As young as the 21st century itself, LEAN has much to be proud of and has achieved its primary ambition: to establish itself as a sustainable, creative agency and local cultural education partnership supporting the growth of creative partnership working across the borough of Lewisham. Find out more about how we help here and how your organisation might work with us.
As a support organisation for all those involved in arts education in Lewisham, LEAN has initiated, alone, and frequently in partnership, an extensive range of projects, services and activities.
2000 – Unincorporated Association
11 November 2004 – Company Limited by Guarantee
24 May 2007 – Registered Charity
2003 – ongoing – One to One surgeries
2004 – 2008 – Annual journal of creative education published – CreatEd
2007 – 2009 – Speak Out
2008 – ongoing – Lewisham Youth Arts Network launched
2012 – 2022, and beyond – Lewisham Live
2013 – Rainbow Collective
2015 – ongoing – Arts Freelancer Breakfast Club
2015 – Arts and Resilience Community of Practice (CoP)
2016 – 2020 – South East London Arts Award Network in partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich
2017 – Bellingham Regeneration Arts Group (BRAG)
2017 – ongoing – Meet the Funder sessions and surgeries
2019 – 2022 – Creative Careers programme and Army of Creatives
2021 – ongoing – founder member of Lewisham Visual Arts Network
2021 – London Borough of Culture, Education Partner
Based at The Albany in Deptford since its inception, LEAN’s local and city-wide profile has grown as each year has passed and its credibility is built on its clarity of mission, its clear understanding of how to assure high quality creative partnership working, and the reliability of its support and brokerage services. LEAN has a stable and committed staff team and an experienced Board of Directors.
LEAN’s regular annual programme of training, project management and support has reached diverse target audiences, including artist educators, education professionals, youth workers, health professionals, HE students and young people of primary and secondary school age. Work has been broad based, encompassing both formal and informal settings and has been commissioned in partnership with a number of different statutory and voluntary agencies.
Those in a position to invest in infrastructure that builds Lewisham’s capacity to be a creative place to live, work and learn have been quick to see the pivotal position this established company occupies.
