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

'SUPNAA : Dreams of our Fathers' community outreach and partnership with Museum of Making

Anand Chhabra’s Supnaa: Dreams of our father photographic project has been funded with an outreach effort to engage local Punjabi groups in Derby.The Museum of Making kindly and generously hosted the Sinfin Mens group. The importance of this visit cannot be understated as the Punjabi men who are mainly Sikhs in Derby have worked 30 years minimally in Derby’s factories and foundries. Sadly often groups don’t know the heritage of their work available on their doorstep and do not engage in the arts or think its for them. This was the first time for many of these wonderful gentlemen to step inside a Museum and discover so much that they had in common around the history of making that happened in Derby. Thanks to Arts Council for arranging accessibility funding for these kinds of visits and to Laura Phillips who did so much to host and made the group feel at home.

Museum of Making host the Sinfin mens group and show them the heritage of making that they themselves were part in Derby. In partnership with artist Anand Chhabra

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)

PhD student Kamal Badhey joins our planned workshop at Black Country Living Museum with the Punjabi group

Kamal Badhey an American Documentary photographer from New York joined our workshops for the Punjabi communities at BCLM and will be conducting her own interviews and research areas for BCVA around the work of the Apna Heritage Archive. The PhD funding has been granted through the AHRC via the University of Brighton. Chair Anand Chhabra is a a supervisor and will help organise various activities that Kamal has highlighted for research. Kamal was keen to start meeting members of the Punjabi communities in the Black Country for her first year and this is her second visit tothe region . Kamal will be hear for the long haul (3 years) and we welcome her and look forward to supporting her work with us. We are fascinated to see what new discoveries she will find through the archive.

Educational officer at BCLM Janine Downs welcomes the community of ladies to BCLM and wishes to readdress narratives about the Punjabi community for their forthcoming Forging Ahead project at the Museum. IMAGE ©BCVA (An Arts Council Funded project)

The community of ladies enjoy the objects put on show for them by BCLM c1950s-1970s and they re-ignite memories of the post war era in the UK and their subsequent migration to the BC region. IMAGE ©BCVA (An Arts Council Funded project)

PhD student Kamal Badhey looks on to join the discussion as group leaders gather ladies to share their images and stories of the early years of migration. IMAGE ©BCVA (An Arts Council Funded project)

Sharing a photograph like this is indicative of the working lives of many Punjabis with this fantastic image of sewing machines at home in the Black Country. IMAGE ©BCVA (An Arts Council Funded project)

Ladies share some fascinating and emotive stories testament to their struggle to settle in the Black Country during the 1960s-80s IMAGE ©BCVA (An Arts Council Funded project)

BCVA delivers Inaugral note at GRID Heritage exploring transnational migration & intersectionality for the University of Sussex,

The University of Sussex is a framework for their (GRID) Heritage project informed by gender and intersectionality on Indian and diasporic communities so as those people and practices discriminated along the intersecting lines of gender, caste, class, race/ethnicity, sexuality and disability along with their heritage work are fully appreciated, engaged and supported at national and transnational levels. Its our pleasure to be invited as inaugural note speaker here as we explore this theme with visuals and stories unearthed by the Apna Heritage Archive that explore the above. Bookings being taken here:- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/grid-heritage-launch-of-online-exhibition-and-roundtable-tickets-311282703947

Apna Heritage Archive participant makes history at Black Country Living Museum.

