WHO WE ARE
About Calico Arts
Calico Arts is an arts programme rooted in Lewisham. We support local artists, host exhibitions, and connect people with creative work in their neighbourhood.
Art belongs in every community.
WHAT WE DO
Calico Arts sits at the heart of four libraries in Lewisham: Forest Hill, Manor House, Sydenham, and Crofton Park. We believe that libraries are more than places to borrow books. They are civic spaces where culture, creativity, and community can thrive together.
We support local artists by giving them a platform in library spaces that are genuinely embedded in the neighbourhoods they serve. Through exhibitions, events, and projects, we bring original work directly to people who might not otherwise encounter it.
The arts programme is built on the foundation of what libraries already do: open doors, reduce barriers, and welcome everyone. Everything we make is free to attend and rooted in the local area.
WHERE YOU’LL FIND US
Our Libraries
DARTMOUTH ROAD, SE23
Forest Hill Library
OLD ROAD, SE13
Manor House Library
SYDENHAM ROAD, SE26
Sydenham Library
BROCKLEY RISE, SE4
Crofton Park Library
Calico Arts
CALICO ARTS IS OPERATED BY CALICO PROJECTS, A REGISTERED CIO CHARITY (NUMBER 1180229)
THE ORGANISATION
Rooted in Lewisham
Calico Arts is the arts programme of Calico Projects, a registered CIO charity (number 1180229). Calico Projects manages four of the libraries across the London Borough of Lewisham: Forest Hill, Manor House, Sydenham, and Crofton Park. Each is a genuinely open civic space, offering free lending, local events, and a permanent home for the arts programme.
As well as the libraries, Calico Arts works out of two artist studio spaces: House on the Hill and Calico Deptford. These spaces support working artists and provide a base for projects and partnerships across the borough.
Calico Arts works with artists living and working in South East London, with a particular focus on Lewisham and the surrounding boroughs. Everything we do is free to attend. We have no commercial agenda.