Swiss Church Art Programme
‘NO KIDS’ by Louise Ashcroft with Sarah Elena Müller & Luzia Studer, January 2025
Mission
The Swiss Church Art Programme is a community and artist-led programme, based in the historic building of the Swiss Church in Covent Garden. Our core mission is to provide a safe environment for creative ideas to grow, foster a critical contemporary art dialogue in a sacred space and engage and inspire communities through artistic projects.
We support the work of emerging and mid-career artists, those who do not identify as artists yet, and practitioners who seek to strengthen community impact in the arts. We also provide creative opportunities for people who have less access to artistic programmes. We do this through residencies, exhibitions, academic collaborations, networking events, workshops and projects in collaboration with the church’s longstanding communities.
Experiencing and making art has the power to transform lives. Swiss Church Art Programme is an artistic platform to give a voice to the narratives of today. We are open to all faith groups and world views committed to promoting the values of inclusivity, diversity and tolerance.
Vision
Art empowers communities and we aim to become an art institution that champions underrepresented voices of local and international artists. We see strength and importance in artistic variety by presenting a culturally diverse art programme.
Team
Swiss Church Art is an artist-led team of freelancers, salaried workers, volunteers and volunteer advisers. Together, we organise, develop and reflect upon our art programme.
The Art Team consists of the following people:
Art Programme Manager
Lizzy Drury ‘s work spans drawing, installation, film and educational ecology workshops for young people. She is half of duo, Hot Desque, a collaborative practice sitting between art-making and art-organising. Hot Desque collaborates with other artists, thinkers and makers to situate art within theatrical environments that explore alternative and restorative futures though a lens of deep ecology. Her research-led, multidisciplinary practice explores the potential to re-enchant matter and animate the inanimate through perspectives that counter anthropocentric worldviews.
Office Team
Amanda Camenisch is an artist and leader of the Breakfast on the Steps programme. Amanda initially joined the Swiss Church through her Community Artist Residency in 2023, alongside collaborator Therese Westin. Working with sound, textiles, sculpture and poetry as art-making and healing practices, the duo develop collaborative projects that centre the experiences of participants through a trauma-informed approach. They have hosted many workshops across London, working with refugees, migrants and women that have experienced domestic abuse.
Yang Ooi is the volunteer Choir Director at the Swiss Church.
Therese Therilluat is an actor, writer, podcaster and Venue Manager of the Swiss Church.
Art Support Team
Sihan Ling is a Chinese artist based in the UK. His practice is rooted in the dialogues and translation between different cultures in the context of globalisation. Under such concerns, he is keen on exploring viewers’ new forms of empirical knowledges deriving from different kinds of cultural exchange. The form of his works oscillates between installations, video essay, performance and dialogical art.
Emily-Rose Simons is a musical theatre writer, composer and sound designer.
Lukas Angelini is an actor and movement artist.
Arts Trustee
Lindsey Wiercioch is a Californian artist and curator. She works primarily with public programming surrounding the pursuit and encouragement of arts education within arts institutions and communities, and has worked with various arts charity organisations in London, such as the Brent Biennial (Brent2020) and Metroland Cultures. She has also worked with other Contemporary arts organisations such as the Laguna Festival of the Arts in the US and ARTE, Berlin.
Collaborators
Annelore Schneider is an artist and lecturer on the MA Design Expanded Practice at Goldsmith’s University of London. Alongside her teaching, she is also a member of collectif_fact and supports our annual academic collaboration with Goldsmith’s.
David Mollin is an Associate Lecturer on BA (Hons) Sound Arts at London College of Communication and supports our annual academic collaboration with the MA Sound Arts course at LCC.
Ruth Gordon-Jaeggi is a retired Swiss ballet dancer and choreographer. Each year, Ruth dedicates her time to producing and choreographing our annual Fundraising Ballet Gala for the Art Programme, working with her community of dancers to organise the event.
Advisers
Mary Branson is an artist and former Co-chair of the Swiss Church Art Programme. She works with large-scale conceptual light works and installations, alongside being a printmaker, choreographer, mentor and public speaker. She has held residencies, including for Parliament, the British Council, Crisis and Watts Gallery, where she led an art group for women prisoners at HMP Send.
Julie Hoyle is an artist and former Co-chair of the Swiss Church Art Programme. Alongside being a printmaker, she is also the founder Ochre Print Studio in Guildford, one of the largest inclusive, open access print studios in the South East. Julie has also worked within the disability art sector for a number of charities and organisations including DAiSY (Disability Arts in Surrey), where she is on the Board of Directors.
Breakfast on the Steps Collaborators
Marie, Kathleen and Catherine are volunteers at the Breakfast on the Steps programme. They assist and advise on the Breakfast on the Steps Guest’s Exhibition and weekly art workshops for people affected by homelessness.
Do you have old books you'd like to get rid off? This is your opportunity! We are organising a book fair at the Swiss Church on 18th October 2025 in our...