Recently retired shopkeeper Mr Piara Hayre and family have given us some incredible historical images from their family album towards our award winning archive during 2016-18. In 2019 we then nominated him for the ‘100 Masters of the Black Country’ an initiative by Creative Black Country as we thought he would fit the bill having set up as one the first asian shopkeepers in the City of Wolverhampton in 1961 and continuing to work there until the first lockdown of 2020. An incredible history and wisdom to work in a very hard area and through some incredible decades of change. This is testament to an almost unbelievable temperament that Mr Hayre has kept during some turbulent history. More on that some other time! Our current work funded by Arts Council England we have partnered with Black Country Living Museum in a variety of ways which you will find on this blog. We invited them to hear Mr Hayre’s story of migration and settling in the region……and now they will be using actors to act out his story in connection with their huge ‘Forging Ahead’ work! This work is in progress at the Museum and they are setting up various new buildings to recognise history and heritage of the region form the 1950s-1970s. This means representation for Punjabi’s at the museum and will encourage and open up doors for more ethnic members of the community to visit the Museum and discover what it has on offer for them. We look forward to when Mr Hayre and family will visit the Museum and meet the actors who will tell his story which will inform the visitors who attend there. BCLM is the most visited cultural venue in the Midlands so this news is extremely positive for Punjabi’s in the region.

Piara Hayre is interviewed by BCLM staff. Researcher Simon Briercliffe and educational officer Janine Downs at Mr Hayre’s home. He talks through more than 60 years as a migrant to the region and work as a shopkeeper. Inset Jim Hayre. Photo © BCVA. Possible through ACE funding.

Mr Piara Hayre at front of his corner shop on Knox Rd, Wolverhampton c1969.

Mother India through a Creative Lens commissioned by Indy Hunjan/Kalaphool

We jumped at the chance of the invite to work again with brilliant founder of the organisation Kalaphool, Indy Hunjan. Indy offered us the chance to respond to the Mother India through. creative lens project. Directed by Mehboob Khan, the original 3-hour post-independence Bollywood epic was first screened in 1957 and was nominated for an Oscar as ‘Best Foreign Language Film’. Lauded for its stunning cinematography, indelible soundtrack, compelling storyline and powerful performances, the film came to symbolize the post-colonial Indian psyche interpreted through the ambitions, struggles, compassion and endurance of the main character Radha, the metaphorical ‘Mother India’ of the story, played by Indian actress Nargis. Our Chair Anand looked at the intersectionality and the marginality experienced by Punjabi women from the Apna Heritage Archive work as a creative response and challenge by the ‘Goddess’ notion of Indian women which some feminists believed put pressure on Indian women to be something they cannot. Here are the findings of explore through research from the Punjabi archive. More about Kalaphools brilliant work here :- http://kalaphool.com

Indy Hunjan welcomes artists and viewers online as they present there work The event was held at the very plush HIVE lecture theatre at Birmingham Central University in April 2022.

Black Country Living Museum partners with BCVA for a renewed focus on Punjabi communities.

We recently partnered Black Country Living Museum to partner with us with their ‘Forging Ahead’ project. BCLM is the Midlands most visited cultural venue and they have a new focus on the 1950s-1970s in their building programme as a new attraction within the Museum. A couple of their new buildings focus on a factory and a pub from Wolverhampton. Significantly both the places were where Black and Asian communities went for work and leisure in the post war era. This gave us an opportunity to invite the Punjabi community to a place where they had no connection with and reason to visit in the past as the Museum largely highlighted the Victorian era. We are thankful to the Museum who helped with hospitality and a venue for the community to bring their images as early migrants from the above time period and share their stories of the early years of their migration. Special thanks goes to the Aman group who took oversight of the ladies ready for their tie with us.

Sharan Dhanda at BCLM explains the ‘Forging Ahead’ project taking place that recognised the work of Punjabis at the Lavender Factory which is been g rebuilt at the Museum. (BCVA project funded by Arts Council England) photograph © BCVA

Punjabi ladies proudly share their photographs from their family history in the Black Country at BCLM. (BCVA project funded by Arts Council England) photograph © BCVA

The Punjabi ladies group share incredible historical images from their early years of migration of mother and daughter in the Black Country this one taken in the early 1960s. (BCVA project funded by Arts Council England) photograph © BCVA

The group share their stories and images with each other individually for all to hear. Took a long time to get around! They were all wonderful! (BCVA project funded by Arts Council England) photograph © BCVA

'The Many Lives of Family Photographs' in partnership with Professor Gil Pasternak and Dudley College.

