Migration Museum event with BCVA directors, Leicester Museum, October 2023

In October we were asked by the Migration Museum based in London to help facilitate a workshop for their event with a number of orgs and institutional leaders at Leicester Museum. We decided to think through issues around stumbling blocks when conducting projects around community work, community ethics as well as inclusion & representation. Fascinating dialogue with not enough time with these leaders when discussing when communities wish to co-create in a way that as leaders of the projects may be uncomfortable with. Special thanks to Emily Miller from Migration Museum for working hard to make sure the event was a success and also to our friends at Derby Museums for helping brokering the relationship with the Migration Museum. All in all a great discussion to ensure the group we don’t have all the answers and we can support each other through differing levels of experience.

BCVA directors Anand Chhabra & Sebah Chaudhry (at right) facilitate a group discussion for the Migration Museum Oct 2023. © Everything’s Fine Photography

Photographer Rob Honstra's 'The Europeans' translated into Punjabi at the behest of BCVA

We recently worked with dutch documentary photographer Rob Hornstra as he reached out to us for help to be able recognise the Punjabi community's significant prescence in the region and so we got them involved in the project. Rob is working on a large scale photography project all over the continent called ‘The Europeans’ to mark how Europe has changed by migration beyond recognition and challenging what we are used to regarding the term European. The Black Country was given focus for a book in his monologue series across Europe. Rob has listened to our concerns when approached to help about photographers being parachuted in to photograph in the Black Country and being paid a lot of money and then leaving without any co-creation and co-production with local community members, certainly no lasting benefits on the minorities who pay taxes to the local authorities and are used to have their images taken and don’t have any focus groups to attend to their needs. We were pleased to see a very ethical approach from the dutch photographer in the way he worked with communities and what he offered them. Not only this we were taken seriously on the low impact of arts on the large Punjabi communities and Rob at his own cost has had a number of these books to distributed to the local communities to help understand where they fit in to the project!

NPG Citizen UK Researcher Exhibition with co-creation and co-production at its heart.

There are many really great aspects of the Punjabi Migration to Wolverhampton exhibition at Wolverhampton Art gallery that have all been prompted and produced by a local team of volunteers (14 in total & officially known as Citizen Uk Researchers coined by lead partners National Portrait Gallery) and made up largely from the Punjabi diaspora from the area. BCVA director Anand Chhabra applied to be the lead artist and received the role to help bring together an arts focused project co-created and co-produced by the local community. He has been working with a group of largely volunteers over the course of 9 months training in archiving and recording oral histories and helping with questions for interviewing participants. Anand was also commissioned by NPG and chose to approach participants to see if they would have their portrait taken for the project. The result was an exhibition lauded by visitors and staff and made up of archival images, ephemera and new portraits of significant Punjabi’s as well as lesser known members of the community. The audio stories you can hear have been edited by the artist and technically produced by volunteer Akashi Kohli and to a high quality from the supplied digital dictaphones which volunteers used and in some cases personal mobile phones. Each story has been edited down to about 10 mins each from sometimes 5 hrs of recording life stories. Special thanks to researchers like Raveena Jassal for helping curating the exhibition that made it more meaningful for Punjabi visitors, having the interpretation translated in Punjabi as well as designs that relate to the cultural references to Punjabis’s as well as an interactive space for the whole community to put down their thoughts about the migration of Punjabi’s to Wolverhampton or even their own thoughts about the project. Indeed all volunteers who found some amazing participants with Anand. Thankful to our participants who helped to record their stories with pioneering figures in the Punjabi community such as Tarsem Singh Sandhu (the central figure who opposed the ban on the turban as a bus worker in 1968) Harjinder Kaur one of the first if not the first South Asian woman helping Punjabi women to improving their health and resources available to them in the city. Bishan Dass the first Mayor of Wolverhampton and of Indian origin in the UK. We also had those who had their had in the cultural life of Punjabi’s Kuli Kohli Wolverhampton’s first disabled poet laureate of Wolverhampton of South Asian origin. Also original band member Kash from Azaad bhangra band originating from Wolverhampton in the late 1970-80s and achieving world wide success, Dharma Pal (European Champion and World runner up power lifting champion 1977-78). Then there is Mak Singh who inspired by the 1970s Bollywood film ‘Dharam Veer’ as a young boy and ends starring in his own film as well as meeting the lead in the original film he was inspired by. We also had Sathnam Singh Sanghera talked brilliantly about his aearly years and right up to notoriety as a Times Columnist and we also interviewed his mother whose story around the early years of life in one of the most densely populated parts of the city remained unrecorded up to now. for Harbans Heera who detailed his work as pioneer of the first ever place of worship and Mrs Jain’s story as one the first ever Asian women teachers in the city. So many profound stories recorded first hand and will be made available at the City Archives in Wolverhampton. So many people to thank as well in this project and incredible to turn it all around in a short space of time. Special thanks to Emily Stone and Alex Talbot at National portrait Gallery for some very hard work and also Carol Thompson at Wolverhampton art Gallery in order to realise this project.

