©Steven Knowles Supporting Steven Knowles’ creative ambitions through the Northfleet Place Partnership Creative Development Grant.
The Northfleet Place Partnership (NPP) brings together Creative Estuary, Gravesham Borough Council, and Ebbsfleet Development Corporation to strengthen Northfleet’s creative and cultural infrastructure. Through investment in people, spaces, and local communities, and through a range of activities, the partnership aims to build a vibrant creative landscape that offers high-quality opportunities for residents.
The Northfleet Place Partnership Programme was created to acknowledge, invest in, and build upon Northfleet’s creative community of individuals, businesses, and community groups, supporting creatives at all stages of their professional development to develop their ambitions.
Steven Knowles is a recipient of the Northfleet Place Partnership Development Grant, which provided micro-grants to help local people kick-start creative ideas and develop skills in the creative industries.
Steven Knowles is a Northfleet-based multidisciplinary artist working across painting, photography, sculpture, digital media and community arts. His practice explores the idea of “mapping” local environments, building layered profiles of people and places that come together as site-responsive artworks. Alongside his studio practice, Steven works in social housing managing complex casework, an experience that informs his grounded and socially aware creative approach.
Steven approached the Northfleet Place Partnership at a pivotal moment in his career, wanting to move away from working in isolation and explore how his practice could contribute to the wider Northfleet and Estuary ecosystem. The programme supported him to professionalise his practice, expand his community engagement, and think more strategically about scale and impact.
Through the programme, Steven delivered a series of “Steampunk”-themed creative workshops with Blueprint Arts and Kent County Council Libraries. Held across community events and culminating in the reopening of Hive House Library in Northfleet, the sessions invited children and families to take part in mask-making, collage and storytelling. Participants collaboratively created a large-scale artwork, The Steampunk Steamboat, later exhibited on Gravesend Pier as a celebration of community creativity.
©Steven Knowles 
Beyond delivering the workshops, Steven benefited from lectures from the University of Kent and Kent Business School, alongside tailored support from Creative Estuary. This professional development helped him refine his marketing approach, strengthen his research methods, and better articulate the social value of his work in funding bids and proposals.
As a result, Steven secured a six-week solo exhibition at the Sir Peter Blake Gallery in Dartford, a significant milestone reflecting increased confidence, ambition, and professional progression.
Steven was also invited to join the Northfleet Creative Steering Group, where he works with fellow creatives to help shape cultural activity in the area and support fundraising for new collaborative community projects.
Through the Northfleet Place Partnership programme, Steven has strengthened his skills as both an artist and community practitioner, expanded his professional network, and continued contributing to Northfleet’s creative ecosystem by bringing communities together and celebrating local identity through accessible arts participation.
Steven is building on this momentum by developing new studio work for submission to Medway Open Studios and Arts Festival, aiming to extend his exhibiting presence across the wider region. Alongside this, he has initiated a new community collaboration with a local food bank, continuing his commitment to socially engaged practice and ensuring that his creative work remains rooted in real community relationships.
These next steps reflect the confidence and ambition nurtured through the Northfleet Place Partnership programme, as Steven continues to grow his practice while contributing to the cultural life of Northfleet and beyond.
“The [Northfleet Place Partnership] process has been a real eye-opener. Moving from individual practice to thinking about things on a group scale was a challenge, but incredibly rewarding. I’ll definitely be carrying these insights into future bids — especially the importance of articulating the wider community impact.” — Steven Knowles
