Europe wide project providing 'Studios of Sanctuary' for displaced artists
How can we support and promote work by refugee and migrant artists who have had to leave everything behind?
Funded by Creative Europe, In from the Margins is a European programme of Studios of Sanctuary residencies that provides: supported workspaces for artists from refugee and migrant backgrounds; exchanges of their work; and engagement with refugee, schools and wider communities. Work with refugee and migrant artists is currently largely focused on outreach and engagement programmes of major galleries. The project will bring this work 'in from the margins' to mainstream programming.
In from the Margins will create the first network of Studios of Sanctuary in Europe, offering opportunities for 30 artists from refugee and migrant backgrounds to take up supported residencies in internationally recognised print studios, taking place as follows:
9 residencies at Edinburgh Printmakers;
6 residencies at Cork Printmakers, Funen Printmaking Studio Odense, and International Centre of Graphic Arts Ljubljana; and
3 residencies at AGA LAB Amsterdam.
An engagement programme with refugee, schools and wider communities will be running alongside the residencies. The contribution that refugees and migrant communities make to wider society will be celebrated also through exchanges of their work, exhibitions and multi-disciplinary events.
In from the Margins seeks to break down barriers and create opportunities for refugee artists and local communities to share and to learn from each other while being supported by the resources and expertise of print studios. Each organisation will work in the language of their own studio and the languages of the resident artists where possible.
The project emerged from discussions between the partners, all print studios with civic aims which are based in multicultural cities on the margins of Europe. Our residency programme will further develop the 'Studios of Sanctuary' model, which originated in Yorkshire in response to the work of migrant artist Mohammad Barrangi, an artist and former paralympian from Iran who became resident artist at The Art House in Wakefield, in a range of contexts across Europe.