Audiences view World map along with maps of Punjab and Wolverhampton and can interact with their own country of origin on the map.

Audiences view portraits of participants co-created by them with the photographer at their former places of work.

Interpretation tranlated into Punjabi and imitated by the C UK Researcher team of volunteers. This benefited Punjabi visitors and in particular the older generation who first language is Punjabi.

Audiences listen to important historical and first hand stories about Punjabi migration by participants from th ePunjabi community at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

An interactive board with a plane made from Punjabi material and inspired by the research team of volunteers. A smorgasbord of opinions made by audiences interacting with the thoughts of migration to the city.

National Portrait Gallery and Citizen UK Exhibition launch at Wolverhampton Art Gallery May 20th 2023 celebrating with the community

An important exhibition launches with the local Punjabi community arriving to celebrate along with all participants, volunteers (Citizen Researchers) and hear and see an exhibition co-created and co-produced by local volunteers from the Punjabi diaspora. Participants and volunteers took centre stage in leading the celebrations, special thanks to participants Kuli Kohli (our first ever disabled woman South Asian poet laureate in the city) for entertaining audiences with her amazing poetry which centre on the Punjabi experience of migration this was followed by participants and former Azaad bhangra members Kash and his brother delighting audiences with their music. Glad to see participant Mak Singh that got everybody dancing, a first in the main foyer at the gallery! This exhibition has been lauded by community and organisations in the City and opened officially by the Mayor Michael Hardacre. As lead artists on the project offering our skills to local community members in photography, oral history and archive collection this project has allowed us to train volunteers and work to bring together a project that celebrates yet more untold stories at Wolverhampton main art gallery once again. It’s a joy to see how art has impacted Punjabi’s in a way that is significant and meaningful for them. Special thanks to both teams at Wolverhampton Art Gallery for hosting and hospitality serving samosas to all the community. Again special thanks to lead partners the National Portrait Gallery for their technical ability in making the desired co-production of the local researchers as well as our own implemented in the exhibition. It’s been great to see this after so much hard work on the exhibition. We’ll share more about this exhibition in a later post.

National Portrait Gallery commission and Sathnam Singh Sanghera with his mother Surjit

Having been commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to work on the Citizen UK Researchers project to help document Punjabi Migration Experiences in the city. Anand has been working to collect oral histories stroies by trainig researcher volunteers and also creating a number of portraits. One of the results is that we managed to pull of getting an interview from the celebrated Times columnist and award winning author for the acclaimed book ‘Empireland’. Both Sathnam and his mother Surjit were interviewed by CR UK team member Dalbero and Anand. Anand replicated the portrait from a family photograph dear to Sathnam and on the cover of his inaugral work of migration and growing up in Wolverhampton ‘The boy with the top knot’ where he stands with his mum in the garden. The exhibition of all the amazing participants showcasing their oral histories and portraits from the researchers group will be showing in May 2023 at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Celebrated Times columnist Sathnam Sanghera and mum Surjit at her home. Surjit holds a portrait of herself at the time she first migrated to the UK. Sathnam holds his award winning book (best non-fiction book for the Book seller awards) winning author Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain' © Anand Chhabra

Citizen UK Volunteer working Dalbero Kaur takes the lead in interviewing Sathnam Sanghera at his mum’s house for the forthcoming exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. Photograph ©Anand Chhabra

Arts centre QUAD Derby, commissions for Heritage, Migration and Photography learning.

