2 days ago
Harrogate art gallery to display female refugees' art project
Artwork created by Afghan women who fled their home to settle in North Yorkshire will be displayed at a Harrogate art gallery throughout Refugee part of a six-week project at The Royal Pump Room Museum the women worked together on creating a 'dastarkhan' or Amelia Hawk, who ran the workshops with Harrogate and Knaresborough District of Sanctuary, described the project as "a coming together" of different communities."Eating together is a way of bonding in all cultures, it's an opportunity to learn more about one another, even in the smallest of ways," she said.
The group also worked with clay and glass painting to create crockery and other objects, to form part of the installation which will be displayed at Mercer Art Gallery until of the women, Nahid, said creating the artwork had had "a profoundly positive impact".
Museum curator Karen Southworth said: "We're so pleased that the museum and its stories have been a starting point for such a creative project to welcome newly arrived neighbours and share some of the rich history of their new home."All of the women came to the country as part of the Government's Vulnerable Persons and Vulnerable Children's Resettlement Scheme after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in Yorkshire Council's executive member for corporate services, Heather Phillips said: "North Yorkshire is renowned for the warmth of its welcome and it is right that we open our doors to those fleeing war and persecution."Projects such as this help bring communities together and foster greater understanding and I would encourage people to call into the museum and take a look at what has been created in the spirit of togetherness."The project formed part of a £25,000 scheme at the museum, funded by government's UK Shared Prosperity is part of the wider initiative of this year's Refugee Week, which has a theme of "community as a superpower".
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