Art of Belonging

Refugee Roots has been delivering regular creative, participatory arts sessions consistently for over five years (since 2019). It started with a weekly drop in session where an arts activity led by artist Antonietta Sacco took place in the sports hall at The Vine Community Centre in Hyson Green. The enthusiasm and interest of participants and volunteers grew with each session. Volunteer Dr Theodore Stickley who had become a regular at the sessions when he would accompany a participant he was supporting as a befriender has played an important role in supporting the arts sessions at Refugee Roots through fundraising and evaluation. Securing Arts Council England funding was a significant step for the project. The first grant helped to develop the weekly sessions and reach wider audiences as well as exhibiting the participants' work at City Arts in Refugee Week. We were later able to get a two year grant from Arts Council England which allowed for a significant increase in our delivery and engagement as well as the opportunity to explore other art forms and mediums. In this period 242 participants engaged across 182 sessions. We worked with lots of new artists, venues, partners and arts organisations.

As we were part way through this period we were coming to the conclusion that what we really needed in order to develop the art project was a Coordinator who would take things to the next level. It was around this time that Jo McIntyre and colleagues involved in the "Art of Belonging" research were coming to similar conclusions. Our different paths have come together to this point. Refugee Roots is now leading on fundraising for a Refugee Arts Programmer to operate within the Art of Belonging network to coordinate a city-wide participatory arts programme for refugees in Nottingham. Sparking from the Art of Belonging work a steering group has been formed for this ambitious aim. 

Steering Group

Art of Belonging is a Nottingham-based consortium that believes the arts and culture play a vital role in fostering a world in which refugees and asylum seekers can thrive and contribute to the enrichment of our communities. Together, we have developed the Art of Belonging pledge to which local people and organisations may commit. If you share this belief, we encourage you to sign the pledge and help bring about positive and meaningful change to the lives of many disadvantaged people currently living in the Nottingham area.

Art of Belonging first started as a funded research project exploring the role of arts and culture in fostering a sense of belonging for young asylum-seekers and refugees in Nottingham, England and Lund, Sweden. The project ran from March 2021 to September 2022, and culminated in an exhibition at New Art Exchange: the final report can be read here.

Since the research project concluded, Art of Belonging has been adopted by the wider arts, cultural and refugee communities in Nottingham, and the work that we do has been extended to support people of all ages who are migrants. Given the vibrancy of the sector in the region, we are committed to nurturing a network of artists, arts organisations, venues, and refugee agencies who provide and produce creative and cultural opportunities to the refugee community.

We seek to guide, support and platform the development of refugee arts and culture in the Nottingham area and to advocate for this work across all sectors and communities.

Organisation
Our steering group comprises representatives from ChalleNGe, City Arts, National Justice Museum, New Art Exchange, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham Education Sanctuary Team, Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham Refugee Week, Nottingham Trent University, Refugee Roots and University of Nottingham. 

Through quarterly meetings with a rotating Chair, the group will:

• Produce regular news updates of developments for the arts and refugee communities in the Nottingham area and maintain a diary of events to enable successful communication of what is happening and when
• Guide, strengthen and promote the development of arts and culture for and by refugees and people seeking asylum in the Nottingham area
• Create a network of artists, providers, venues, and refugee agencies who are committed to supporting refugee arts and culture
• Adhere to best practice guidelines in refugee arts, and advocate for this work amongst statutory and other bodies as well as the wider community
• Maintain an up-to-date and accessible diary of events in the Nottingham area, and produce and disseminate regular news updates through appropriate channels and ensure that adequate and appropriate membership of the steering group is maintained and that accurate records are kept

https://www.theartofbelonging.net/

https://challengenottingham.co.uk/art-of-belonging-pledge

https://www.nae.org.uk/event/art-of-belonging

The Art of Belonging Pledge

The pledge is a commitment to address barriers to access, provide a warm welcome and inclusive experience, develop activities with and for communities, to work with community and cultural partners, develop practices and policies, and celebrate the voices and contributions of newly arrived communities.

See here for more information Art of Belonging Pledge | ChalleNGe Nottingham