QUAD arts centre in Derby, have commissioned our director Anand Chhabra to work on a project to work with schools in Derby. Anand was assigned to work with a very diverse YR 4 & 5 pupils, planning and organising activities for learning around transnational migration and heritage. The 5 week project largely focus on how pupils learn about their who they are & why this matters to them. Along with how we celebrate diversity and makefor representation within the city which involves working in a way that declonises the cirriculum and the way of institutions. The pupils also attain skills in taking portraits and story-telling through photography. A number of collaborative partners are involved in the project and this culminates with a focus on the individual pupils heritage and what they can do to themselves readdress representation within collections in the city that are local to them. We also create their own photographic archive for future generations to appreciate in the their school and local library (watch this space!). One of the effects from our work promotes respect of difference and community cohesion along with knowledge and skills sharing that school cirriculum does not address when celebrating diversity with parents, pupils, and stakeholders in the school. Photos below of our second week exploring local collections at Derby Museums & Art Gallery which felt like ‘A Night at the Museum’ where things came to life.

Pear Tree Community School have a day at Derby Mueums & Art Gallery exploring collections and learning Photo-Storytelling Skills. © Anand Chhabra

Photo Collections Network : BCVA part of the discussion on Representation, Diversity and Inclusion 20th Jan 2023

We will be partnering throughout next year with Photo Collections Network and work to open discussion about Representation, Diversity and Inclusion in the photographic industry. The day will feature panel discussions to explore important questions such as:  What are the barriers to the wider public accessing and engaging with regional and national archives? What can we do to make collections and archives more inclusive? How do we encourage more diverse stories to be recorded and shared? And, how can we work together to be better?

Seminar speakers include the inspirational projects of; Apna Heritage Archive, Museum of Youth Culture, Nottingham Black Archives, and Historical Photos of China. Book here for the first day event with the above line up :- Bookings

Derby Musuems & BCVA in partnership to create a story telling archive for South Asian communites in Derby.

Derby Museums has been successful in a bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund developed in partnership with Black Country Visual Arts. The project will create an archive of historic images, accompanied by oral history recordings and new portrait photographs, that will tell past and present stories about the experiences of south Asian communities in Derby. These stories are missing from

Derby Museum’s collections, and the project will build an archive that enriches the heritage record of the city - the shared history of all its residents.

Black Country Visual Arts have experience of successfully delivering the National Lottery Heritage Funded Apna Heritage Archive, and their team has experience leading community-engaged projects in Derby. The funding is for projects which increase the understanding and care of heritage and that ensure a wider range of people will be involved in heritage. Further info available here:- Derby Museums

Laura Phillips, head of Interpretation and Display at Derby Museums, said:

“We want this project to be an opportunity for building relationships, increasing our understanding of the needs of communities and deepening our knowledge of the history of our collections through connecting them with the lived experience of people with south Asian heritage – whose stories are often missing from our museums.”

Anand Chhabra, Director, Black Country Visual Arts, said:

“Black Country Visual Arts is immensely proud to partner with Derby Museums on this amazing opportunity to record the heritage of the South Asian communities that have settled in Derby. We will invite local people to contribute, learn and develop skills as we look to recording participant’s first-hand experiences of migrating to the city.

We also look forward to working with various partner organisations and local community groups who have already committed to helping us deliver this project over the next two years. Our aim to co-produce their untold stories as oral histories and through digitisation of family photographs will enable us to help share the positive impact these communities have had during their time of settling in the city. We look forward to displaying the findings of our research in exciting ways over the next two years that will act as a co-created archive and a source of pride for future generations in the city of Derby.“

Photograph courtesy of P. Bassi, P.Bassi and family, Normaton, Derby.

