Strike a light Information
What is Strike a Light?
Strike a Light is a not for profit community arts organisation led by Creative Director Nicola Benge, a committed, experienced community artist and reminiscence facilitator. We use people’s life stories and memories and make art to transform public and private spaces, relying on the use of natural and recycled materials, thus reclaiming as many supplies from landfill sites as possible.
Strike a Light aims to strike a balance between art and community in an environmentally conscious way that teaches and inspires, whilst helping to revitalise public spaces. We believe in the idea of life skills and education through creativity, generating greater social inclusion by working with marginalised and vulnerable groups, alongside all sections of the community on specific sculpture, murals and celebratory arts. 
Strike a Light believes in the idea of life skills and education through creativity. This is the belief that all people can gain recreational enjoyment and social benefit from taking part in creative and artistic activities. We aim to generate greater social inclusion by working with marginalised and vulnerable groups alongside all sections of the community.
Projects
Our projects are predominantly about the importance of local community and the environment or local history, with the aim of manifesting a community of pride in public ownership and environmental responsibility, whilst managing projects which improve cultural heritage and engender social development, using salvaged and recycled materials wherever possible.
As well as being a freelance artist, Nicola Benge also works as an Arts Development manager for an arts charity, and previously as a reminiscence and oral history project coordinator for a national charity and uses these skills to inform her work as an artist, allowing reflections and memories of a local area to participate in the final artwork.
Strike a Light has public liability insurance up to 5 million pounds and all members have fully enhanced CRB checks.
Art
Nicola has worked as an artist in a variety of fields for many years. Primarily in mosaic, but latterly in carnival costume and textiles (See Community Art section). These projects have been with numerous clients such as the Arts Council, Creative Partnerships , V&A Museum, Chichester Festivities, Bow Arts Trust, Cultural Cooperation, and Adur Council amongst many others.
She jointly set up an arts group in 2005, being funded by institutions such as: Brighton and Hove Council, UNLTD, Scarman Trust, and Groundswell for community art and well being projects with schools and the local community. Nicola Benge also freelances as an artist and reminiscence facilitator in mosaic, murals and textiles in London and the South East.
Through Strike a Light, Nicola has many years experience as a community artist working with children and community groups, such as with Croydon Council on children’s summer schemes in 2005 and 2006. She holds an NVQ level 4 teaching qualification which enables her to teach in the community and in Further Education, as well as certification from Cultural Cooperation for working with multi ethnic groups and children in the arts sphere to encourage further integration. She also has arts qualifications in community art, mosaic and other creative arts.
Reminiscence
Nicola has also worked in the field of heritage through her work as a Heritage Coordinator with nationwide charity WRVS and as a freelance reminiscence facilitator for numerous clients such as Age Exchange and Brent Council, with the over 55s and young people to promote heritage and social history exhibitions though oral history recordings, intergenerational activities and reminiscence workshops, resulting in ‘memory quilts’, plays, interactive tea services and a heritage website to record memories of the way we used to live. See www.heritageplus.org.uk for more information about this.
She has worked as a contemporary collections curator with the V&A museum, putting together exhibitions of artefacts sourced for the Museum of Childhood. The exhibition ran from 2006 -2008. She is currently working on a partnership oral history project with Brighton Museum and WRVS www.heritageplus.org.uk as well as with English Heritage in their Community Outreach department:
Strike a Light
Please see the Contacts page for ways to get in touch with Strike a Light.
A CV of community projects and private commissions is available through the Curriculum Vitae section of this website.
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