.png)
Art for Tolworth
An Invitation to Artists & Creative Practitioners
A creative programme for the new Tolworth Hospital
The Community Brain, in partnership with South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, is inviting artists and creative practitioners to become part of a creative programme for the new Tolworth Hospital.
Rather than simply commissioning artworks for predefined spaces, we are seeking creative responses that can help shape the identity, atmosphere and everyday experience of the hospital through art, collaboration and making.
Across the building, a series of creative opportunities will respond to different places and experiences, from moments of arrival and orientation to shared social spaces, wards, circulation areas and outdoor courtyards. These opportunities will intentionally operate at different scales and in different ways. Some may result in significant permanent artworks, while others could involve artist residencies, changing collections, digital work, participation or creative interventions that develop over time.
Together, they have the potential to create a connected programme rooted in the people, places and stories of Tolworth, with opportunities for artworks, ideas and creative activity to establish relationships across different spaces within the hospital.
The first commissioning round focuses on three opportunities:
Commission: £18,000
Main Entrance and adjacent entrance
Commission: £13,500
Secondary Entrance and adjacent spaces
Core commission: £7,200
Location: Central Art Space / Programme-wide
Current opportunities
Use the arrows below to click between opportunities
1. Primary Arrival
Commission: £18,000
Main Entrance and adjacent entrance/connecting spaces
Application: Proposal submission
The Primary Arrival provides the opportunity for the principal permanent artwork within Art for Tolworth.
Located within the main public entrance to the new hospital, the commission centres on a prominent double-height space adjacent to reception and will be one of the first creative encounters for patients, visitors and staff arriving at the building.
We are looking for an artist or creative practitioner to develop an ambitious permanent artwork that establishes a strong sense of arrival and contributes meaningfully to the identity and atmosphere of the new hospital.
While the main entrance provides the focal location for the commission, we are interested in how the artwork might establish relationships beyond a single space. There is an opportunity to consider whether elements, ideas, materials or visual relationships could extend into adjacent entrance, circulation or connecting spaces.
About the project
Move between the headings for more information about the Hospital and the Programme as a whole
How to apply & Key dates
How to apply
We want the application process to provide enough information for us to understand your practice, approach and proposition without requiring significant unpaid design development before appointment.
-
Read the programme information above
-
Read your chosen brief
-
Submit your application through the relevant Google Form. Each brief sets out the full application requirements and selection process.
Questions & Access Support
Questions & Artist Q&A
We welcome questions from artists during the application period and will provide an opportunity for applicants to seek clarification about the programme, co-creation process and commissioning requirements.
Please get in touch with any questions about the opportunities or application process.
Online artist Q&A and information session:
Thursday 8 October 2026 at 2:00pm UK time
Join the online session
Access & Reasonable Adjustments
We want the application process and commissions to be accessible and welcoming to artists with different access needs.
If you require a reasonable adjustment to apply for, or participate in, an opportunity, please let us know. This might include adjustments to the application format, additional time, communication support, access requirements or support to attend meetings or conversations.
Reasonable adjustments required by the appointed artist during the lifespan of the commission can also be requested in addition to the commission budget. These will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the artist’s individual access needs and the requirements of the commission.
Please contact us to discuss any access requirements or reasonable adjustments. Requests will be treated sensitively and will not affect how your application is assessed.
Key dates
Mon 21 Sep 2026
Opportunities open
Thurs 8 Oct 2026, 2pm (UK time)
Online artist Q&A and information session
Sun 1 Nov 2026 at 11:59pm UK time
Applications and Narrator Expressions of Interest close
2 – 6 Nov 2026
The Community Brain reviews submissions and undertakes the initial assessment.
W/c 9 Nov 2026
Shortlisting and conversations with shortlisted artists.
W/c 16 Nov 2026
Steering Group review and final selection for the Primary and Secondary Arrival commissions, alongside consideration of the Narrator shortlist.
By Fri 27 Nov 2026
Primary and Secondary Arrival artists appointed and contracted.
Early Dec 2026
Primary and Secondary Arrival inductions and commissions commence.
Jan 2027
Final selection for the Narrator anticipated, following confirmation of the additional funding position