National Portrait Gallery project Citizens UK Researcher on Punjabi Migration

Excited to announce artist at BCVA, Anand Chhabra has been commissioned to work with the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) and their Citizen UK researchers work with a group of volunteers researchers who have an interest in Punjabi Migration to Wolverhampton. Its a great opportunity to tell the stories of some of the 40,000 Punjabi’s in the city and give them their due respect for the positive impact that has arisen with some incredible stories and journeys of migration. The work is being produced in partnership with the NPG along with co-partners at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. Anand will also work with Poet Laurete (inset) Dr Kuli Kohli which is an honour as she is an amazing artist and is the current Wolverhampton’s Poet Laureate and the first ever asian disabled woman to hold the post. Kuli will inform the work of the researchers by writing poetry about the inidividuals and groups. Anand has been training the group on archival research and conducting oral history interviews. Anand will help towards shaping up the project artistic vision for an exhibtion and taking portraits of th important figures that will tell stories of migration inspired and led by the group. Its going to be fantastic!

Citizen UK Researchers present work on mind mapping a few of their stories on Punjabi Migration to the City and by working through research, outputs and outcomes. © Anand Chhabra

Launch Event for Apna Heritage Archive at Black Country Living Museum with Punjabi Communities November 10th 2023

The culmination of our Arts Council funded R & D project the Apna Heritage Archive : Forging Ahead took place on November 10th at Black Country Living Museum (BCLM) who were our main project partner. We were proud to host yet another packed out community celebratory event at BCLM & audiences were able to view the exhibition which is taking place at Dudley Archives Nov 1st -30th 2022. Participants from the Punjabi community along with excited and emotional students that BCVA worked with were able to share their stories from their working lives in the Black Country and came together to celebrate with food and fellowship and hear from BCVA about the achievements arising from the project. There were so many outcomes from the partnerhships taking place and we were able to share about their input into the overall project. Most of the details of this outcomes and outputs you can already read about here see in the year on this blog. It was so great to hear first hand from the participants and our partners the way in which we worked to co-create and co-produce a new dimension of work. The community appreciated seeing images from the working lives of the Punjabi’s presented at such a prestigous and histroically culutral event in the Black Country. We want to thank all our partners for their hard work in expanding our reach as we intended in to the Black Country & Beyond.

Photography courtesy of Dudley College students.

Apna Heritage Archive : 'Forging Ahead' Exhibtion Nov 1st - Nov 30th 2022 now on at Dudley Archives

Our work funded by Arts Council England with Punjabi communities and in partnership with Black Country Living Museum, Aman Group, De Montfort University, Dudley College and Dudley Archives as well as commisisoned artists has now culminated in an exhibition at Dudley Archives. An opening celebration/launch event will take place at Black Country Living Museum in NOV 10th. Working with BlackCountry Living Museum and asking if they would partner to bring new communities into their venue as they look to build a new town depicting life in the 1950s-1970s era. This whole project called ‘Forging Ahead’ has not only led to wideing the collection in the Black Country but has also led to a number of positive outcomes such as comissioning an artist to produce a colouring book for 2-7 year olds. Teaching photography students in Dudley Partnering with De Montfort University to produce a workbook for Key stage 3 pupils. A significant highlight was readdressing the lack of Punjabi/South Asian voices telling their own history. This now has been readdresed from a participant to our archive Piara Hayre who has a character actor that now tells his story as a a newly arrived migrant working on arrival in Wolverhampton working as a pedlar selling underwear! And so we are also breaking new ground with having an exhibition at Dudley Archives. This allows to present a series of images that have been given to us by the community that look at the working lives of Punajbi’s, an imprtant fact that has been overlooked far too long. Having the exhibtion here at Dudley Archives gives the community representation and allows them to enter a venue where they would not normally visit. This also has now given the Archives in Dudley to see how an exhibtion attracts other Punjabi’s as well as readdressing the fact no record of photographs Punjabi workers by looking into making a purchase to buy the collection for their own archives of Punjabi workers in the region.

Apna Heritage Archive: ‘Forging Ahead’ exhibition on a Dudley Archives. Funded by Arts Council England. November 1st -30th 2022. Images © BCVA

BCVA's co-hosted State of Cultural Diversity in British Photography event now available online.

The State of Cultural Diversity in British Photography made over 300 live views to our co-hosted online event with our partners De Montfort Univerrsity. It was extremely well received presented by the network of photographes and heads of arts organisations giving their expertise and thinking to the current state of cultural diversity in British photography, adding what needs to change going forward. Just in case you missed it the whole event is now available online here:- The State of Cultural Diversity in British Photography Special thanks to Professor Gil Pasternak for his hard work in ensuring the events success and to De Montfort University staff for logistics and hosting and for! Special thanks to the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art for their support for event.

