Crafting new futures: celebrating the creativity and ingenuity of refugees
Celebrating works of art, and other imaginative objects, made by refugees and displaced people.
To mark Refugee Week 2023, we are celebrating the creativity and ingenuity shown by refugees and displaced people in the UK and around the world.
Our exhibition showcases works of art, and useful and imaginative products, often created with limited resources.
These fascinating items speak to us about their maker's journeys, resilience, and optimism for the future. We see that behind the term 'refugee' are people with hopes and dreams, skills, knowledge and passions.
The British Red Cross has been there for people who have been forced to flee their homes, for over a century. This has included during and after the First and Second World Wars, and during more recent conflicts such as in Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Visiting times:
Free exhibition, open from 19 June 2023
British Red Cross Museum, 44 Moorfields, London, EC2Y 9AL
Credits
Curator: Mehzebin Adam-Suter
Object photography: Jon Kempner and Karolina Heller
All images © British Red Cross Museum and Archives unless otherwise stated
Exhibition highlights
Created from limited resources, our exhibition objects show exceptional skill, imagination and craftsmanship. Here are just a few highlights.
Toy kangaroo, c.1945
Toy kangaroo made in a Displaced Persons camp by a survivor of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
Making clothes, 1935 - 1945
A Yugolsav woman in a refugee camp making clothes using a sewing machine.
Red Cross apron, 1980s
An apron, made for Red Cross workers by a displaced person in Ethiopia, from an empty Red Cross food sack.
Shoulder bag made from Red Cross sacks
This shoulder bag was made from sacks used in Red Cross seed distributions in Angola in 1995. Told by British Red Cross curator Mehzebin Adam.
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Our historical collections
Objects and records from 1870 to our present day contribution to society.