Explore Birch Arts CIC: Community Arts, Creative Practice and Wellbeing
Birch Arts CIC is a community-focused arts organisation bringing together gallery space, artist residencies, creative programming and arts-based wellbeing work in Enfield and Haringey, North London.
We support artists, engage the public in creative practice, and create opportunities for people to explore ideas, develop skills and build meaningful connections through art, research and community-based activity.
Our name comes from the birch tree, a symbol of resilience and new beginnings, often one of the first trees to grow back after land has been cleared. For us, BIRCH stands for Bringing together Ideas, Research, Creativity and Health.
Birch Arts brings together experience across visual arts, community engagement and social enterprise, with a strong focus on inclusion, access and sustainability, and a commitment to building something rooted in local community need.
Our mission, vision and approach
Our Mission at Birch Arts CIC
Birch Arts CIC exists to support creativity, artistic practice, health and wellbeing within the community. We bring people together through art, research and community-based activity, creating opportunities to explore ideas, develop skills and build connections.
Vision for Birch Arts
To create open and welcoming spaces where creativity, ideas, research and wellbeing come together, supporting people and communities to connect, grow and take part in meaningful ways.
What we do
We are developing a small, flexible gallery and residency space, alongside a programme of exhibitions, workshops, talks and community events. This includes artist residencies, public programming and participatory creative health research.
Our background
Our team at Birch Arts builds on over 30 years of experience in visual arts, community engagement, facilitation and participatory research, alongside experience of running a successful Haringey-based social enterprise and working across education, health and community sectors.
Our Team
Emily Wood Ahmed
Founder and Co-Director
Emily is a visual artist, researcher, community engagement facilitator with over 20 years of experience working across the arts, participatory health research and community work. She has extensive experience working with communities, the voluntary sector, Public Health, the NHS, local authorities and universities. A fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs and a facilitator and trainer of Action Learning. Emily brings boundless creativity, energy and passion to everything she does, and an unshakeable belief in the power of art to transform lives and bring people together.
Katy Dan-Gur
Co-director
Katy brings a wealth of experience and an exceptional talent for organisation, administration, coordination and collaboration. With a background spanning education and finance, she has spent years building strong relationships with schools, families and organisations across North London. Katy has a remarkable ability to bring people and ideas together, attention to detail and commitment to getting things done are at the heart of how Birch Arts operates.