Starting in 1988 with unpaid volunteers in two empty shop units and a yard on Railton Road, 198 Contemporary Arts is now an Accredited Living Wage Employer with a three-story building with 8 staff regular freelance trainers and educators.
Art and culture
Director Lucy Davies says: “Our galleries showcase art created by and curated by people of colour and our audience are the people that the art speaks to, including other marginalised communities such as LGBTQ+ people. We provide education through Lambeth Adult Learning for some of the people furthest away from traditional education, including SEND students, and we run employability courses looking for jobs in creativity and the arts. It’s a place where everyone can mix.
Teambuilding
“Living Wage accreditation is like a stamp that shows we value our workers, we believe in retaining talent, in professional development, that we want to build up a strong, loyal team.
“The difference it makes is that if you treat people well, they appreciate that you take your responsibilities as an employer seriously. They know we’re a charity, they know resources are scarce.
40 years’ of art at 198
“Getting accredited was a simple process – I’d been meaning to do it and found a window of time. I’d say to other Lambeth employers that if you can do it, you should. We have a responsibility to each other. I know it can look difficult to afford London Living Wage, but it can help build your workforce, saving money on areas like recruitment – which really is expensive – in the longer term.”
More information
For more about 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning see their web pages.
For more about London Living Wage
- Register online for an information pack from the Living Wage Foundation
- For more on support from Lambeth Council on accreditation, email opportunitylambeth@lambeth.gov.uk with Living Wage accreditation in the subject line.
