Art schools produce 40,000 graduates each year. The art world's structure simply cannot support this many new artists, making it harder than ever for talented graduates to establish themselves professionally.
Crème Fraiche tackles this issue by supporting select outstanding graduates from London art schools. Taking inspiration from tech sector incubators, our year-long programme provides exceptional artists with the exposure, mentoring, and community they need to build successful practices. In today's competitive landscape, talent alone isn't enough, and we are committed to giving outstanding artists the practical support they need to succeed.
We work with a fantastic network of arts patrons and enthusiasts, and are always looking to expand our community. We actively seek partnerships and collaborations across all sectors. It is important to us that art is for everyone, and the ability to buy artwork is not a prerequisite to joining our dynamic and ambitious community.
EXposure
The Crème Fraîche programme comprises both group shows and salons - solo shows offered to all artists, and an opportunity for us to introduce them to the Crème Fraîche community and the wider art world.
Each exhibition features a printed catalogue and is accompanied by a series of private viewings, dinners, and special events where artists, art lovers and industry professionals can connect.
We also create opportunities beyond our main program. Our artists' work reaches new audiences through commissions and partnerships - from a major installation at Villa Chamoun in Lebanon to collaborations with Palefire and Studio Ashby. We've also arranged art loans to The Africa Centre and several corporate spaces.
mentoring
Being an emerging artist can be difficult and discombobulating, and art schools are set-up to teach en-masse rather than deliver individually tailored advice.
From our Studio in W2 we run a programme of masterclasses with guest speakers, covering both creative and commercial topics - everything from accountancy, social media, and branding, to practice development and curation.
The highlight of our mentoring programme is the annual retreat in the Ardèche, which offers studio time and workshops that encourage artists to take a longer view of their practices.
In addition, the small cohort size (nine artists in 2024-25) allows us to develop a deep understanding of each artist and their requirements, and offer targeted individual help and advice.
We regularly invite members of the Crème Fraîche community to studio visits, and in 2025 will start a crit programme, to provide artists with constructive feedback on their progress.
community
A career as an artist is a lifelong commitment, and we aim for Crème Fraîche to equip our artists with a network of patrons who will provide ongoing support, advice and introductions.
Our programme's excitingly sociable nature allows artists to build meaningful relationships with members of the Crème Fraîche community. It also provides plenty of opportunities for patrons and collaborators to get to know one another.
While we sell works by Crème Fraîche artists to support both the programme and our artists' careers, we believe arts patronage takes many forms, and the ability or willingness to purchase art is not required for participation.
The development of Crème Fraîche, from a group show to a full incubator programme, has only been possible thanks to the proactive involvement of our network of patrons.