Food for Thought: Art, Cooking, and Connection

by Christian Mooney in London, Greater London, United Kingdom

Total raised £13,365

£30,000 target 22 days left
44% 66 supporters
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  Your donation will be matched

Flexible funding – this project will receive all pledges made by 5th March 2025 at 1:28pm

Climate Action Through Art, Food, and Sustainable Community Spaces.

by Christian Mooney in London, Greater London, United Kingdom

 donated match funding
Aviva Community Fund is providing live match funding

Arcade is an art gallery founded in 2007. We champion innovative artistic practices and progressive business models that prioritize people over profit. In 2021 we evolved from a traditional gallery to a Community Interest Company (CIC), to better align with our commitment to serve both the artist community and the local areas where we work. We believe that art can drive meaningful societal change and climate action. 

After months of searching, extensive community outreach, and ongoing research, we’ve finally found the perfect venue for our new gallery, kitchen, and event space. Our 10 year lease offer has been accepted, and following lengthy negotiations over the property’s permitted use, Southwark Council has now granted us approval to move forward. We are raising money to secure the lease and develop the space.

Your contribution will fund the creation of a kitchen at the heart of a new open-plan, wheelchair-accessible gallery, placing cooking and eating at center stage in exhibitions and events. By breaking down the boundaries between art and everyday life, this pioneering model fosters direct, communal engagement. At the same time, the community kitchen program will address the impacts of climate change by promoting sustainable practices, food sovereignty, reducing food waste, urban food growing and equitable access to nutritious food. Through shared food experiences, we aim to create an inclusive, welcoming environment and spark real transformation in how culture is produced and experienced. Ultimately, the program will highlight the vital connection between individual well-being, community resilience, and climate action. 

We’ve already secured a 4.5-month rent-free period and received a generous donation of kitchen appliances. Now we need to raise £30,000 to finalize the lease and complete essential gallery renovations.

Your donation will help cover:

  • Kitchen fit-out (units, worktops, security and fire safety installation, electrical and plumbing)
  • Gallery renovations (carpentry, stud work, and wall building—employing a local artist carpenter and a paid youth apprentice from Roadworks Media)

    "Partnerships with organizations like Arcade prove invaluable for groups such as Roadworks Media, as they help connect with society's most vulnerable and hard-to-reach youth."
    Quince Garcia | Director | Roadworks Media | Southwark Youth Justice Service


For every £1 you give, AVIVA will match your donation up to £250. Your support will bring this bold new community-focused gallery to life. 

Thank you.

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"Art, writing, and culture are not, and do not need to be about entertainment and commerce, about making one's way in society. They can be a mode of relating to each other that takes its cues from friendship, from engaging each other as separate and related people committed to each other in mutual support and protection."


Fred Dewey | writer, artist, civic activist, friend and mentor 


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Our story: 

How can we support innovative artistic practices where risk-taking and social engagement thrive? And how can we ensure art’s societal impact by fostering a truly inclusive and democratic audience?

At Arcade, these questions shape our vision. Re-locating to  an area of regeneration in southeast London, we're creating an  accessible hub where artists and the local community will engage in meaningful dialogue, creativity, and cultural exchange. We are refining our business model to merge a gallery and event space with a kitchen, using food as a tool for care, inclusivity, and connection. 

Southeast London is diverse and, for many communities, sharing food is of deep cultural importance. Similarly, The National Lottery’s 'Ageing Better' report explains that food provides a “link or ‘hook’ drawing people into a project and giving them a reason to connect or take part in an activity.” A kitchen therefore enables Arcade to attract people to its exhibitions, performances, workshops, talks and publications, and encourages them to participate themselves.

Our progressive business model responds to the growing need for a socially responsible arts ecosystem, offering inspiration and pathways for underserved communities to envision and establish their own creative enterprises. Arcade offers mentorship and skills development opportunities that supports young people in their efforts to find paid creative work. As Creative UK note, “75% of 18–25-year-olds want to work in creative sectors, but more than 42% say it’s too hard to break in.

Arcade is collaborating with local charities and community groups to promote services and reach local communities. Through collaboration and innovation, we hope to build a vibrant, inclusive future that we can proudly pass on to the next generation, ensuring that creativity remains a force for positive change.

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"Christian brings amazing energy, openness, and reflection to his work, with fresh ideas and an ability to turn concepts into reality. However, what impresses me most is his genuine ability to connect with people, find common ground, and use those connections to uncover new possibilities."
Imogen Slater | Director | Art of Regeneration


For over two decades, I have championed innovative, risk-taking artistic practices that push boundaries in form, subject matter, and social engagement. Born in Barking, East London, I pursued a degree in mixed media arts at the University of Westminster (1994–97). Afterward, I spent formative years traveling and working in construction and hospitality in cities like Durban, Sydney, and Utrecht. While enriching, this time away reaffirmed my desire to engage with a vibrant creative community.

