Art in Unexpected Places - Green Street
Open for interest: March/April 2026
Organisation: Culture Within Newham
Fee offered: £750
Contact email:loose.baker@culturewithin.org.uk
Do you run a public space, shop or venue on Green Street? You could become one of our ‘unexpected places’ and host an arts or culture pop-up event in 2026!
Imagine…
a saree shop with a free dance performance in the window
your local market with a poetry workshop at lunchtime
your local corner shop with a musical act performing by the fruit and vegetables
a stand-up comedy show inside a kebab shop.
Culture Within Newham’s aim is to bring artistic and creative pop-ups to unexpected places for the people who use these spaces to enjoy.
What are we looking for?
Green Street does not have many venues that traditionally host artistic and creative activities, and so we’re keen to use ‘unexpected places’ instead.
These ‘unexpected places’ will be everyday spaces that are open to the public, like barber shops, cafes, hospitals, office spaces, gardens or supermarkets, that don’t usually host artistic or creative activities.
We are aiming to support four ‘unexpected places’ pop-up events between September 2026 and January 2027.
Musicians taking part in SMOOSH! Festival in Plaistow
Where do you come in?
We will support four local organisations to become ‘unexpected places’ for a pop-up event. Those who are interested should be ready to work with us to shape the pop-up that you’d like to see and be part of the process from application to delivery.
If you have a venue/place/space on Green Street or know someone who does who would like to be involved, we would like to hear from you! Those interested in this opportunity must be ready to be part of this project and get involved to make it happen.
What do you get?
A free artistic, cultural or creativity activity in your space for your customers and communities to enjoy, which might attract new visitors too.
A contribution of £750 to cover meeting and admin time for the project.
Training on ‘how to run a cultural event’ including how to welcome audiences, how to create a safe and supportive environment for creativity and accessibility best practice.
Guidance and advice on how to run future events. We will work with you to find a suitable performance or activity for your venue and connect you with professional artists and creatives from our network.
What will you do?
Provide the space – you will provide the ‘unexpected place’ for the pop-up activity to happen in, so you must have full permission to run a pop-up activity. You will most likely be the owner or tenant in the space you are putting forward. You cannot nominate someone else’s space you think would be good for this project.
Promote and share the activity with your local community, which may be through social media, posters or flyers or any other methods that work for the communities you connect to.
A series of initial meetings with us to work out who the right artists and creatives will be for your space and what the pop-up activity will be.
Plan with us. You should expect to communicate with us about the event while we confirm timings, layout and practicalities. You or someone in your team will need to reply to emails or phone calls regularly to make this happen. We will coordinate this activity with you, not for you.
Access
If you would like information about this opportunity in a different language, please let us know. If you have any access requirements that we can support you with, please let us know.
Please email loose.baker@culturewithin.org.uk who will be happy to help.
How to get involved
If you’re interested in this opportunity or know someone who could be, please email loose.baker@culturewithin.org.uk. We can arrange a phone-call or Teams meeting to discuss details further. We look forward to hearing from you!
Young people engage with the Sound Hive at Beckton Library.
About Culture Within Newham
Culture Within Newham is the Creative People and Places programme in Newham, funded by Arts Council England. Culture Within Newham works to develop cultural and creative activity within Newham. Our activities are always shaped with people in Newham, often through community and resident groups who help us decide what kinds of festivals, workshops, performances and exhibitions locals would love the most. The aim of the activity programme is to engage as many people as possible in Newham with culture and creativity.