The One I Admire
Paint the Change commissioned to create a public artwork project for Creative Land Trust, part of Mayor of London’s High Streets for All Challenge.
We are proud to release the first ten winning portraits of the My Alice Billings House Portrait Project Competition “The One I Admire”
We recently invited all local residents to paint, draw or take photos of individuals they admire, those who have made the world a better place. This might be anyone from nurses, doctors, firefighters, teachers, social workers, friends, and any other role models.
We’ve received a fantastic array of entries and are excited to announce the first selection of images that will be put on display. Of the portraits submitted ten will be chosen to be printed on fliers and large posters and installed in the areas along the High Street and surrounding Alice Billings House.
The My Alice Billings House Portrait Project celebrates the local heroes, diversity and creativity of Newham. The project marks the activation of Alice Billings House as a new complex of studios and public-facing events space, how art and culture will work to engage and give voice to local communities while creating a sense of interest, intrigue, engagement, and excitement that animates Stratford High Street.
This public artwork project by Paint the Change has been commissioned by Creative Land Trust, as part of their award from the Mayor of London’s High Streets for All Challenge.
Click the images below to read the story behind each portrait 👇
Want to know more? Watch these interviews with the artists behind the portraits 👇
Over the next two years, a total of forty portraits will be selected and put on display in Stratford Town Centre. To submit a portrait contact be@paintthechange.me.
We welcome 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, and artists to mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and friends, and any other role models in the community. Send a scan of a painting, drawing, or a photograph of that person’s portrait and a paragraph explaining why you feel the individual must be celebrated.
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. We want to celebrate this new creative space by celebrating you!
In the run-up to the activation of Alice Billings House as a new complex of studios and public facing events space, this project will use art and culture to engage and give voice to local communities while creating a sense of interest, intrigue, engagement, and excitement that animates Stratford High Street.
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.
A Hub for art and creative learning in east London. Founded in 1993 by radical educator and artist, Yvonne Humble, Rosetta Arts has grown and developed over the past 25 years. Responding to the needs and desires expressed by local communities, they are proud to be a dynamic and diverse organisation; delivering engaging courses, creative workshops and innovative participatory art experiences for people across east London.
Artists from Rosetta Arts participated in our “The One I Admire” project by contributing portraits of their own “local heroes”.
Ranelagh Primary School Workshop
Pupils from Ranelagh Primary School in Stratford took part in a portrait-making workshop celebrating their ‘local heroes’. Through words and poetry, poet @mrgeepoet encouraged the students to think about the significance of a hero, what makes an everyday hero and whether they are heroes themselves. Street artist @atmastudio helped them create portraits of their respective ‘local heroes’ representing them creatively by using paint and collage.
Find us on Instagram for more: @paintthechangeglobal @creativelandtrust @rosettaarts