This is a 12-week development and employability programme for refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants living in Merseyside. Using the art in Tate’s national collection as a starting point, we will connect local migrant communities to each other and the city-wide cultural offer.
The project aims to improve the confidence and self-esteem of participants and help to reduce some of the isolation they may encounter, by developing new skills and widening their social infrastructure and networks. Adult learners will explore Tate’s international collection displays and exhibitions, identifying artworks in the gallery that resonate with them.
The programme will help them build the confidence to deliver a public talk or make a recording, sharing their responses to the artworks in their own language and English. Participants will acquire the tools to interpret the artworks through creative exercises, gaining confidence to speak fluently about their selected artwork, while also offering personal insights. Positioning learners as guides, they will be encouraged to deliver short gallery talks to their local communities, invited audiences, and members of the public. Field trips to museums and community-led projects will be an integral part of the programme, connecting participants with local community assets and the wider cultural offer in the city, expanding their networks and friendships.
If COVID restrictions allow, this programme will include a combination of socially distanced in gallery and online sessions.