In 2003 Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) held an exhibition about the physical and mental struggles faced by refugees and asylum seekers. Artists of international standing, including Louise Bourgeois and Antony Gormley, contributed pieces to Sanctuary.
One of the most powerful and thought provoking was Le Radeau (50:50), a painting by Mario Rossi. This was a typical beach landscape, with a single red lilo. But the seemingly innocent lilo, an image of happiness and fun to most of us, is a sinister reminder of danger, fear and death to many refugees.
The challenges faced by many immigrants will be the focus of Refugee Week, which takes place from 18-24 June. This nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events is designed to highlight the contribution refugees make to the UK and the need for a better understanding between communities.
'Refugees are not one homogeneous mass,' says Hannah Ward, a spokeswoman for the Refugee Council, which advises and supports refugees and asylum seekers.
'Every refugee is different, and what binds them together is the experience of flight and exile and having to rebuild their life from scratch. They come from all different backgrounds and countries and there are no contact points other than perhaps interlinked religion. It's the massive mountainous struggle of everyday life that faces them and the main problem is people's ignorance and misconceptions. If museums have a role to play, it's to educate and inform.'
Sanctuary was an immediate success and challenged many of the preconceptions prevalent in the city at a time when thousands of refugees were being dispersed to Glasgow by the government, resulting in social tensions, racial attacks and murder.
'Contemporary art is a powerful way to address social issues,' says Katie Bruce, the social inclusion coordinator at Culture and Sport Glasgow (formerly Glasgow Museums). 'Artists explore the grey area, rather than media soundbites. They can create resonances and say a lot without sensationalising or exploiting a sensitive subject.'
GoMA worked with organisations such as the Scottish Refugee Council and Amnesty International, running workshops and activities to encourage refugees and asylum seekers to use council services.
'They hadn't been here that long and there wasn't much on offer for them anyway,' says Bruce. 'We went out into their spaces - community centres, libraries, church halls - rather than expecting them to come to us. There was incredible energy in the young people's work and it created a positive presence in the gallery. Projects like Sanctuary allow them to challenge common perceptions and say "I'm more than this".'
It had a massive impact on many levels, says Bruce. 'The landscape of provision is very different now. Other cultural services and arts organisations have started to respond more to refugees' needs. A lot of people went on to use other arts projects in the city, and one of the main benefits that emerged was that people found it an excellent way to improve their English.'
The programme became a blueprint for the way GoMA would operate in the future, she says. 'It changed how we wanted to work with artists in the longer term and the role of the gallery in the community. Working with refugees is now an integral part of our planning.
'We also learned that you need preparation time before a project starts,' Bruce adds. 'It's no good having a set idea of how it's going to be from start to finish. We offer support beyond the project itself, even if it's just a free space in the city centre to bring a child along, or somewhere to change a baby's nappy.'
There are many ways in which institutions and people, refugees and the wider society, can benefit, says Caroline Gashi, the North West development and integration manager at Refugee Action. The organisation provides asylum advice, and runs projects and development work in Liverpool and Manchester.
'We organise activities that will be enjoyable to young people, so I'm in contact with mainstream agencies and places such as museums that want to increase the diversity of people visiting them and using their services,' says Gashi. 'We don't see them as beneficiaries. It's not about them taking on our culture, but a positive transmission of cultures and an opportunity to present their own one.'
Gashi facilitates projects with National Museums Liverpool, where connections can be triggered between disparate groups whose education and outlook may be different. An exhibition about the second world war, for example, saw pensioners in Liverpool, who lived through the Blitz, bonding with refugee children traumatised by war in a distant country. 'This has tremendous potential to overcome misconceptions and boundaries,' she says.
'Don't forget that previous generations of immigrants have always brought their culture with them and we are the richer for it,' says Gashi. 'A high street today would be a strange place without an Indian restaurant, and think of all the cultures that have influenced fashion. It's wonderful to see young Muslim women adapting their dress to accommodate western fashion.'
Sometimes cultural activities can be universal and cut across political disagreements. And museums have a great role to play as a meeting place, to share and celebrate and learn about each other's cultures.
'Another thing people don't realise is that refugees miss home, even if it was a violent place of war and suffering,' Gashi continues. 'They are homesick and it can help to talk about it and recreate a little bit of it. They are not trying to change Britain, but are bringing a tiny part of their own country with them.'
The Embrace project started at Salford Museum and Art Gallery in 2003 and is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England. The aim is to explore the contribution that museums and galleries can make to support refugees and asylum seekers.
A strand of the project, the Refugee Volunteer Programme, has been running since April 2006 and invites refugees into the museum and art gallery to work as volunteers.
