The exhibition for Apna Heritage Archive: Forging Ahead is now on display at Dudley Archives from 1–30 November 2022, marking an important stage in this Arts Council England-funded project developed with Punjabi communities across the Black Country.
Delivered by Black Country Visual Arts (BCVA) in partnership with Black Country Living Museum, Aman Group, De Montfort University, Dudley College and Dudley Archives, the project explored the working lives and migration stories of Punjabi communities who settled in the region. The work also involved collaborations with commissioned artists and community participants to create new creative and archival material.
The exhibition presents a series of photographs and personal stories contributed by members of the community, highlighting the working lives and experiences of Punjabi migrants in the Black Country. These stories represent an important part of the region’s social history that has often remained underrepresented within local archives and cultural collections.
A special community celebration and launch event for the project will take place on 10 November at Black Country Living Museum, the project’s main partner organisation. The collaboration with the museum also supported their ambition to engage with new communities as they continue developing their historic town, which represents life in the Black Country from the 1950s to the 1970s.
The Forging Ahead project has generated a number of creative and educational outcomes. These include the commissioning of an illustrated colouring book designed for children aged 2–7, photography workshops for students at Dudley College, and a collaboration with De Montfort University to develop an educational workbook for Key Stage 3 pupils exploring migration and heritage.
One particularly significant outcome has been the opportunity for Punjabi participants to tell their own stories through the archive. For example, participant Piara Hayre shared his experiences as a newly arrived migrant working in Wolverhampton, recalling how he first earned a living as a pedlar selling underwear. Stories such as these offer valuable first-hand perspectives on the realities of migration and settlement in the region.
Presenting the exhibition at Dudley Archives is itself an important milestone. The venue provides a space where community-contributed photographs and stories can be preserved and shared within the region’s official historical record. It also creates opportunities for new audiences, including members of the Punjabi community who may not previously have visited the archives, to engage with local heritage.
The project has already begun to influence how these histories are recognised within local collections. Dudley Archives are now exploring the possibility of acquiring photographs from the project to strengthen their own archive of images documenting Punjabi workers in the Black Country.
Through projects such as Apna Heritage Archive: Forging Ahead, BCVA continues to work with communities and cultural partners to ensure that the diverse histories of the region are documented, shared and preserved for future generations.
Apna Heritage Archive: ‘Forging Ahead’ exhibition on a Dudley Archives. Funded by Arts Council England. November 1st -30th 2022. Images © BCVA