Curate Enfield project

Organisation name: London Borough of Enfield 
Programme name: Curate Enfield
Funding value: £245,000
Programme objective: to improve Enfield town centres with public art
UKSPF strand: Borough - Communities and Place

Curate Enfield is a grassroots public art project designed to showcase the creative talents of residents and businesses in Enfield resulting in six new public art installations. 

The project has led to the curation of public art for the town centres and priority areas of Angel Edmonton, Edmonton Green, Enfield Town, Palmers Green, Southgate and Southbury. 

In action

Curate Enfield was designed to have residents at the forefront of each of the new commissions allowing local people to utilise their creativity, build on their current skills and to create meaningful opportunities for community participation.  

The project recruited 13 ‘Public Art Champions’ including young people and community leaders aged between 16 and 80 from across the borough. The champions selected the sites they would like to see transformed and then worked with artist-mentors who live or work in each of the areas to guide the public art champions to develop artist briefs and a selection process for the installation.  

Following an open call-out to artists, designers and creatives across Enfield and beyond, 51 submissions were received for the first three Curate Enfield public art projects in Angel Edmonton, Enfield Town and Palmers Green highlighting the interest in the project.  

The champions scored the submissions and chose an artist for each area who then worked together with Enfield Council to agree timelines, materials, and permissions prior to the art works being installed.

'A Stroll through Enfield Town'

'A Stroll through Enfield Town' is a large-scale mural in Enfield Town created by artist Anna Nicolo. Anna was selected to create a colourful and vibrant artwork for the busy alleyway between the Diechmann and Marks & Spencer stores in Palace Gardens Shopping Centre in Enfield Town.

The mural is inspired by Enfield’s heritage as a market town, its historical landmarks, industry and innovations; and references the contemporary energy of the shopping centre.  

‘The Rhythm of Broomfield Park’, 'The Cat in the Aviary', 'Fire and Flight,' and 'Sanctuary'

These 4 murals in Palmers Green were created by The Matchbox Collective, who were selected to create a series of vibrant, eye-catching artworks inspired by the cultural diversity, local nature and biodiversity of Palmers Green. 

These murals have helped create an arts trail, taking in existing public artworks and connecting different parts of the town centre and celebrating the unique identity of Palmers Green. 

‘An Angel for Edmonton’

This sculpture in Angel Edmonton was created by local artist Rafael Klein and was informed by the town centre's traditional name of 'the Angel’.  

Local residents took part in creative workshops to help develop this piece of public art by creating text and images which have been embedded into the final sculpture. 

Future installations

• ‘A Portrait of Southgate,' a mosaic-based arts trail is due to be launched in Southgate in February 2025   

• A new mural for Edmonton Green is due to be launched in March 2025