Art Refuge

15/06/2026

This , we stand 🧡

This Refugee Week, we are taking The Community Table to settings across our work in the UK and France. And we are taking part in a vigil, conference and festival, and exhibiting large scale photographs made with and by residents and staff in Home Office accommodation.

Recently we looked up the word “Courage” with a small group of young people displaced in northern France, thinking about the theme this year, a word that described these young people very well: ‘

‘For refugees around the world, courage is often a daily necessity. It is the courage to face unknown journeys, learn new languages, navigate unfamiliar systems, or simply to wake up each morning & step into an uncertain world.’

Join us.

09/06/2026

WAITING ROOM BESIDE THE WHEAT FIELD
June 3, 2026

Today we were with mobile clinic in a small clearing next to a living site outside Dunkirk. It was cloudy, and rained on and off all afternoon. The psychosocial activities van was parked next to a water point and in-front of a vast wheat field, factories throwing out smoke from chimneys in the distance.

In this tiny pocket of the world there was a world of life going on, with people walking backwards and forwards in front of the van on route to the distribution area a few hundred feet away, and back to the living site. Some carried objects - bags of baguettes, a tent, a mattress, a life jacket sealed in its packet; others pushed pushchairs or pulled suitcases. Some came to see the doctor, with a range of wounds, colds and headaches. While waiting for their turn, several people sat with us inside the van, resting, sleeping, building or talking.

We were visited by a little boy who wanted to play; a girl who didn’t want to leave, a woman who needed to sleep, a man who built a tower with a cantilevered balcony.

One young man from Sudan was delighted to find we spoke English, having taught himself fluent English from watching films, and narrating the different characters back only to himself. He also responded to the age of the three of us, addressing Alex: ‘you are about the age of my father who I haven’t seen from many years; can you give me some advice?” He later introduced us to two young girls who had been on a boat in May which had capsized near the beach, two women tragically losing their lives. One of the girls showed us images of the horrifying burns she and her mother had received from the mixture of fuel and water.

We looked up the word Courage together, thinking about the theme this year, a word that described these young people very well: ‘For refugees around the world, courage is often a daily necessity. It is the courage to face unknown journeys, learn new languages, navigate unfamiliar systems, or simply to wake up each morning & step into an uncertain world.’

Bobby Lloyd, Miriam Usiskin, Alex Holmes

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09/06/2026

MUSICAL CHAIRS
Dunkirk, April 29, 2026

It has been dry for several days in Dunkirk. Today the weather was warm but also windy as we arrived at the distribution area, where the ground itself was bone dry. Here people had already formed long lines, waiting patiently for the voluntary organisations to arrive. We saw temporary shops being re-erected, having been dismantled during an earlier eviction by the police. It appeared that people had not been able to access basic supplies.

In the psychosocial activities van, young women, teenagers and young men waited to see the doctor, while others gathered around the world map laid on the ground outside. We agreed collectively to bring selected materials, and to bring them out slowly. Alongside the map, Connect Four was a staple, followed by the bricks - one young woman immediately saying ‘I want to build my future home.’

The postcards, as so often is the case, provided access to a range of conversations, particularly about birds and animals. It was however Francis Alÿs’s postcard of Musical Chairs * that seemed to have universal resonance - everyone, from Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Palestine, France, Belgium, to the UK - confirming that they had played it as a child.

We were struck by the poignancy of musical chairs as a metaphor as it seemed to connect with people’s actual daily challenges in this setting - missing a place to sleep or arriving just too late to see the doctor, and competition for limited resources generally.

With all of the difficulties that people experience, and the challenges they carry, we still had many playful discussions today. Standing at the edge of the world map, people also found their places - where they came from, where they had a feeling of belonging, and where they hoped to find that again.

* Francis Alÿs: Childten’s Games #12, Musical Chairs. Mexico, 2012.