India UK - 75 Creative Industries research project leads to more collaboration

At the end of our time working with a BCU Inaugral project care of Rajinder Dudrah. Anand was appraoched by a an exceptional artist Saurav Sharma a musician who worked in a separte strand and was aked to colloborate along with classical dancer Sangini Kumar. Saurav asked to respons to research Saurav was inspired by Sufi Punjabi poet Bulleh Shah. The IUKCI At 75 project with its focus on building artist networks and innovation, kindles the collaborative spirit in artists such as ourselves. With a wide variety of topics and issues presented as part of the artists' showcase - from deep and prevalent social issues, to depicting the pain of migration, from re-telling traditional tales with a modern approach to exploring the Sufi within - made us think beyond just a theme and explore Sufi poetry through multiple aspects. Our output intends to add to the creative repository built as part of this project, and showcase how creating art can transcend time, geographical barriers, the difference between modern and traditional, and merge 3 different yet uniquely beautiful art forms into one beautiful union.

The State of Cultural Diversity in British Photography now with full programme and booking information.

We are excitied to announce our full programme and line up of speakers for the State of Cultural Diverstity in British Photography evnt taking place on October 27th 2022. BCVA is very thankful to Professor Gil Pasternak for hosting this event and doing an incredible job of the programme design! The the line up speakers from both our network (BCVA) and that of our sister organisation ReFramed (Photographic Network for Black & Asian Photographers in the Midlands) for helping with the great line up of speakers. We are looking forward to it! Please book online here:- Eventbrite PDF available & Full Programme here:- Full Programme

India UK - 75 Creative Industries Collaboration with Birmingham City University

BCVA artist was asked to belong to a research group with Inidan and British born South Asian artists by Birmingham City Univeristy and put into a strand of artists to see how they would work together. Initially Anand thought it was a mistake to be put into a group of live theatre artists but in the end this was a good idea not to be subject to ones own genre of art but bein gforced to work new ideas of creativity. This short film entiltied Migration : A Photographic journey through dance was created through collabrative practice and informing the work of the Apna Heiratge Archive. The project was commissioned and co-ordinated by the India-UK Creative Industries at 75 by Birmingham City University c/o Professor Rajinder Dudrah and is commisioned by the AHRC and UKRI. The film has been produced with artists Sangini Kumar and BCVA artist Anand Chhabra with help from editors Ankit Maurya, Jyoti Singh and Akash Tirkey working under the banner of Team Gwah Theatre c/o Anirudh Sudhanshu. The film attempts to depict the lived experiences of the women gleaned from our Apna Heritage Archive collection who joined their husbands from India to settle in the UK. These women experienced much excitement and fear and in the formative years, Punjabi women spoke of their dreams ‘Supnaa’ or nightmares in some cases about indifference they experienced from newfound landscape around them. This translated into race, learning a new language and the challenges of assimilation." Special thanks to ARC Music Productions Internationall Ltd for courtesy of the background music during the dance performed by Sangini Kumar 'Raag: Bilas - Khani Todi Vilambit Gat in Teental 4.4' Performed by Baluji Shrivastav.

Paul Hamlyn Foundation funding realised for - State of Cultural Diversity in British Photography event October 27th 2022

Its a pleasure to announce we been succesul with our fundung application from the prestigous Paul Mellon Centre for British Art and have partnered with our board advisor De Montfort University’s Professor Gil Pasternak to put on an exciting one day event called the ‘The State of Cultural Diversity within British Photography’ : Artistic Literacy, Educational Access & Instituional Policies. Yes its a mouthful and yet something we are very glad to be able to be putting for all Photograhic orgs and Instituions to listen in on. More information about the online event hosted by De Montfort University & BCVA is available on their website and the link to book on the free event which will also be recorded is here :- https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/events/events-calendar/2022/october/british-photography.aspx More details will be available on the full programme here very soon.

