The Lewisham School of Muralism

It seems like summer’s starting early after my first week with the Lewisham School of Muralism, @lsomuralism. (Summer starts in May in Ireland, so not too early)

As England slowly unlocked the second cohort of LSoM gathered in Goldsmiths for our first class of the course. We’ve signed up to learn how to draw, paint, negotiate for walls and funding, but most importantly collaborate with local communities to realise murals in the public realm.

Our first class was mostly just getting to know each other - strange in itself after six months of barely seeing a soul – and negotiating the temperature tightrope of windows opens/radiators on. Session two was straight down to business as we popped down to Lewisham Shopping Centre for a drawing lesson in the sun whilst the graduating class varnished their murals. It became swiftly apparent that some of us (read: me) were a little rustier than others with a pencil.

Struggling to draw a pair of shoes, watching your predecessors painting up on scaffolding, can be a bit daunting at first. But it’s thrilling, (and tiring maybe?) to think about the trajectory that will get us there by the end of the summer.

I’m really excited to get back to making some work again, though it’s been quite some time since I’ve had homework. Keep an eye-out for updates over the summer and if you like what you see then donate to LSoM to keep the paint flowing.

…. Now, I’m off to remember how to draw an apple.

The Lewisham School of Muralism is an independent course and mural-making skill-sharing initiative run by Artmongers, led by Patricio Forrester.  The project raised £62k on Spacehive to teach three cohorts of students over 18 months to co-create public participatory murals, addressing and empowering local communities. LSoM is co-sponsored by Goldsmiths University of London, Arts Council England, Mayor of London, LEAP, Brewers Decorator Centre and Lewisham Council.

Pictures c/o Patricio and Daniel @lsomuralism