Brockley Max is delighted to announce that it will once again be supported by Lewisham Shopping Centre. The centre’s owners, Landsec, is backing the popular community arts festival with a sponsorship deal largely focused on legacy projects in recognition of Brockley Max’s 25th anniversary.
The support from Lewisham Shopping Centre will help towards the costs to deliver this year’s festival, while also fund a range of initiatives designed to celebrate the festival’s long-standing contribution to the local arts scene.
A key project will be the creation of a self-guided mural trail, accompanied with a specially commissioned map by renowned cartographer and former Brockley resident Clare Seldon that features artworks commissioned by the festival organisers during the past 25 years. The map will highlight murals in Brockley, Ladywell, Crofton Park and Honor Oak as well as some notable ones in downtown Lewisham.
New mural commissions
Three new murals will be commissioned as part of this year’s Brockley Max festival. One will be located on the exterior of Pistachios café in Hilly Fields, celebrating the park’s importance to the local community, with another on the gates of the historic Ladywell Playtower site.
Lewisham Shopping Centre will also commission a mural on the Molesworth Street façade of the site. Local artists are invited to submit ideas for the mural from now until 17 April. Brockley Max will oversee the callout for artists and manage the commissioning process, collaborating with Lewisham Shopping Centre’s in-house art team.
A similar project run by Lewisham Retail Park developers Amro in conjunction with Brockley Max last year saw artists Matilda White and Luke Smile create artworks celebrating singers and entertainers from the borough.
Art installations and performances by people with lived experience of sanctuary seeking will also form part of the programme at the iconic Max In The Park day festival on Saturday 6 June. Accompanied with storytelling and workshops, these will celebrate and reaffirm Lewisham’s status as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary and will also mark the 130th anniversary of Hilly Fields park being saved as a green space for the community. Applications are open for refugees and those from a sanctuary-seeking background interested in creating art installations, hosting workshops and storytelling opportunities during the festival. Details can be found at https://brockleymax.co.uk/jobs/
Radio mentoring scheme
During the festival, which runs from 29 May to 6 June, Lewisham Shopping Centre will host 1Harmony Radio’s Brockley Max takeover, with a radio booth and busking performances taking place in the shopping mall’s Central Square. 1HarmonyRadio hosts Gerome and Krystal will lead a mentoring scheme for young radio trainees, recruited from the local area. In return for professional training, participants will volunteer during Brockley Max. Advertising on 1Harmony Radio will help publicise the scheme, which is also being funded by Lewisham Shopping Centre.
Paul Redden, Centre Director at Lewisham Shopping Centre, said: “Brockley Max is a fantastic celebration of local creativity, and we’re delighted to be sponsoring the festival this year.
“Supporting the local community and creating opportunities for artists and performers to thrive is central to what we do. Our long-standing presence in Lewisham is reflected in our plans to redevelop the centre, including new public spaces and a dedicated music venue with performance, rehearsal and production facilities that will further strengthen the area’s cultural offer.
“This year’s Brockley Max mural trail will showcase the incredible talent across the local area, while 1Harmony Radio’s takeover in the centre, alongside our Busk Stop will bring people together and spotlight the incredible musical talent Lewisham has to offer. We’re excited to see it all come to life in May.”
Lewisham Shopping Centre remains firmly rooted to its long-standing presence in the town since 1997. The shopping centre continues to improve its spaces, and is undergoing a phased redevelopment, creating a new green district including a family park and wild meadow above a fully reimagined shopping centre. Lewisham Shopping Centre will remain open throughout the redevelopment, allowing visitors to continue shopping and enjoying the town centre as works progress.