BCVA director at SEPN Re-Framing Culture course taking place in Nov 2022 - Applications now open

We are one of three event speakers at this years Socially Engaged Photography Network’s event Re-Framing Culture hosted by GRAIN photo hub. Anand will discourse on key elemnets in co-created and co-produced work on building an archive. Topics include how to start a city wide collaboration, find funding along with how to produce work ethically amongst people of colour. Applications for the 6 week course are now being taken here:- https://grainphotographyhub.co.uk/portfolio-type/re-framing-culture-training-programme-midlands/

Portraits of 'Our Commonwealth' exhibition launches around Sandwell in July to commemorate the Commonwealth Games 2022.

Anand Chhabra has been commisioned by Living Memory project and Sandwell Council to produce a diverse number of portraits of Sandwell community members who are champions and unsung heroes within the region. They have been nominated to Sandwell Council by their communities as their heroes from the Commonweatlh. The project launches in July to commemorate the games and their imapct. Anand was impressed when interacting with the nominees and realizing the amazing work that people do to volunteer of their own volition to help their fellow man. The people represent just a few of the unsung heroes in our communities that continue day to day work. The exhibtions launched at Smethwick, Bearwood and Tipton at various community venues. It was excellent to be able to put on an exhibtion for locals in our post Covid world, more portraits can be seen from the link on our main page.

Participants & audiences view the portraits by BCVA director and artist Anand Chhabra from ‘Our Commonwealth’ at Bearwood hub July 22 All images © BCVA.

Geoff Broadway from Living Memory project opens up proceedings for the launch of ‘Our Commonwealth’ to packed out venues across the BC region.

History making archive participant Piara Hayre has his own character at BCLM & commemorates the Queen's Jubilee

BCVA managed to broker a meeting with partner organisation Black Country Living Museum (BCLM) and Apna Heritage Archive particpant Piara Hayre to share his amazing journey of migration and working life as one of Wolverhampton first Indian shopkeepers. The purpose on this occasion was to be able to mark both the Queen’s Jubilee and as a prelude to recognising the Punjabi communties impact in the region in the post war era. The ‘Forging Ahead’ project which will establish the current new building programme that shows the region’s heritage from the 1950-1970s. Involving our long time friend Vimal Korpal in the project who created Mr Hayre character and so BCLM rolled out the red carpet with a special visit for Piara to meet the actors playing part of his life story. Many paying locals from the Punjabi community who visited BCLM were enhtralled to see the Indian flag represented and were curious to find out why . Some people were in tears of joy to see their community represented at BCLM. Atlthough far from perfect the character represenation his is one huge result from establishing the inaugral archive in the region, one that encapsulates the kind of impact envisioned by the Chair at BCVA since founding the org in 2014.

Indian flag flown at Black Country Living Museum with actor Harmesh enagaging audiences on Mr Hayre’s real life story. Arts Council England funded project Apna Heriatge Archive.

From left Jaminder Hayre with son Arjan and centre Piara Hayre with actor Harmesh and Jaminder’s wife Krishan Hayre

Piara Hayre & his fmaily photographed next to the current Mayoress Sandra Samuels and consort husband Karl Samuels at Black Country Living Museum.

Punjabi Migration enters academia Key Stage 3 workbook created for 11-14 year olds in the Black Country

As part of our ACE funded work with communities and again working with partnership with Professor Gil Pasternak at De Montfort University in Leicester we have just received 300 printed 25-page workbooks for Key stage 3 students (11-14 year olds). Part of the process involved a series of pilots projects with pupils at Heath Park High School and help from students at Dudley College who are also part of the work with various partners and we are very thankful to them for their input in helping us create the workbook. The student workbook achieves something important from the photographic collection we have now amassed as it addresses the impact of Punjabi’s in the region in the post war era. We wish to thank and congratulate Professor Gil Pasternak with an incredible achievement for us through some very hard graft. He continues to help advise, encourage and direct BCVA into this archive. Lots more to come from him!

Production of workbook for Key stage 3 Secondary School pupils to highlight Punjabi Migration in the Midlands and beyond. ©De Montfort University & Black Country Visual Arts.

Professor Gil Pasternak and with BCVA Pilot workshop with Heath Park High School in Wolverhampton Key stage 3 pupils. Apna Heritage Archive ACE funded project and workbooks funded by partnership with De Montfort University and UKRI. (Photo courtesy of Heath Park High School)