NSEAD London & SE Art & Design Teachers Network with CVAN
Announcing the next NSEAD London & SE Art & Design Teachers Network event with CVAN London and Brent Emerging Curators.
Date:
Saturday 5 December 2026
Times:
10:30am - 3:30pm
Venue:
Willesden Gallery, The Library, Willesden Green Library
To reserve you place contact Ged Gast - gedgast@nsead.org
Theme:
Activating public library spaces as a locus for engagement with contemporary art.
Programme:
10: 15: Arrive, register and drinks.
10.30: Welcome and Introductions - Andy & Ged
Associate Professor Andy Ash, President of NSEAD Adviser NSEAD, Education Consultant Ged Gast, Trade Union.
10.50: An introduction to CVAN London from Director Dr Jo Townshend.
11.00: Meet the artist Kay Rufai, project founder of SMILEing Boys and SMILEing Girls. An artist-led tour of the exhibition, sharing the stories and mission behind the exhibition, and exploring meaningful ways for teachers and curators in attendance to engage with the work.
12.30: Lunch.
1.30: Meet Brent Emerging Curators, the trainees who have taken over Willesden Gallery as part of an innovative initiative led by CVAN London and Brent Council. This year’s cohort is exploring Curating Practice: With the gallery space in close proximity to the children’s library, the programme pays attention to children as artists, makers, curators, co-creators and audiences in its use of language, imagery, themes, creative learning and participation. Hear about the programme, share pedagogies and practice, explore ways to collaborate and engage with their 2027 Government Art Collection exhibition - HOME. This will be the first time the selected works from the collection will be publicly accessible in Brent.
3.15: Reflections, and next steps.
3.30: Thanks and close.
The exhibition shares its SMILEing message across Brent on digital screens along the iconic Olympic Way, at the base of Wembley Stadium.
S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys and S.M.I.L.E-ing Girls:
The S M I L E-ing Boys and S M I L E-ing Girls is a joyful celebration led by artist Kay Rufai. The transformative Send Me Inspiring Loving Energy (S.M.I. L. E.) projects took place in 10-week programmes with students at Queen’s Park Community School in Brent. In these creative arts happiness programmes, Kay and artist Theresa Macharia uses photography, poetry and film to support the mental health and wellbeing of Black young people, while challenging the negative stereotypes that surround them in the media and in wider society.
Bringing these young peoples’ portraits and stories into The Gallery at Willesden Green Library makes space for them to be seen and celebrated by their families and by the wider community. The exhibition is curated by Brent Emerging Curators and continues across the borough. A large-scale digital exhibition is open at Wembley Park celebrating joy and positive representation to a large public audience.
About the Artist:
Kay Rufai is a photographer, poet, filmmaker, author and mental health researcher. He is the founder of the internationally acclaimed S.M.I.L.E- ing Boys Project and now includes a S.M.I.L.E-ing Girls Project to reflect the distinct and intersectional experiences of Black girls.
In 2021, Rufai became the UK’s first Artist in Residence with a police force. Over the past 10 years, his work has reached communities across the UK, USA, Brazil, Ethiopia, Bhutan, Scandinavia, Nigeria and Colombia. His award-winning, research-led programmes and exhibitions have received national and international recognition, with his work featured by The Guardian, Channel 5 News and the BBC
The S.M.I.L.E-ing Boys and S.M.I.L.E-ing Girls project has engaged more than 5,000 Black children and young people across 12 London boroughs. The project is creating spaces in which they can be seen, heard, celebrated and empowered to tell their own stories.
To reserve you place contact Ged Gast - gedgast@nsead.org
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