Artyface 23rd Anniversary

23 years old in 2023

Artyface celebrated 23 years of delivering successful community art projects across London, working with more than 4,000 community members every year. Maud established Artyface Community Art in Tower Hamlets in 1999, and has had a studio at the amazing Trinity Buoy Wharf for the past 18 years. 

Maud also has a garden studio, and a lot of the work takes place here or at home on the kitchen table. Much of the making takes place in the community.

2020-2023 were incredibly challenging times for everyone. Artyface pivoted and designed takeaway-tile-boxes to enable the community – people of all ages and abilities, isolating, living alone or home educating, to participate by making the tiles in whatever situation they found themselves in. This protected everyone. It also meant that the tiles were pressed in using items that were more personally relevant to participants. 

Wonderful artifacts were created across London during these difficult times and the notes we got back told us that people really appreciated feeling connected through these projects. 

Other public art projects created during this period include a celebration of the Irish Diaspora in Islington, Navigator Square, commissioned by Islington Heritage Department. 

Four stunning mosaic panels were created for the exterior of the newly built Kindred House in central Croydon, made with hundreds of local residents during Covid lockdowns. These celebrate the diverse multi-cultural community through a mosaic of fabric patterns, as well as two rich ceramic tapestries of words reflecting the people, places and events of this local area. 

Another wonderful recent project was the #HP9mosaics – a fabulous public mosaic trail created with and for Creative Beaconsfield Partnerships. Designed to thank key workers and the community for their selflessness over the past three difficult years, the three large-scale mosaics – one for a new doctors surgery, one for a public library and one for a church, celebrate so many people and professions. They also commemorate and educate people about the many wonderful writers, makers and places of note in the locality. 

The Artyface team consists of Maud and other highly skilled tutors/artists and volunteers. Most have their own art businesses but work with Artyface when their other commitments allow. Without them we would be able to deliver less and have a lot less fun, so a massive thank you to all of them and here’s to many more years of community mosaics!