Miriam Usiskin, Bobby Lloyd, Johannes Maertens

09/06/2026

“WELCOME + LOVES + ART”
April 2026

Art Refuge made great links last year with through one of the Home Office accommodation settings. This April we finally had an opportunity to collaborate with them at the legendary Loves Cafe in Weston-Super-Mare, where they have been holding bustling drop-ins for the local community of people seeking asylum, as well as offering steady volunteering opportunities for those who have forged their way through the system to settle in North Somerset.

Across the morning, we were delighted to welcome many people to our tables positioned across the two floors, with the majority commenting that they hadn’t used our materials since childhood. Loves Cafe, Refugees Welcome North Somerset and Art Refuge concluded that it would be valuable to find a way to work together in the future and so we are continuing dialogue to try and meet the needs of displaced people in the town and surrounding areas.

Staff, volunteers, attendees and local agencies all brought something to the table.

Amy, Mitoshka and Sarah

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25/05/2026

CURIOSITY AND MEANING MAKING
Calais, May 20, 2026

Today on the Calais beach the sands were shifted by the strong warm winds which in turn created a literal moving mist, the winds blowing any footprints away.

In the day centre .exilessc we learnt that some of the more established living sites are being moved by the police daily, individuals shifted from their place of rest, with night after night of broken sleep. We were also told that the large Sudanese population present now has many more young teenage boys amongst its numbers. This was in turn reflected in the thirty of so individuals who came to The Community Table - from Sudan, South Sudan, and also several other African countries.

Today we were struck by the way individuals made their way to the table, often with curiosity and an openness to the materials and objects on offer. Indeed, the session started with a group of young men measuring each other’s height, having picked up a folding wooden ruler and wondering about its purpose.

Distance and lengths of things came across in the little book of Migrations about the journeys of birds. Page after page was patiently read out loud, two friends supporting and prompting each other, enjoying the words and correspondence with their own journeys. Crossing of country borders, covering vast unfathomable distances. Slides of birds were also several times greeted with “this is beautiful”.

In our box of old black and white photographs, one young man came across images of Dune du Pilat in South West France, Europe’s tallest sand dune, which clearly showed the footprints of many journeys across the sand. This prompted him to show photographs on his mobile phone of his wintry journey crossing borders in Central Europe, his own footprints clearly visible.

Miriam Usiskin and Bobby Lloyd

18/05/2026

“20 YEARS OF ART REFUGE”
2006-2026

A very large thank you to everyone who came to our exhibition, seminar and The Community Table workshops at Yorkton Workshops, Hackney, London - May 13-16.

At the heart of our work is The Community Table is a model of practice that began around a table in a safe house for unaccompanied young people in Calais, 2017. It has since been developed and used across our art and art therapy work in the UK, France and further afield.

The Community Table offers a unique experience for people on the move to participate in creative arts activity alongside other humanitarian workers, interpreters, volunteers, and artists with lived experience of displacement who are part of the team. We have learnt that this shared activity not only helps to create a supportive community around people on the move, but offers ways for all participants to de-stress.

Research into The Community Table has identified the significant role it plays in supporting people on the move to emotionally cope in difficult circumstances and to imagine something better. People on the move reported that The Community Table generated positive memories and experiences, helping them to cope with their present challenges, feel more hopeful for the future, and contribute to their overall wellbeing. The Community Table was recognised for promoting more democratic practice by the inclusion of other humanitarian workers (etc) who themselves saw their participation as positively influencing their own mental health and wellbeing.

The Community Table has also become a response to the bigger picture, the urgent issues of our time. More than ever we need to be gathering around real and imagined tables, talking to each other and seeking creative responses and solution. This is not just amongst people who are like us, but with people from different perspectives, cultures, ideologies, socio-economic and political backgrounds and identities. As such it is one of the tools used by the team - The Community Table Collective - in a range of settings and with diverse audiences and participants.

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*** images from The community Table during the exhibition ***

15/05/2026

20 YEARS OF ART REFUGE
FINAL TWO DAYS - PLEASE DROP BY!

***EXHIBITION***
13-16 May, 12-6pm

1-3, Yorkton St
London, E2 8NH

Our Exhibition includes photographs, maps, films, images and objects from across our work, from its beginnings to the present day.

