29 January, 2019
Historian and Migration Museum Trustee David Olusoga tells the story of the Palatines, one of a number of groups of European migrants who came to Britain in the 18th century to escape poverty, religious persecution and seek a better life. In 1709, in an area in Blackheath in south London, 13,000 German migrants called the Palatines formed what became regarded as Britain’s first refugee camp. They spoke different languages and belonged to different churches and became a curiosity for thousands of Londoners of the period. Most hoped to travel on to Carolina in the New World, after promises of work and prosperity, but in the end only a few made the trip to North America, and many returned to Germany. Olusoga meets Dr. Brodie Waddell from Birkbeck at the University of London who is an expert on this period.
Click here to watch (external link to BBC website)
29 January, 2019
Historian and Migration Museum Trustee David Olusoga explores the lives of some of the hundreds of black migrants who were in England during the Tudor period of the 1500s. Olusoga visits The National Archives in Kew, where he meets Dr. Miranda Kaufmann who has researched the lives of more than 200 of these people. Most were living ordinary lives, working in domestic service or the cloth trade, but there were exceptions. They discuss John Blanke, a trumpeter in the court of Henry VIII, who was so well established that he actually submitted a request for a pay rise, and a diver, Jacques Francis, who gave evidence in a court case. Dr. Kaufmann concludes that some black people in England were accorded greater privileges than many white English people at the time.
Click here to watch (external link to BBC website)
24 January, 2019
TRT World, Turkey’s international English-language news network, featured our Room to Breathe exhibition and theatre company 27 degrees’ immersive performance of
Touching Home on its arts and culture programme Showcase.
The New Art Studio is taking up residence in the art studio in our Room to Breathe exhibition from 17 January until 24 February 2019.
The New Art Studio is a London-based therapeutic art studio for asylum seekers and refugees, providing a safe space for some of the most dispossessed members of our society.
The studio not only offers a place of solace, friendship and camaraderie, it is a place where all emotion is accepted and held through the power of collective art making. The studio works to give relief from the effects of profound trauma. Making art can be a profound way of connecting with one’s experiences, and making visible what can be difficult to put into words.
During its residency, the studio will be exhibiting artworks produced by its members, which will form a part of our Room to Breathe exhibition. Tania Kaczynski and Jon Martyn, art psychotherapists and founders of the New Art Studio, will also be running a series of weekly drop-in public workshops on Saturday afternoons, providing you with the opportunity to develop your understanding of the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers through art making and discussion.
Participation in the workshops is free, although donations are welcomed. No registration is required – just turn up on the day. Click here for more information on the workshops
Residency details:
Dates: 17 January–24 February 2019
Address: Migration Museum at The Workshop, 26 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7AG
Opening hours: Thursday 12pm–8pm, Friday–Sunday 12pm–6pm
Workshop timetable:
Saturday 19 January 2019, 2pm–5pm
Saturday 26 January 2019, 2pm–5pm
Saturday 2 February 2019, 2pm–5pm
Saturday 9 February 2019, 2pm–5pm
Saturday 16 February 2019, 2pm–5pm
Saturday 23 February 2019, 2pm–5pm
The New Art Studio is our latest artist in residence as part of our Room to Breathe exhibition.
Find out more about New Art Studio (links to external website)
About the art studio in Room to Breathe
The art studio inside our Room to Breathe exhibition is a space curated by visual art and educator Dima Karout to explore the role of art and creativity in helping people settle into new lives in Britain, and to offer educational art experiences for visitors. Each month, the studio will host a different migrant artist to share their work and process.
View the full schedule of artists in residence and find out more about Room to Breathe
