New Faces, New Focus is an ambitious strand of the UK‑wide Going Places Network, a collaboration between Open Eye Gallery, Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Council and Aberdeenshire Museums Service, supported by The Art Fund. Running from 2025 to 2030, the programme uses socially engaged photography to empower under‑represented communities—particularly refugees, displaced people, and other new groups—to explore and articulate their journeys through life. Anchored in the broad theme of journeys—from migration and exile to personal milestones, traditions, and celebrations—the project places community voices at the centre of the museum narrative by inviting participants to co‑curate exhibitions that resonate with their lived experiences.
During the pilot phase from March to July 2024, socially engaged photographers collaborated with refugee and displaced communities in the Liverpool City Region, Aberdeenshire, and Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon. Under the leadership of Anoosh Ariamehr in Liverpool and Knowsley, participants from his previous Hidden Voices project shaped the initial programme, bringing invaluable insights into how photography can bridge personal stories and institutional collections. As part of this process, we selected archival photographs by Tom Wood, Martin Parr, and Bert Hardy and, on planned excursions through the streets of Liverpool, re-imagined these iconic works alongside participants, creating fresh visual narratives that speak both to the city’s heritage and to the diverse experiences of its newer residents.
Beyond image‑making, New Faces, New Focus fosters professional development through the training programme and peer‑learning workshops, while ongoing research examines how museums and archives can better serve emerging communities. This collaborative approach extends across the Going Places Network, facilitating knowledge exchange and mentorship: Open Eye Gallery contributes deep expertise in socially engaged photography; Aberdeenshire Museums Service offers strengths in curation, conservation, and collections management; and all partners benefit from staff exchanges and shared learning opportunities. By uniting communities, collections, and touring under a single vision, New Faces, New Focus not only brings fresh perspectives to museum galleries but also paves the way for a more inclusive, socially engaged model of cultural heritage that amplifies the voices of those often left at the margins.
