A Socially Engaged Photography Journey
Since January 2025, Communities of Welcome has invited refugees, displaced and locals to come together through the medium of photography to explore questions of identity, belonging, and home. Commissioned by Liverpool City Region, facilitated by Open Eye Gallery and delivered in partnership with Knowsley Borough Council, Kirkby Gallery, Huyton Library, and Prescot Photography Club, this project places participants at the very heart of every stage—from learning new technical skills to co‑curating a public exhibition.
At the outset, a series of weekly workshops provided an accessible introduction to both traditional and mobile photography. Participants learned fundamental techniques in composition, lighting, and visual storytelling, building the confidence to express their own perspectives. These sessions were complemented by curated visits to Open Eye Gallery and Kirkby Gallery, where seeing contemporary photographic work sparked fresh ideas and discussion about how images can shape understanding.
As the practical skills grew, the focus shifted toward personal and community narratives. Individuals and small groups used photography to capture moments that resonate with their own experiences—family gatherings, street scenes, objects of cultural significance, and quiet reflections on daily life. Guided by professional facilitators, they combined images with short written reflections, articulating what “home” means to them and how feelings of welcome can transform a new place into familiar ground.
By April 2025, the project entered its most collaborative phase: selecting, sequencing, and displaying the participants’ strongest images. Working side by side with the project team, each contributor helped decide which photographs would best convey their story and how captions and layout could guide viewers through a visual narrative. This co‑curation process ensured that the final presentation was not only aesthetically compelling but also deeply rooted in the voices and choices of those who created it.
In June 2025, to coincide with Refugee Week, Communities of Welcome opened as an open‑air exhibition at the Kirkby Gallery in Kirkby Centre. The launch drew hundreds of visitors, offering a moving glimpse into lives shaped by displacement and resilience. A selection of these works will go on to feature in the Knowsley Flower Show in August and the Liverpool City Region Photography Awards at Open Eye Gallery in November, extending the project’s reach and impact.
Communities of Welcome demonstrates the power of participatory photography to bridge divides, foster dialogue, and celebrate diversity. By entrusting participants with every phase of creation—from camera to caption—it turns the act of making images into an act of collective storytelling. In doing so, it offers a model for how visual art can build understanding and community in a world that all too often feels divided.
First session: Introduction to the project and its goals, and to the concept of socially engaged photography.
Second session: Learning basic of photography
Second Session: Practice photography techniques
3rd session: Portrait photography practice at Huyton Library
3rd session: Portrait photography practice at Huyton Library
3rd session: Portrait photography practice at Huyton Library
3rd session: Portrait photography practice at Huyton Library
3rd session: Portrait photography practice at Huyton Library
4th session: visiting Kirkby Gallery to explore and learn the contemporary art approaches
4th session: visiting Kirkby Gallery to explore and learn the contemporary art approaches
5th session: After visiting Open Eye Gallery to explore and learn the contemporary art approaches,
Session 6: Reviewing participants’ photos and discussing their photographic practice.