***THE COMMUNITY TABLE WORKSHOP***
14 May - 16 May, 2-4pm

Since 2015, our core programmes have taken place on either side of the English Channel in southern England and northern France through which we have developed our research-based model of practice The Community Table which is gaining widespread interest.

We’d be delighted for you to join us at The Community Table set up in the gallery, for opportunities to try out materials and media with members of our team of art therapists and artists, and experience one of our key art therapy practices. No booking required and you are welcome to drop-in or stay for the whole workshop.

PLEASE bring friends, family and colleagues. SEE YOU THERE!

With our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has visited so far, and to all those who have supported the charity over the years and made Art Refuge’s vital work possible, enabling us to reach this milestone together.

🧡

27/04/2026

***THE COMMUNITY TABLE SEMINAR***
14 May, 6- 8:30pm

1-3, Yorkton St
London, E2 8NH

Since 2015, our core programmes have taken place on either side of the English Channel in southern England and northern France through which we have developed our research-based model of practice The Community Table which is gaining widespread interest.

Everyone is welcome at our PUBLIC SEMINAR, which will introduce The Community Table model of practice. It will begin with Dr Miriam Usiskin leading a presentation on the thinking that lies behind this Art Refuge research-based model.��This seminar will be of particular interest to artists, arts practitioners, arts therapists, humanitarian workers, community and museum educators, and people who work in the field of mental health and psychosocial support.

Booking via Eventbrite is required for this paid event, spaces are limited!

For more information and to book, please click here: THE COMMUNITY TABLE SEMINAR https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-community-table-seminar-tickets-1986541150056?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=wsa&aff=ebdsshwebmobile

……….

***EXHIBITION***
13-16 May, 12-6pm

When you sign up for the seminar, you will also be able to view our 20th Anniversary exhibition which will include photographs, maps, films, images and objects from across our work, from its beginnings to the present day.

***THE COMMUNITY TABLE WORKSHOP***
14 May - 16 May, 2-4pm

For other options, you are welcome to join us at The Community Table set up in the gallery, for opportunities to try out materials and media with members of our team of art therapists and artists, and experience one of our key art therapy practices. No booking is required, the workshop is free, and you are welcome to drop-in or stay for the whole time.

………..

Please sign up for our newsletters and find our Donate page via our Linktree too!

PLEASE SAVE THE DATES, and share with friends, family and colleagues.

With our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported the charity over the years and made Art Refuge’s vital work possible, enabling us to reach this milestone together.

🧡

Join Art Refuge for a special seminar around The Community Table to mark our 20th anniversary, and learn about our research-based model.

23/04/2026

SIGHTLINES
March 2026

We are pleased to share below the latest moving reflection and images from Alex Holmes, longterm volunteer in Calais. All names of individuals have been changed.

“SIGHTLINES”

‘Which way UK?’ asks Abel. ‘That way?’ He points inland, his gaze fixed on the line of trucks that power southwards heading deep into Europe. He’s standing near the ‘binto’, the bridge beneath which, some years ago, many Eritreans sheltered before the space was cleared and fenced off. The support columns of the bridge, previously scratched with a litany of Eritrean names and words, have been scrubbed clean. The authorities try continually to eradicate all memory of the exiled communities who have sought temporary refuge in Calais.

Not far from the bridge, alongside a narrow stream, the Watergang du Nord, the newly established Eritrean camp sits on a thick carpet of wood shavings. The bushes have been shredded; sightlines cleared. Across town, the campsite at Les Fontinettes has received the same treatment. An industrial sized macerator has chewed up the woodland undergrowth and spat out the shreddings. Around the foot of trees, the residue of the life once lived here has escaped destruction. A slow and partial decomposition has begun: a doll, her back branded with numbers, face to the ground, her hair coming away from her scalp; a yellow toy car nestling beside a lace-less trainer; a trio of plastic horses at their journey’s end. A wooden box contains a miniature diorama, a teddy on a cushion, his hat in his hand and, above him, on a tiny coat hanger, his decaying two-buttoned jumper. There are toothbrushes and razors, tubes of skin cream, piles of sodden clothes, the weathered photo of a young man.