Returning to London in 2000, I worked at the pioneering organic pub The Duke of Cambridge, an experience that later shaped my thinking around food politics and sustainability. In 2007, I founded Arcade, a grassroots-oriented space, supported early on through my role as Richard Woods’ project and studio manager (2007–13), following roles in commerical galleries in London. 

Recently I’ve expanded my understanding of local and global food systems, engaging with groups like the Kitchen Research Unit at Goldsmiths University, Food Cycle, The Felix Project, and Good Food Lewisham, earning a certificate of recognition from Lewisham Local for my contributions. Since late 2023, I’ve immersed myself in the local artisan food economy at Spa Terminus, Bermondsey by working part-time at Mons Cheesemongers, where I’ve encountered the inspirational legacy of Nicholas Saunders (1938–1998), a pioneer of fair trade and eco-business.

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"His enthusiasm, dedication and sociability is an asset, and I’m excited to see how his vision for future partnerships can have a positive impact on the neighbourhood and the groups we work with."
Tom Neumark | CEO | 999 Club | Homelessness Charity


For the food programme, we'll work closely with our resident chef Marco Donandon alongside our community partners.

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Marco grew up in Italy and moved to London in 2007 for love and to pursue his Master’s in Chinese studies at SOAS (2008–2009). A few years later, he began working in a restaurant kitchen and has been cooking ever since, with a pivotal stint at London’s gastro-pub, The Eagle, shaping his relationship with the hospitality industry. He also caters private dinners and events for institutions and art galleries such as South London Gallery and Hollybush Gardens, where he met Christian. Believing there is far more to food than the intensity of commercial kitchens, Marco strives to explore inclusive and sustainable approaches that benefit both people and the planet.

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To give you a sense of how our community programs will take shape: 

Our expanded art and food program will grow organically, shaped by artists’ research and interests in collaboration with our community partners. Covering a wide range of topics—from ecology and civil rights to gender equality and mental health—the program will foster connection, care, curiosity, and creativity. Complementing these activities, our supper club series for arts patrons and corporate clients will not only generate funding but also deepen awareness of the pressing social issues of our time.

We’ve already started conversations with local community organisations, such as Arts for Dementia, The Nest (mental health), Sedulous Collective CIC (social justice) and Ankosé (food security). We’ve also formed a trusted partnership with Roadworks Media CIC, focusing on youth crime prevention. Our program will adapt to address the diverse social needs highlighted by these collaborations.

In addition, we’ve forged strong partnerships with Esther Agyeman, Southwark’s Community Health Ambassador and Laura Tilbury’s Good Food Lewisham. Guided by public consultations, these collaborations ensure that our programs reflect the community’s most pressing needs.

Laura’s work tackles the challenge of providing affordable, fresh, nutritious food in Lewisham. Together, we are exploring ways to use our gallery space as a local distribution hub in partnership with the social supermarkets, furthering food security in the area.

For Esther, a key focus is raising awareness about making nutritious food both accessible and delicious. Esther and I are also developing a cultural food program inspired by her vibrant ‘Jollof Parties’ and her celebration of Ghanaian and African roots. This initiative will highlight the rich culinary traditions within our diverse local communities, fostering connection and inclusion through shared meals, while promoting nutrition and healthy eating.

Esther’s vibrant Jollof Parties go beyond delicious food—they are a platform to teach people “how to eat.” By introducing an approach to eating that helps reduce blood glucose spikes, Esther highlights how this mindful way of consuming food aids digestion, improves nutrient absorption, and supports overall health and well-being.


"I had the pleasure of meeting Christian through our community work. I’ve been truly inspired by his creative vision for transformative, progressive change in the fields of arts, culture, and broader societal issues."
Allan Hogarth | Volunteer | Good Food Lewisham

"No single organisation, whether public, private or third sector, holds the powers, remit, or insight to change the local food system alone. By forming an inclusive, cross-sector food partnership, public agencies, community organisations, businesses, and academics can collaborate to create lasting change by agreeing on priorities and action for the local area.
Sustainable Food Places

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image: 

Aaron Hughes
'Autonomous Democracy: a space where we stand for love, fight for freedom, & build community Slogan shared by Sarah-Ji Rhee from Love and Struggle Photos'
2021

https://thisisarcade.art/ 

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Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation.

£10 or more

Launch party invite & acknowledgement

Whether you can support us with a tenner or much, much more, everyone will be invited to our launch party and acknowledged on our new website.

£50 or more

Supper Club Ticket for 1

Join us for a supper club in the gallery - dinner for 25 cooked by chef Marco Donadon

£100 or more

Supper Club Ticket for 2

Join us for a supper club in the gallery - dinner for 25 cooked by chef Marco Donadon

£150 or more

4 of 50 claimed

Limited edition Anna Barham artwork

Riso print on paper 297 x 420 mm Edition of 50 + 5 AP (numbered, signed and dated on reverse)

£250 or more

Supper Club Ticket for 2 & name on donors wall

Join us for a supper club in the gallery with drinks - dinner for 25 cooked by chef Marco Donadon - and your name on our kitchen donors wall


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