Centre for Creative Explorations
The Centre for Creative Explorations (CCE) is a vibrant creative research centre based at Harris Girls’ Academy East Dulwich, a secondary school in Southeast London. Its mission is to empower young people through critical and creative activism, working in collaboration with artists, academics, and educators to develop innovative research projects that explore contemporary issues relevant to students’ lives. These projects are activated through the matter and materiality of making, encouraging dialogue, expression, and reflective inquiry.
Operating within the constraints of traditional educational structures, the CCE actively seeks to create space for alternative pedagogical practices through applying a decolonial lens to learning. Grounded in principles of equity, inclusion, and diversity, the CCE stands as a vital hub for socially engaged, creative education. The Project Lead, Clare Stanhope, completed her PhD in Arts Practice and Learning at Goldsmiths University in 2023, and lives in Lewisham.
CCE has evolved significantly over the past few years, gradually extending its reach beyond the school and into the wider community. The CCA residency marks a pivotal opportunity to build on this momentum by developing a more focused, outward-facing project that meaningfully connects the school with its local surroundings. In collaboration with our current artist in residence, Catherine Morton-Abuah, they will expand and open up our arts and social space IRL Club, as part of the ongoing research project, I see myself in you, within a community context. This will offer students valuable opportunities to think and act beyond the classroom walls.
As part of the residency, they will host workshops and creative think pieces led by young people, infusing our research with fresh energy and urgency. These public-facing activities will engage new audiences and foster deeper collaboration with Goldsmiths’ education programmes. Ultimately, this residency creates space for a richer, reciprocal dialogue between young people, educators, and local networks, opening up new ways to reimagine and reinterpret existing educational structures.
The Centre for Creative Explorations (CCE) is a vibrant creative research centre based at Harris Girls’ Academy East Dulwich, a secondary school in Southeast London. Its mission is to empower young people through critical and creative activism, working in collaboration with artists, academics, and educators to develop innovative research projects that explore contemporary issues relevant to students’ lives. These projects are activated through the matter and materiality of making, encouraging dialogue, expression, and reflective inquiry.
Operating within the constraints of traditional educational structures, the CCE actively seeks to create space for alternative pedagogical practices through applying a decolonial lens to learning. Grounded in principles of equity, inclusion, and diversity, the CCE stands as a vital hub for socially engaged, creative education. The Project Lead, Clare Stanhope, completed her PhD in Arts Practice and Learning at Goldsmiths University in 2023, and lives in Lewisham.
CCE has evolved significantly over the past few years, gradually extending its reach beyond the school and into the wider community. The CCA residency marks a pivotal opportunity to build on this momentum by developing a more focused, outward-facing project that meaningfully connects the school with its local surroundings. In collaboration with our current artist in residence, Catherine Morton-Abuah, they will expand and open up our arts and social space IRL Club, as part of the ongoing research project, I see myself in you, within a community context. This will offer students valuable opportunities to think and act beyond the classroom walls.
As part of the residency, they will host workshops and creative think pieces led by young people, infusing our research with fresh energy and urgency. These public-facing activities will engage new audiences and foster deeper collaboration with Goldsmiths’ education programmes. Ultimately, this residency creates space for a richer, reciprocal dialogue between young people, educators, and local networks, opening up new ways to reimagine and reinterpret existing educational structures.
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