Refugee Art Club: Sparking Creativity and Connection

The Refugee Art Club is an inspiring initiative led by Refugee Roots in collaboration with the National Justice Museum and artist Elaheh Raofi. Held every Friday, these art sessions provide a safe and creative space for refugees to explore art, build relationships, and foster personal growth.

Empowering Through Art

Through the partnership, the Refugee Art Club has held 16 workshops to date. Each session begins with shared food, followed by grounding exercises, an hour of focused creativity, and a sharing segment to conclude. These thoughtfully designed workshops have already impacted the lives of 45 participants, engaging them in meaningful artistic exploration.

Thanks to funding from Nottingham City Council, the sessions will continue with other artists exploring new themes together. 

Building a Community, One Workshop at a Time

• Behaviour transformation: Initial scepticism towards grounding exercises has blossomed into full participation. Attendees now bring friends and food to share, fostering a warm community spirit.
• Enhanced confidence: Participants openly express themselves, share personal stories, explore metaphors in their artwork, and take ownership of their creative process.
• Emerging leaders: The lead artist gained new opportunities as an independent art workshop leader and Creative Wellbeing Practitioner, a testament to the program’s impact.
• Forming relationships: Bonds have flourished among participants, who support each other not only artistically but emotionally, bridging generational gaps with inspiring connections.

Celebrating Achievements and Future Plans

Art created during these sessions will be showcased in an exhibition at the National Justice Museum for four months. The project will also produce a zine and scrapbook to capture the creativity and memories shared by the participants.

Join Us and Make a Difference

The Refugee Art Club is more than a creative initiative—it’s a catalyst for change in the lives of refugees and asylum seekers. Every Friday, we’re bringing people together to heal, grow, and contribute through art. Make a difference in the lives of many by supporting projects like ours.

Get Involved

If you have a story, poem, or creative writing piece inspired by the theme of work, we want to hear from you! To contribute, follow these simple steps:

• Reflect on the theme of work and how it resonates with you.
• Create your stories, poetry, or creative writing piece.
• Click the button below to register your interest in contributing to our zine and exhibition.

We will send you some resources too and prompts to help along the way. Deadline is 31st March at 12pm. 

Join the conversation and be a part of this important project.

Register your interest