Danielle Marshall, a former pupil at the BRIT School, has been appointed as director of Croydon’s Arts Council-funded Creative People and Places programme.
‘Ideal person’: Danielle Marshall has two-and-a-half years to deliver a three-year arts programme
Formed in April this year, Croydon’s CPP is led by a “consortium” that includes Stanley Arts, the Asian Resource Centre of Croydon, the Croydon BME Forum and Croydon Council – so many of the very same groups responsible for delivering Croydon’s lacklustre Borough of Culture year in 2023.
That was the year-long programme, delivered three months late, which rejected an application from Croydon FM as “too ghetto”, but provided cash to a business group to create a herd of plastic giraffes.
According to Arts Council England, CPP puts “cultural decision-making in the hands of some of Croydon’s historically under-represented communities”.
The programme is receiving £750,000 of Arts Council cash over three years, starting from April 2026. “The consortium hope [sic] to raise a further £180,000 during the three years,” according to the consortium.
For six years, Marshall worked as a producer for Circulate London, another Arts Council-funded project. She was also producer of the cultural programme for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and has worked at The Albany and at Battersea Arts Centre, where “she managed co-creation and creative development programmes with young people, communities and artists”.
Marshall was cultural producer for Welcome to Wandsworth, during that south London borough’s year as London’s Borough of Culture in 2025.
“Growing up locally, I know how much creativity exists here, and how much can go unrecognised,” Marshall said.
“I’m excited to work with Croydon’s communities to build an ambitious cultural programme that reflects the borough’s energy, talent and imagination. Communities historically under-represented in cultural decision-making will lead decisions about the programme, with opportunities for everyone to take part.
“I want us to create ambitious, relevant work that makes space for unexpected ideas, with local people holding real influence.”
Marshall is described as “the ideal person” for the role by Louisa Bartlett-Pestell, the CEO of Stanley Arts and the chair of Croydon CPP.
“CPPs are empowering local people to pursue the art they want, where they live,” according to Arts Council England.
Although formed more than six months ago, Croydon’s CPP is as yet without a name.
“This will be decided on by the communities involved. We expect this to be decided in spring 2027.” Or one-third of the way through what is supposed to be a three-year programme. No rush then…
Read more: How businesses profited at expense of the Borough of Culture
Read more: Brassed off: Borough of Culture’s ‘contempt’ for arts groups
Read more: £1.5m being spent on our Borough of not-very-much Culture
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