April - July 2026

The Scene Collective was formed by Molly Burrows (Artist-in-

Residence at Harris Boys' Academy East Dulwich) and Catherine

Morton-Abuah (Artist-in-Residence at Harris Girls' Academy East

Dulwich).

Before The Scene Collective was formed, Molly and Catherine each

led a Tuesday art club at their respective schools. The Scene

Collective was conceived to bring these clubs together, allowing

students from both schools to meet in the form of an art collective /

youth club.

Prior to The Scene Collective, students told us that although they

enjoyed their art lessons and workshops, they wanted more

opportunities to work across different creative disciplines. They

wanted visual art to weave into music, drama and performance,

something that is much harder to achieve within the school

curriculum. Molly and Catherine saw an opportunity to work

together, using their backgrounds in visual arts and facilitation to

introduce students to a wide range of creative practitioners.

The project not only responded to the students' desire for broader

creative opportunities, but to the nationwide closure of youth clubs

over the past two decades, and the chance to build a creative

connection between two neighbouring schools that rarely came

together.

The Scene Collective gained its name from a student who

explained that they did not need to be the star of the show or the

lead artist. Instead, they were interested in working behind the

‘scenes’, learning how creative events are planned and creating

work that is quietly appreciated, such as record covers, posters and

T-shirt designs. At the same time, ‘scene’ is a play on words. The

project aims to ensure that our students are seen, their

creativity is celebrated, and that the future of the art world is diverse

and representative of both the schools’ and Southwark's community.

This project was generously funded by Southwark Council's Culture

Together Grant

Images from our Final Sharing Celebration at Bold Tendencies, with live performance from South London Samba