About 14 people from countries including Iraq, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Congo, and Kosovo have volunteered on a weekly basis.
'As part of Embrace an exhibition was created with refugee artists and schoolchildren called What Would You Do If…?' says Nicola Lynch, the refugee volunteer manager at Salford Museum and Art Gallery.
The museum also provides space to showcase cultural events of music, dance, body art and food from all over the world. People helped with supervising the space, and with surveys and questionnaires.
'As time went on we tried to integrate the volunteers into the museum itself; for example during exhibition changeovers, in the shop, inputting data on the computer, putting up posters, conducting surveys,' continues Lynch.
'It's also a great opportunity to improve language skills and they are learning how an English institution works. It is invaluable experience for them. Some were poor English speakers when they first came. Now they are interacting with the public and helping with events. They are also developing their own project, collating handling objects for Refugee Week, which will be loaned to other museums and hopefully schools in the future.'
Volunteers work with other staff members and are invited to occasions such as the Christmas dinner so that they are included as part of the museum. 'We also have trips where the volunteers can socialise with each other and compare their experiences and the children get to make friends and become comfortable with visiting museums, too,' adds Lynch.
Lynch emphasises that it's a two-way learning process. 'The museum is a place that celebrates different cultures and as such is the ideal place for refugees to come and feel confident to speak openly about their beliefs and culture. In turn, they share their knowledge and experiences with us so that visitors and staff at the museum are more aware of the issues surrounding refugees.'
Deborah Mulhearn is a freelance journalist
www.refugeeweek.org.uk/
Refugee volunteers at Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Twenty-five year old Nadia is from Afghanistan and lives in Salford with her husband and son (who was born in England). She has been in England for five years and has been volunteering at the Salford Museum and Art Gallery since April 2006, although she has assisted with specific projects and events since 2003.
'I had worked with museums before, at Manchester Museum and Manchester City Art Gallery as an interpreter. I got a call from Lis [Murphy, who was then the refugee and asylum officer at Salford Museum] to ask if I wanted to help with an exhibition. I thought it is better than going to college, as I had a young baby and could not spare much time. I was not allowed to work and thought it could help my language skills.
I have helped in lots of areas - I have completed a database for a visitor survey, helped with exhibitions and special projects and events and helped in the shop. I have completed the first part of my City and Guilds Active Citizenship Award, which recognises the work I have done in Salford Museum for the community.
For some people, Friday is the last day of the week and they look forward to the weekend. For me, Friday, when I volunteer at the museum, is the first day of the week because I look forward to it. It feels like I am working and doing something useful. I definitely feel more confident and more part of something and have made friends.'
Dina is 37 and fled from Baghdad, Iraq, to England a year ago with her husband and three daughters, and they all now live in Salford. She has been volunteering at the museum since December, where she has helped mount and display exhibitions, worked in the shop and is now developing a handling box on Iraq. She is also doing an interpreting course at Oldham and English for Speakers of Other Languages classes at Salford.
'I heard about the volunteer programme by accident. I wanted to do something useful and improve my language skills. Matilde from Refugee Action referred me to a volunteer scheme and they put me in contact with Salford Museum.
Working in the museum has improved my English and helped me to understand all the different accents, as we speak to staff and people visiting the museum. I have new skills in making exhibitions and I can find my way around the internet better.
It is a good thing - I enjoy it. You do things other than being in the house and looking after the children. You get to meet lots of really great people and it has made me feel more comfortable and more settled.
You get some idea about the British system and what is around you, so you are not blind about the country you are living in. It is really useful for our future, when hopefully some day we might work.'
Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap was a photography and text outreach project in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, run within the Sanctuary programme at Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art. While Sanctuary was dominated by male artists, reflecting the professional art world at large, the smaller community projects have tended to be female-orientated.
'Most of the people running them are women, and perhaps women find it easier to talk to each other,' says Katie Bruce, the social inclusion coordinator at Culture and Sport Glasgow. 'Many of the refugees have children, which naturally brings the women together.
'It is more difficult to encourage male refugees to take part in projects.' Bruce continues. 'While Bridging the Gap was a drop-in project aimed at families, it did attract more men. Some came to support their wives, and some were interested in photography.
We employed a male artist, David Sherry, as well as a female photographer, Anna Kari, to work on the project, and that may have helped encourage men to take part. I also think that the more immediate nature of working with photography and text suited them better. We provided interpreters and they chatted while they worked.
They set up the poses and talked about how they would like to be presented in the photographs. David also did some model-making with them, which was revealing. One man made a truck and another a toy rabbit out of cardboard. The rabbit looked a bit like a Trojan horse and so they both suggested the experience of hidden escape.'
