About
Scarlett Crawford (she/her, b.1982, UK)
Scarlett Crawford is a socially engaged artist, educator, and cultural strategist whose work explores the intersections of identity, access, and power through co-creation and critical dialogue. Her lens-based and mixed media practice centres voices from working-class and racially marginalised communities, challenging dominant narratives and creating platforms for agency, visibility, and political expression.
She was commissioned by the UK Houses of Parliament to lead First Waves, a national arts project marking the 50th anniversary of the Race Relations Act. Co-created with communities across seven UK cities, the work explored belonging and representation through portraiture and sound, exhibited at Westminster and in local venues including The Bluecoat, Glasgow Women’s Library, and Nottingham Contemporary.
A qualified teacher and advocate for arts education, Scarlett has delivered participatory projects with young people in PRUs, youth offending teams, and those living on the neurodiverse spectrum. She currently works at the National Portrait Gallery as Outreach Project Manager, leading Faces and Places, a schools programme reaching over 10,000 students across London. She also led Making of Me, in collaboration with the Raheem Sterling Foundation, and developed learning content for The Time is Always Now, curated by Ekow Eshun.
Rooted in Lambeth and based in Southwark, Scarlett’s work is driven by a belief in creative autonomy, critical engagement, and the power of culture to contest inequality.
Scarlett Crawford is a socially engaged artist, educator, and cultural strategist whose work explores the intersections of identity, access, and power through co-creation and critical dialogue. Her lens-based and mixed media practice centres voices from working-class and racially marginalised communities, challenging dominant narratives and creating platforms for agency, visibility, and political expression.
She was commissioned by the UK Houses of Parliament to lead First Waves, a national arts project marking the 50th anniversary of the Race Relations Act. Co-created with communities across seven UK cities, the work explored belonging and representation through portraiture and sound, exhibited at Westminster and in local venues including The Bluecoat, Glasgow Women’s Library, and Nottingham Contemporary.
A qualified teacher and advocate for arts education, Scarlett has delivered participatory projects with young people in PRUs, youth offending teams, and those living on the neurodiverse spectrum. She currently works at the National Portrait Gallery as Outreach Project Manager, leading Faces and Places, a schools programme reaching over 10,000 students across London. She also led Making of Me, in collaboration with the Raheem Sterling Foundation, and developed learning content for The Time is Always Now, curated by Ekow Eshun.
Rooted in Lambeth and based in Southwark, Scarlett’s work is driven by a belief in creative autonomy, critical engagement, and the power of culture to contest inequality.
Education
2017 SOAS, Masters Global Cultural & Creative Industries
2008 Goldsmiths, Postgraduate Certificate in Education
2005 University of the Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Photography
Residencies
2019/20 Artist in Residence at the London Print Studios
2019 Artist in Residence at East Street Market
2017/19 Artist in Residence at the UK Houses of Parliament: Exploring the impact of the introduction of the UK Race Relations Acts 1968
Awards
2022 Developing your creative practice - Art council England
2020 Covid relief fund - Arts Council
2019 Developing your creative Practice - Arts Council
2019 a-n Bursary
Exhibitions
2024 LIMBO gallery, Margate
2022 Groaming Gallery, Amsterdam
2019 NOW Gallery Greenwich Peninsula, London
2019 Westminster Palace, London
2018 The Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool
2018 Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham
2018 Peabody Hub, Thamesmead
2018 Swansea Museum, Swansea
2018 St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff
2018 Glasgow Women’s Library, Glasgow
2014 Studio/14, Photofusion Gallery, London
2014 State of Origin, Unit24 Gallery London
2014 ING Discerning Eye, The Mall Galleries, London
2014 Doh Mix Meh Up: Diaspora and Identity in Art, Oxford University, Oxford
2008 Gimme Some Credit (Solo exhibition), Photofusion Gallery London.
2005 Future Maps 05, Davies Street Gallery London
Volunteering
Currently Participation committee member at Brook charity for sexual health
2025 United Black Artist Educators
2018 Autography at the Tate Exchange
2017 Project 507, Bletchley Prison, Gangs and Identity Formation trainer
2015 Terrence Higgins Trust,
2013 Crisis Christmas, Reiki Therapist.
2005 Kids Company, Mentor
2004 Tate Britain, Education Intern.
2017 SOAS, Masters Global Cultural & Creative Industries
2008 Goldsmiths, Postgraduate Certificate in Education
2005 University of the Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Photography
Residencies
2019/20 Artist in Residence at the London Print Studios
2019 Artist in Residence at East Street Market
2017/19 Artist in Residence at the UK Houses of Parliament: Exploring the impact of the introduction of the UK Race Relations Acts 1968
Awards
2022 Developing your creative practice - Art council England
2020 Covid relief fund - Arts Council
2019 Developing your creative Practice - Arts Council
2019 a-n Bursary
Exhibitions
2024 LIMBO gallery, Margate
2022 Groaming Gallery, Amsterdam
2019 NOW Gallery Greenwich Peninsula, London
2019 Westminster Palace, London
2018 The Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool
2018 Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham
2018 Peabody Hub, Thamesmead
2018 Swansea Museum, Swansea
2018 St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff
2018 Glasgow Women’s Library, Glasgow
2014 Studio/14, Photofusion Gallery, London
2014 State of Origin, Unit24 Gallery London
2014 ING Discerning Eye, The Mall Galleries, London
2014 Doh Mix Meh Up: Diaspora and Identity in Art, Oxford University, Oxford
2008 Gimme Some Credit (Solo exhibition), Photofusion Gallery London.
2005 Future Maps 05, Davies Street Gallery London
Volunteering
Currently Participation committee member at Brook charity for sexual health
2025 United Black Artist Educators
2018 Autography at the Tate Exchange
2017 Project 507, Bletchley Prison, Gangs and Identity Formation trainer
2015 Terrence Higgins Trust,
2013 Crisis Christmas, Reiki Therapist.
2005 Kids Company, Mentor
2004 Tate Britain, Education Intern.
