New artwork exhibition launched at London Marylebone station
A new artwork exhibition has been delivered at London Marylebone Station as part of a partnership with Chiltern Railways, Baker Street Quarter and The Marylebone Project.
The ‘Marylebone on Display’ exhibition has been created through art therapy sessions attended by women facing homelessness at The Marylebone Project - the UK’s largest and oldest women’s homelessness service. The sessions help to build confidence and support mental wellbeing. Many of the participants were new to painting and engaged with the project as an alternative way of expressing their feelings and emotions. While art made in therapy is usually private, the artists chose to share these pieces publicly, offering a rare platform for voices often excluded from public art.
The artwork can be viewed on Platforms 1 and 3 of London Marylebone Station between 21 November 2024 and 15 January 2025. In addition, it will be followed by a new exhibition putting a spotlight on some of the faces behind the celebrated shopfronts and business that make Marylebone one of London’s most cherished neighbourhoods.
The scheme was supported by Chiltern Railways’ Community Investment Fund and is the first of three exhibitions over the course of 2024 and 2025 which celebrate the work of local charities and small businesses that operate in the Marylebone area.
Zach Bailey, Regional Growth Manager at Chiltern Railways, said:
“We are delighted to be supporting The Marylebone Project to deliver art therapy sessions to local women with our Community Investment Fund. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the participants to display their artwork to tens of thousands of customers who travel through the station each day.
“Marylebone Station is a landmark of the local community, and we fully support the efforts of the Baker Street Quarter to make the area a vibrant place to work, live and study.”
Penny Alexander, Chief Executive at Baker Street Quarter, said:
“We are thrilled to bring 'Marylebone on Display' to life, showcasing the creativity and resilience of the women from The Marylebone Project.
“We hope this first display in the series will inspire people to further contribute to the amazing work of the Marylebone Project, supporting women who are experiencing homelessness.”
Miriam Kennedy, Centre Manager at Marylebone Project, said:
“Creativity has a healing impact for women accessing our service. At The Marylebone Project we aim to offer holistic support which can captivate women's minds and souls as they move forward out of crisis.
“Art therapy sessions with Carol, our Art Therapist, have been a safe space for women to express their experiences and find solace in the pain. It is very moving to see their work displayed to this scale in our nearby train station."
Carol Bolland, Art Therapist, said:
“Undergoing art therapy can help individuals dealing with homelessness find connections between their choices during the creative process and their lives, allowing them to pinpoint specific issues they are facing, which can eventually lead to resolution. The creative and therapeutic activity of art therapy is not only effective but empowering for both the artist and the audience and I am delighted that this exhibition will be on display at London Marylebone for the next few months.”
More information on the Chiltern Railways Community Investment Fund can be viewed here.
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Notes to editors
- Chiltern Railways is part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing around 38,000 people and delivering around 1.5 billion passenger journeys across 10 European countries.
- Chiltern operates commuter/regional rail passenger services from its Central London terminus at London Marylebone along the M40 corridor to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, as well as long-distance services to the West Midlands along two routes. Services on the Chiltern Main Line run from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, with some peak-hour services to Stourbridge Junction.
- Chiltern also runs trains on the London to Aylesbury Line to Aylesbury (with some trains terminating at Aylesbury Vale Parkway instead), on the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury and Oxford to Bicester branch lines.