One of the most powerful and thought provoking was Le Radeau (50:50), a painting by Mario Rossi. This was a typical beach landscape, with a single red lilo. But the seemingly innocent lilo, an image of happiness and fun to most of us, is a sinister reminder of danger, fear and death to many refugees.
The challenges faced by many immigrants will be the focus of Refugee Week, which takes place from 18-24 June. This nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events is designed to highlight the contribution refugees make to the UK and the need for a better understanding between communities.
'Refugees are not one homogeneous mass,' says Hannah Ward, a spokeswoman for the Refugee Council, which advises and supports refugees and asylum seekers.
'Every refugee is different, and what binds them together is the experience of flight and exile and having to rebuild their life from scratch. They come from all different backgrounds and countries and there are no contact points other than perhaps interlinked religion. It's the massive mountainous struggle of everyday life that faces them and the main problem is people's ignorance and misconceptions. If museums have a role to play, it's to educate and inform.'
Sanctuary was an immediate success and challenged many of the preconceptions prevalent in the city at a time when thousands of refugees were being dispersed to Glasgow by the government, resulting in social tensions, racial attacks and murder.
'Contemporary art is a powerful way to address social issues,' says Katie Bruce, the social inclusion coordinator at Culture and Sport Glasgow (formerly Glasgow Museums). 'Artists explore the grey area, rather than media soundbites. They can create resonances and say a lot without sensationalising or exploiting a sensitive subject.'
GoMA worked with organisations such as the Scottish Refugee Council and Amnesty International, running workshops and activities to encourage refugees and asylum seekers to use council services.
'They hadn't been here that long and there wasn't much on offer for them anyway,' says Bruce. 'We went out into their spaces - community centres, libraries, church halls - rather than expecting them to come to us. There was incredible energy in the young people's work and it created a positive presence in the gallery. Projects like Sanctuary allow them to challenge common perceptions and say "I'm more than this".'
It had a massive impact on many levels, says Bruce. 'The landscape of provision is very different now. Other cultural services and arts organisations have started to respond more to refugees' needs. A lot of people went on to use other arts projects in the city, and one of the main benefits that emerged was that people found it an excellent way to improve their English.'
The programme became a blueprint for the way GoMA would operate in the future, she says. 'It changed how we wanted to work with artists in the longer term and the role of the gallery in the community. Working with refugees is now an integral part of our planning.
'We also learned that you need preparation time before a project starts,' Bruce adds. 'It's no good having a set idea of how it's going to be from start to finish. We offer support beyond the project itself, even if it's just a free space in the city centre to bring a child along, or somewhere to change a baby's nappy.'
There are many ways in which institutions and people, refugees and the wider society, can benefit, says Caroline Gashi, the North West development and integration manager at Refugee Action. The organisation provides asylum advice, and runs projects and development work in Liverpool and Manchester.
'We organise activities that will be enjoyable to young people, so I'm in contact with mainstream agencies and places such as museums that want to increase the diversity of people visiting them and using their services,' says Gashi. 'We don't see them as beneficiaries. It's not about them taking on our culture, but a positive transmission of cultures and an opportunity to present their own one.'
Gashi facilitates projects with National Museums Liverpool, where connections can be triggered between disparate groups whose education and outlook may be different. An exhibition about the second world war, for example, saw pensioners in Liverpool, who lived through the Blitz, bonding with refugee children traumatised by war in a distant country. 'This has tremendous potential to overcome misconceptions and boundaries,' she says.
'Don't forget that previous generations of immigrants have always brought their culture with them and we are the richer for it,' says Gashi. 'A high street today would be a strange place without an Indian restaurant, and think of all the cultures that have influenced fashion. It's wonderful to see young Muslim women adapting their dress to accommodate western fashion.'
Sometimes cultural activities can be universal and cut across political disagreements. And museums have a great role to play as a meeting place, to share and celebrate and learn about each other's cultures.
'Another thing people don't realise is that refugees miss home, even if it was a violent place of war and suffering,' Gashi continues. 'They are homesick and it can help to talk about it and recreate a little bit of it. They are not trying to change Britain, but are bringing a tiny part of their own country with them.'
The Embrace project started at Salford Museum and Art Gallery in 2003 and is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England. The aim is to explore the contribution that museums and galleries can make to support refugees and asylum seekers.
A strand of the project, the Refugee Volunteer Programme, has been running since April 2006 and invites refugees into the museum and art gallery to work as volunteers.
About 14 people from countries including Iraq, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Congo, and Kosovo have volunteered on a weekly basis.
