Portal Project is a participatory arts and wellbeing initiative co-led by artists Lizzy Drury and Amanda Camenisch, developed with and for people affected by homelessness. The project began in March 2024 as a small weekly art club at the Swiss Church in London, emerging from Breakfast on the Steps, a long-running community meal for those experiencing housing insecurity and social isolation. 

What started as small creative weekly gatherings has since evolved into a sustained collaborative art collective. Portal Project runs two weekly open-access workshops at the Swiss Church London and St Paul’s Church (Actors’ Church) in Covent Garden. Each session offers space, materials, and mentoring for participants to explore their creativity, develop new skills, and build confidence in a supportive, trauma-informed environment. The workshops provide a consistent space for sustained artistic practice, conversation and collaboration, while offering continuity for people whose circumstances may be changing.

Through this process, Portal Project co-creates public artworks, exhibitions, and events that bring our participants’ art and ideas into the public sphere. The project creates a platform through which participants can share their work, take part in cultural conversations and be acknowledged as artists, collaborators and contributors to London’s creative landscape.

As part of its long-term vision, Portal Project creates inclusive artistic programmes, partnerships, and public outcomes into 2026 and beyond. We aim to build lasting bridges between communities, institutions, and the arts, proving that creativity can be a form of care and social connection.

Our workshops at the Swiss Church London are supported by Camden Giving and the National Lottery Community Fund.