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Creative Communities showcase

RSA Spark 2024/25
Business and entrepreneurship Design Education RSA Spark
A glowing light bulb inside a dark green circle, surrounded by green and yellow puzzle pieces and blue sparkles, representing ideas and problem-solving.

How might we make creative education and careers accessible to everyone, everywhere?

A collage shows artisans handcrafting textiles, a group of women standing together and smiling, and a colorful display of fabrics laid out on the ground. Text reads: “From Hidden Talent to Digital Storefronts.”.
Three people in orange clothing stand at a counter analyzing abstract artworks on the wall; below, six smartphone screens display a news and profile app interface in shades of red, gray, and white.
A diagram shows a hillside with a solar-powered house and a series of four vertical water tanks connected by pipes, demonstrating a rainwater catchment and filtration system for off-grid use. Labels explain each stage of water purification.
Collage of a children’s sandal labeled “SHOEWICH,” an exploded diagram showing shoe parts, and step-by-step photos of assembling or fitting the sandal.
Interior view of an art studio with people painting and drawing at oval tables. The space has high ceilings with exposed beams, white walls covered in artwork, and large windows letting in natural light.
A flowchart-style infographic shows a six-step art activity at a park, including sign-in, collecting materials, drawing prompts, timed sketching, result check-in, and displaying artworks, with icons and brief explanations at each stage.
A collage featuring a booklet titled “All The Way to The Moon,” a torn moon image, a colorful illustrated map, and a dark blue resource page with web links, a plane graphic, and yellow sticky notes.

Craft E-commerce and Vocational Academy

A collage featuring artisans embroidering fabric, three women smiling in front of a shop, and a group of women in colorful clothing sitting together on a large mat, with text promoting digital storefronts for artisans.
Zoom

Sahar Atif

University of Cambridge, UK

A dual-pronged platform for empowering rural artisans in Pakistan. The e-commerce marketplace (Dukaandar – shopkeeping) will provide direct market access for their handcrafted products. The Edtech platform (Dastkaari – craftmanship) provides access to a digital craft academy, modelled on Khan Academy, that delivers free, accessible vocational training.

Developed with top design and business academics, the tutorials will enhance craft skills, improve production efficiency, and align design with contemporary urban aesthetics.

This integrated approach will not only boost income generation but also foster long-term, sustainable economic empowerment for women artisans across rural communities.

How To: An Art-Class Toolkit

An illustrated group of people in an art class creates self-portraits, while below, four mobile app wireframes display art-related features like class schedules, a map, messaging, booking, and a user profile.
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Coel Byrom

Northumbria University, UK

How To is a system which enables artists to connect with the community through workshops and events.

How To not only connects artists directly with communities but also enables them to set up and market events within the same platform.

This new gateway enables them to secure profitable employment while sharing their skills, thereby contributing to the further development of communities.

Meet Coel Byrom

Website / LinkedIn / Instagram

BioBrew

An illustrated diagram shows a system of tanks and pipes on a hillside, processing coffee wastewater from a washing station under a metal roof. Labels describe each tank’s step, from initial collection to filtration and clean water output.
Zoom

Ke Chen

Royal College of Art, UK

BioBrew is a low-cost, open-source wastewater treatment system designed for small coffee farms.

Using vermifiltration, it transforms coffee pulp and fermentation water into organic fertiliser and nutrient-rich worm wash. Co-developed with coffee-producing communities in Colombia, BioBrew is a modular, solar-powered system built from locally available materials, making it scalable and easy to maintain. Tested on farms in the Cauca Department, it empowers producers to manage waste sustainably while enhancing soil health and improving their livelihoods.

BioBrew offers a replicable model for circular farming that addresses both environmental degradation and economic inequality at the source of the agricultural industry.

BioBrew is also a winner of the Chacegrove Family Foundation Entrepreneurs Award.

Meet Ke Chen

Portfolio / Instagram

Shoewich

A graphic for a modular sandal called Shoewich shows shoes with interchangeable parts, design details, and an exploded diagram illustrating removable layers and customizable components for different styles and functions.
Zoom

Xinyi Liu

Royal College of Art, UK

This project transforms footwear into an accessible gateway for fashion design, celebrating local handicraft and cultural expression. Its modular shoe kit includes flat upper components that makers can craft and customise with traditional textiles, embroidery, or weaving.

By blending heritage craftsmanship with modern design, the kit enables collaboration between artisans and young designers. Supported by workshops and open-source guides, it empowers under-resourced communities to learn pattern making, sustainability, and creative skills.

More than a product, it’s a platform for inclusive, place-based education where fashion becomes a shared, regenerative practice rooted in culture.

Shoewich is also a winner of the Chacegrove Family Foundation Entrepreneurs Award.

PATHWAY

A modern art studio with large work tables, students painting and drawing, high ceilings with exposed beams, track lighting, and walls decorated with sketches, photos, and design boards.
Zoom

Chanelle Nirale

Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

PATHWAY is a creative resource and development space empowering young creatives with contemporary skills and industry guidance, bridging critical gaps in traditional arts education. Since 2010, A-level arts enrolment has declined by 29%, with 76% of surveyed university students stating their secondary education lacked access to digital tools or contemporary practices.

PATHWAY enables self-paced, user-led learning that builds technical confidence, promotes creative autonomy, and supports career-readiness. Adaptable across schools, studios, and local youth spaces, it offers scalable support where it’s needed most. By aligning personal development with real-world skills, PATHWAY reimagines arts education for a more inclusive, future-facing creative sector.

Meet Chanelle Niralr

LinkedIn / Instagram

Sunday Park Art

Experience map showing a 7-step process for a community art event, with people signing up, getting art prompts, drawing, submitting work, and viewing results, alongside icons, arrows, and trees on a park background.
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Jeremy Yasin

Northumbria University, UK

Learn about your local creative hub by participating in a Sunday Park Art event. These events bring locals to their neighbourhood’s creative hubs to inspire, raise awareness, and connect neighbours, all in a simple, beginner-friendly, and mindful activity that takes place every Sunday in a format accessible to many.

Every Sunday, you can spend 45 minutes sketching around the venue (with prompts) and learn new techniques from volunteer instructors. After the events, keep track of your sketches in the app, stay informed about creative events in your area, or browse for local art and art supplies.

Meet Jeremy Yasin

LinkedIn / Instagram

All The Way To The Moon

A booklet titled "All The Way to The Moon: Activities and further Resources" with a moon illustration. Inside, colorful art of a submarine and children; the back lists resources and links on a blue background with white text.
Zoom

Lily Banks, University of the Arts London and Careese Hutchinson

Nottingham Trent University, UK

All the Way To The Moon is a fictional story set in a fantasy world where the moon falls into the ocean, and a group of individuals must bring it back home to the night sky.

The book explores themes of teamwork and other transferable skills developed from the educational concept of STEAM. It also examines current environmental issues, using the moon’s falling to highlight unnatural environmental occurrences to younger children.

The book uses an accessible, dyslexia-friendly design. It features fonts such as Open Dyslexia and includes a reading kit with overlays and other helpful tools.

Meet Lily Banks

Portfolio / LinkedIn / Instagram

Meet Careese Hutchinson

Website / LinkedIn

In partnership with
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