Alice Billings House, the Grade II-listed building part of the former fire station in Stratford will reopen its doors in 2023 as a studio and events complex. The building belongs to the community. So, we want to celebrate this new creative space by celebrating you! 

The My Alice Billings House Portrait Project will celebrate the local heroes and diversity of Newham. We’re inviting all residents to paint, draw or take a photo of individuals they admire, those who have made the world a better place. They can be anyone from nurses, doctors, firefighters, teachers, social workers, artists to mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and friends, and any other role models in the community. We’re asking you to send us your artistic portrait of them and a paragraph telling us why these individuals must be celebrated. They can be a scan of a painting, drawing, or a photograph of that person. Of the portraits submitted by the public, ten will be chosen to be printed on large posters and installed in the areas adjacent to Alice Billings House, and another ten in 2023. The portraits will also be distributed on leaflets and flyers across the neighbourhood.  

We also plan to host four workshops about diversity in schools across Newham in 2022 and 2023. During these two-day workshops, a group of students will work with an artist to paint, draw, or take photos of their everyday heroes. 

The portraits should be of individuals living in or from the local Newham community rather than celebrities or other people in popular culture. The students will also be asked to write a paragraph about why they chose that specific person or a group of people for their portraits. Of the portraits submitted by the students, ten will be chosen to be printed on large posters and installed in the areas adjacent to Alice Billings House, and another ten in 2023. This project will be carried out by Paint the Change with the support of Creative Land Trust, the organisation refurbishing Alice Billings House.

Founded in 2015, Paint the Change has collaborated with many schools and stakeholders on public art projects for East London. It typically merges themes of social justice with street art, guiding participants through the creation of murals on climate change at Bow School, on ‘positive transformation’ at The Boxing Academy in Hackney, and on the NHS and local history at Rich Mix.  

Creative Land Trust was established in 2019 to secure long-term, affordable workspace for London’s artists and creatives, ensuring a vibrant and prosperous future for this critical industry. They are working to better serve artists, creatives, and the local community in Newham through the refurbishment of Alice Billings House, but also activation of associated space for public use. 

Alice Billings House is the building behind the Old Town Hall, Stratford. Built in 1905, it provided accommodation for firefighters of the West Ham Fire Brigade until 1964. Since then, the building has been used by the Department of Education and as a film set. 

For more information, contact be@paintthechange.me.