Every year thousands of new arrivals come to the UK. Many of these encounter significant barriers to integration, with their access to housing, employment, medical and social services often hampered, and some ‘host’ communities indifferent – or at worst hostile – to their presence. Language barriers often prevent their stories being told and cultural and arts policy often fails to recognise the particular role that access to spaces of art production and consumption might have for such Diasporic and transnational groups. Asylum seekers, in particular, are often denied the opportunity to express themselves with the spaces of mainstream culture; their stories are marginalised and suppressed. Letting their stories be told is part of the process by which such groups develop a sense of belonging; art-based practice can often be fundamental in this process.
This programme of knowledge transfer activity draws upon the research conducted by Maggie O'Neill with new arrivals in the East Midlands region, and arts activities conducted by four arts organisations (Long Journey Home, City Arts, Charnwood Arts and Soft Touch). It also represents a logical outgrowth of the regional network – ‘Making the Connections: arts, migration and Diaspora’ - convened by the principal investigator (PI) Maggie O'Neill, in collaboration with Prof Phil Hubbard, the co-investigator (CI). The four community arts organisations participate in this regional network, which has been generously funded by the AHRC Diaspora, Migration and Identities programme with the support and co-operation of the Arts Council East Midlands.
The proposed Knowledge Transfer activity seeks to: realise the potential of our separate and combined research thus far; enhance existing relationships between the investigators and partner organisations; and build upon the work of the network by cementing the collaboration between each partner organisation, the principal investigator and co-investigator supported by a regional steering group. Moreover, the Knowledge Transfer activity will involve realising the role of art in processes of social change as well as cultural policy objectives through the development of the three strands of knowledge transfer activity directly relevant to the aims and aspirations of all those involved, as well as with the wider remit of the East Midlands Participatory Arts Forum, the Cultural Observatory, Arts Council East Midland, Culture East Midland and East Midlands Universities. As such, this Knowledge Transfer will build upon strong foundations of research and practice in the East Midlands, producing work that will make a real difference to both ‘new arrivals’ and ‘host communities’.
The Charnwood Arts strand of this collaborative project is focusing on work with two Theatre practitioners and one Artist to engage Young Refugees in the potential to establish a "Sense of Belonging" through use of the arts.
Comments
Sat 10th January, 2009 @ 2:46pm by Ms Joanna J Daly
Mon 16th March, 2009 @ 6:29pm by Kevin Ryan