As part of our ACE funding we are proud to work in partnership again with the brilliant Professor Gil Pasternak from De Montfort University in Leicester and Dudley College Yr 2 students. BCVA is working with the photography students regarding family photographs, archive and collections with the Dudley College students. Vernacular photography is not a subject taught during the two years of the students course and with many looking to go and study further than the college this year, we initiated a project for the year 2 students to be able to work collectively gathering family images and taking portraits as well as recording their oral histories. The students received world class teaching by Professor Gil who is a an authority on the subject and in our opinion the best in the land. The work made by students will be printed as a book at the end of the project.

Professor Gil Pasternak start to teach about family Photography in accordance with BCVA’s work with Dudley College students. IMAGE ©BCVA (An Arts Council Funded project)

Students work in small groups and discuss the stories behind the images with their own family images following a when ,where , who what format for discovery on family history. IMAGE ©BCVA (An Arts Council Funded project)

Students feedback further into a second workshop with Gil Pasternak after work on recreating images for the present day based on their family images from the past. IMAGE ©BCVA (An Arts Council Funded project)

Early years colouring book on Punjabi migration using images from the Apna Heritage Archive

One of the major reasons we were able to collect images for the archive was because we wanted the focus of the first generation of migrants to the Black Country to be lauded and heralded amongst current generations of Punjabis for their tenacity, courage and sheer hard work in coming to the region. We have therefore commissioned artists to help us achieve this by creating the need for a colouring book amongst early years. We have commissioned the brilliant artist Suman Johal from ArtSikh and as you can see by the two examples on show how she is applying her skills to the desired effect! The colouring book will be a valuable and much needed educational tool which we are piloting amongst the first generation of Punjabis who arrived here int he 1960s as well as parents oand early years Punjabi for feedback. We aim to distribute the books strategically around the Black Country in order for our creative and heritage goals as a living archive in the community.

A couple of examples from the Apna Heritage Archive for a new educational colouring book for early years group about Punjabi Migration to the Black Country. ©Suman Johal and Black Country Visual arts. Made possible by Arts Council England

Photography & Culture Magazine : A Photographic Journey through History, Cultures and Digital Technology

The Apna Heritage Archive has been profiled internationally in a beautiful 17-page special feature as part of this Autumns Special Issue on ‘Photographic Digital Heritage on Cultural Conflicts’ in the internationally acclaimed research journal ‘Photography & Culture’ and has been guest edited by Professor Gil Pasternak from the Photography History Research Centre at De Montfort University in Leicester. The feature covers the context of the work of Punjabi Migration to the Black Country at a time of racial conflict in the region, the research and collection methods for the photographic archive and the impact and achievement of the facilitation of digital archive from personal environments into public spaces, coupled with their collation as socially and culturally potent historical sources. Here’s a little video of our feature in the journal. Special thanks to Professor Gil Pasternak who is become an encouraging supporter of the archive here in the UK!

A BCVA project achieved through Arts Council England funding

‘Our Commonwealth’ portraits commissioned by Living Memory and Sandwell Council for the Commonwealth Games

Anand Chhabra has been commissioned to take portraits of individuals and groups who have been nominated by their communities as champions of their own communities for the dedicated selfless service they provide to large sections of their communities. The artist created a series of stoic portraits that is a reflection of their humble service as untold stories of individuals who make a difference every day in their communities (up to now!). The artist. has met with some truly amazing and selfless people. The work will be shown at a number of venues around Sandwell designated by Geoff Broadway at the Living Memory project to celebrate these heroes of the community during from the month of June 2022.

Inset Karl Blick aka ‘Mr Smethwick’ who has done amazing work in schools around issues of bullying and mental health. Karl is an ardent member of a Rugby Club and used to walk past the Brasshouse Pump Rooms in Smethwick every time he played as child in a park nearby. © Anand Chhabra