Croydon’s first Poet Laureate, Shaniqua Benjamin has worked closely with C3 to produce ‘Voices of Croydon’. The aim of the project is to reinterpret aspects of our collection to ensure they are representative and relevant to young BAME audiences in Croydon and to identify crucially gaps in our collection to ensure our future collecting policy is representative of the diverse Voices of Croydon.
This project has been supported by a Diversity Matters grant with the Museum Development Office.
Shaniqua
Hear Shaniqua Benjamin respond to the Museum of Croydon’s Collections & Thornton Heath’s Winterbourne School as part of Voices of Croydon
Find out more about Shaniqua’s journey as Croydon’s first poet laureate
Ashleigh, 17
“Working with Shaniqua has been encouraging, I had an opportunity to explore and develop my spoken word.”
Ashleigh responds to artwork from The Croydon Art Collection and more…
Ashleigh
Taylor, 16
“I found the experience very exciting and educational and enjoyed working with shaniqua and the Museum of Croydon and was grateful to be presented with the opportunity.”
Taylor writes about society and growing up in Croydon…
Ese, 23
Ese responds to the story of Sislin Fay Allen, the first black female Police Officer within the United Kingdom.
Lucy, 15
Lucy responds to the key art piece behind
Play for Progress’s “Roots & Branches”, The Tree of Life.
Use your Voice
If you’re from Croydon and would like to get involved in this project you are welcome to join our pre-recorded online workshops with Shaniqua Benjamin. Take part in 3 sessions, follow Shaniqua’s instructions and respond creatively to the Museum of Croydon’s collections currently available online. Hit the button below to get started!
Copyright of Philip Waterman