraphy, collage poetry etc. Anything that means people have the opportunity to work and commune with another person, and ideally have something physical to take home with them or to make collaboratively in the space (or both).

The workshop should be hosted from a mic; activating the space with storytelling, instructions or just general charisma!

The participants will drop in and we expect some coming and going and so the workshop must enable people to pick up activities after the official start. If doing some sort of ‘making’ activity there should be an option of approx. 30 mins of engagement time so the audience are not intimidated by the amount of time they need to commit to being in the space.

We also suggest providing an instruction sheet and encourage this to be as visual as possible for non-English speakers to engage.

Practicalities

Other information

We’re looking to programme a range of artists who reflect the population of London. We are unable to offer extra fees for those who might need to travel from outside London, but if you have any access requirements please do let us know as we may be able to cover costs such as transport, access support workers, BSL interpreters, etc.

We’re using this call out to programme dates from February 2026 onwards. We are looking for artists to host one-off workshops and artists who might be interested in a residency model, e.g. hosting three Creative Encounters in one year.

The time it takes to complete this form will not be reimbursed but we will endeavour to respond to all applicants and will invite you for an initial chat if we like the sound of your workshop plan. We normally keep these chats to 30 – 45 mins and this time will also be unpaid.

We will be asking for data such as your name, e-mail, contact number, pronouns and access requirements. We are collecting this data in order to best communicate with you. By completing this form you are consenting to sharing this data with us. It will not be shared with any third parties.

Deadline submission: Sunday 7 September, 12 midnight