Back in the Eritrean camp, a small fire smoulders in the heart of the ‘palace’, a structure of wooden pallets, blankets and mattresses, roofed over with a tarpaulin and tethered to the metal fence. The ‘palace’ must be deconstructed every second day and hidden away to prevent its destruction by the police. An intense game of cards in underway. Negus watches on, looking up from time to time to continue his story, of how he left home aged twelve, eventually reaching Libya where he spent five years in a smugglers’ detention centre. He rolls up his trouser leg to reveal multiple blotches of scar tissue where he was tortured. ‘They called me bambino; bambino do this, bambino do that. They had no respect. Nobody cared for me. But here with other Eritreans I am treated with kindness. We understand each other’. A small cross is faintly tattooed on his wrist. ‘My friend did it but it was too sore so I said stop.’ What keeps you strong? ‘When I can love myself, then I am strong. One day I’ll be a truck driver and play the saxophone.’ Sightlines dreamed.

Five cats from across the Watergang du Nord wait expectantly for food. A small bridge has been constructed to enable them to cross the waterway to the camp. The sun is shining, and the tarpaulin roof of the ‘palace’ has been peeled back. In the blue sky above, aeroplane vapour trails mirror the metal strings on the kraar, a traditional Eritrean instrument, that’s leaning against the pallet wall. Today, the ‘palace’ is a hub of activity. Over the fire, onions simmer in the large aluminium pan. Diced sheep meat is added, then berbere spice, and still later, tomatoes. Medhane, chef of the day, stirs the pot. On an upturned box, the injera prepared by an Eritrean friend in town. Today is Orthodox Easter. Fasika.

Fasika, a day of joyful celebration for both the Christians and the Muslims in the camp. For Christians, the great sightline of hope. Preparations now over, the food is ready to be served. Each shared platter is a feast of injera, spicy zigni, rice, eggs and salad; each an artwork on display against the backdrop of a forked blossom tree on a sunlit blanket of gold. Photographs are taken. The air thrums with the infectious beat of habesha music. Then silence; a prayer is said over the feast. And into that still moment breaks the unequivocal two-tone call of a male cuckoo. It repeats again and again, coming ever closer. And suddenly there he is, the great migrant bird from Africa, flying directly overhead. A flight line of hope. A sightline of hope.

16/04/2026

This May, we are delighted to invite you to our 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Workshops and Seminar in Hackney, east London.

***EXHIBITION***
13-16 May, 12-6pm

1-3, Yorkton St
London, E2 8NH

Our Exhibition will include photographs, maps, films, images and objects from across our work, from its beginnings to the present day.

***THE COMMUNITY TABLE WORKSHOP***
14 May - 16 May, 2-4pm

Since 2015, our core programmes have taken place on either side of the English Channel in southern England and northern France through which we have developed our research-based model of practice The Community Table which is gaining widespread interest.

We’d be delighted for you to join us at The Community Table set up in the gallery, for opportunities to try out materials and media with members of our team of art therapists and artists, and experience one of our key art therapy practices.

***THE COMMUNITY TABLE SEMINAR***
14 May, 6- 8:30pm

Everyone is welcome at our Public Seminar, which will introduce The Community Table model of practice. It will begin with Dr Miriam Usiskin leading a presentation on the thinking that lies behind this Art Refuge research-based model.��This seminar will be of particular interest to artists, arts practitioners, arts therapists, humanitarian workers, community and museum educators, and people who work in the field of mental health and psychosocial support.

Booking via Eventbrite is required for this paid event, spaces are limited. For more information and to book, please click here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-community-table-seminar-tickets-1986541150056?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios

PLEASE SAVE THE DATES, and share with friends, family and colleagues. Please also visit our website where you can sign up for our newsletters, and make a donation: https://www.artrefuge.org.uk/

With our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported the charity over the years and made Art Refuge’s vital work possible, enabling us to reach this milestone together.

🧡