'As part of Embrace an exhibition was created with refugee artists and schoolchildren called What Would You Do If…?' says Nicola Lynch, the refugee volunteer manager at Salford Museum and Art Gallery.
The museum also provides space to showcase cultural events of music, dance, body art and food from all over the world. People helped with supervising the space, and with surveys and questionnaires.
'As time went on we tried to integrate the volunteers into the museum itself; for example during exhibition changeovers, in the shop, inputting data on the computer, putting up posters, conducting surveys,' continues Lynch.
'It's also a great opportunity to improve language skills and they are learning how an English institution works. It is invaluable experience for them. Some were poor English speakers when they first came. Now they are interacting with the public and helping with events. They are also developing their own project, collating handling objects for Refugee Week, which will be loaned to other museums and hopefully schools in the future.'
Volunteers work with other staff members and are invited to occasions such as the Christmas dinner so that they are included as part of the museum. 'We also have trips where the volunteers can socialise with each other and compare their experiences and the children get to make friends and become comfortable with visiting museums, too,' adds Lynch.
Lynch emphasises that it's a two-way learning process. 'The museum is a place that celebrates different cultures and as such is the ideal place for refugees to come and feel confident to speak openly about their beliefs and culture. In turn, they share their knowledge and experiences with us so that visitors and staff at the museum are more aware of the issues surrounding refugees.'
Deborah Mulhearn is a freelance journalist
www.refugeeweek.org.uk/
Refugee volunteers at Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Twenty-five year old Nadia is from Afghanistan and lives in Salford with her husband and son (who was born in England). She has been in England for five years and has been volunteering at the Salford Museum and Art Gallery since April 2006, although she has assisted with specific projects and events since 2003.
'I had worked with museums before, at Manchester Museum and Manchester City Art Gallery as an interpreter. I got a call from Lis [Murphy, who was then the refugee and asylum officer at Salford Museum] to ask if I wanted to help with an exhibition. I thought it is better than going to college, as I had a young baby and could not spare much time. I was not allowed to work and thought it could help my language skills.
I have helped in lots of areas - I have completed a database for a visitor survey, helped with exhibitions and special projects and events and helped in the shop. I have completed the first part of my City and Guilds Active Citizenship Award, which recognises the work I have done in Salford Museum for the community.
For some people, Friday is the last day of the week and they look forward to the weekend. For me, Friday, when I volunteer at the museum, is the first day of the week because I look forward to it. It feels like I am working and doing something useful. I definitely feel more confident and more part of something and have made friends.'
Dina is 37 and fled from Baghdad, Iraq, to England a year ago with her husband and three daughters, and they all now live in Salford. She has been volunteering at the museum since December, where she has helped mount and display exhibitions, worked in the shop and is now developing a handling box on Iraq. She is also doing an interpreting course at Oldham and English for Speakers of Other Languages classes at Salford.
'I heard about the volunteer programme by accident. I wanted to do something useful and improve my language skills. Matilde from Refugee Action referred me to a volunteer scheme and they put me in contact with Salford Museum.
Working in the museum has improved my English and helped me to understand all the different accents, as we speak to staff and people visiting the museum. I have new skills in making exhibitions and I can find my way around the internet better.
It is a good thing - I enjoy it. You do things other than being in the house and looking after the children. You get to meet lots of really great people and it has made me feel more comfortable and more settled.
You get some idea about the British system and what is around you, so you are not blind about the country you are living in. It is really useful for our future, when hopefully some day we might work.'
Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap was a photography and text outreach project in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, run within the Sanctuary programme at Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art. While Sanctuary was dominated by male artists, reflecting the professional art world at large, the smaller community projects have tended to be female-orientated.
'Most of the people running them are women, and perhaps women find it easier to talk to each other,' says Katie Bruce, the social inclusion coordinator at Culture and Sport Glasgow. 'Many of the refugees have children, which naturally brings the women together.
'It is more difficult to encourage male refugees to take part in projects.' Bruce continues. 'While Bridging the Gap was a drop-in project aimed at families, it did attract more men. Some came to support their wives, and some were interested in photography.
We employed a male artist, David Sherry, as well as a female photographer, Anna Kari, to work on the project, and that may have helped encourage men to take part. I also think that the more immediate nature of working with photography and text suited them better. We provided interpreters and they chatted while they worked.
They set up the poses and talked about how they would like to be presented in the photographs. David also did some model-making with them, which was revealing. One man made a truck and another a toy rabbit out of cardboard. The rabbit looked a bit like a Trojan horse and so they both suggested the experience of hidden escape.'
