Londoners celebrate reveal of their artistic creations on smart x Create ‘art car’  

On Friday 21 November, three groups of participants across London, who took part in a national creative programme run by the charity Create, celebrated the artwork they created for a car by global automotive brand smart. 

Adult carers in the City of London, young carers in Enfield, and mainstream and special needs primary school children in Lewisham came together in these three locations, joined by local council representatives, to see their own art displayed on an electric car made by the manufacturer. The artwork was created in workshops run by Create, a national charity empowering lives through the creative arts. 

Earlier this year, the participants took part in a first-of-its kind project, creating artwork to be displayed on smart’s cars. A series of workshops, led by Create’s visual artists on the theme Open Your Mind, encouraged participants to express themselves freely while building skills, connections, and confidence.  Each individual piece was carefully curated into a vibrant, large-scale collage, which was transformed into a bespoke vehicle wrap that now adorns award-winning smart #1 and #3 electric vehicles. The resulting ‘art cars’ are a bold celebration of collective creativity and the positive impact of the arts. 

On 21 November, each group of participants saw for the first time one of the cars that their artwork helped to decorate, during a big reveal, while celebrating their achievements. In Lewisham, Councillor Jacq Paschoud attended in her role as Civic Mayor and Speaker of the Council, together with Deputy Young mayor Jimaine Lee and Morgan Seward, the Chair of the Champions of Inclusion group. 

Nicky Goulder MBE, Founding Chief Executive of Create, said: “This celebration is a wonderful showcase of the power of creativity. The artistic output of people taking part in Create’s creative workshops is the engine of the whole project, and the passion that fuelled their creations is evident in the brilliant artwork covering smart’s ‘art cars’.”

The unveiling of the car to the participants for the first time is a celebration both of their individual talents and how creativity can bring people together. 

NICKY GOULDER, CREATE CEO

Jason Allbutt, CEO, smart UK, said: “Create’s incredible charity work aligns perfectly with smart’s ‘Open Your Mind’ ethos, aiming to help people to live their lives to the fullest through the power of positivity, creativity and inclusion. We have been delighted with the reception which the #1 and #3 art cars have received to date, and can’t wait for the participants themselves to see the results in person.” 

A 10-year-old participant from Forster Park Primary School in Lewisham spoke about their experience on the project: 

Working with people and creating things felt good. Creativity is important because you can learn new skills. You might make new friends and learnt about what people do. 

creative:connection participant

An 85-year-old participant from Imago Community, a Carers Support Service in the City of London, said: “I enjoyed the experience of screen printing and the happy moment of it, the success. This project has been very inspiring. I can’t imagine life without creativity. Creativity, music, having friends – it forms a package for your reason to be alive.”