‘In-between-spaces’ report launch event

Download the ‘In-between Spaces Final report (FULL PDF)

Download the ‘In-between Spaces Final report (accessible DOCX)

The study emerges from a Midlands3Cities Creative Economies Engagement Fellowship, funded by the AHRC.

The report’s key findings will be presented by Professor Sara Jones, followed by discussion by a panel of experts from academia and the creative economies.
We are going to be discussing issues surrounding the report with:

*Alicja Kaczmarek – director of Centrala, Centrala Berlin.

*Professor Louise Ryan – senior professor at London Metropolitan Univeristy. Director of the Global Diversities and Ineqalities Research Centre.
https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/profiles/staff/louise-ryan/

*Pauline de Souza – Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of East London, and founder and director of Diversity Art Forum.
https://www.diversityartforum.com

Discussion is going to be chaired by Dr Kinga Godwin, the Policy Impact Postdoctoral Fellow on ‘In-between-spaces’ project.

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Read more about the project and the report here:

Central and Eastern European (CE/EE) migrants make up approximately 3.7% of the Midlands’ population. They are, however, greatly underrepresented within the Midlands’ art galleries, spaces and festivals in comparison to artists born in Western Europe and North America. As predominantly white communities they experience the ‘invisibility’ of whiteness and are classified as ‘White Other’ – a ‘tick box’ they share with Western Europeans, North Americans, and Australians. They do not, however, share the same privileges and access to the same resources – this is further highlighted by hostile environment policies and further changes in regulations brought on by Brexit. And yet, despite experiencing xenoracism and discrimination, they are excluded from current antiracist measures designed to support equality, diversity and inclusion. As our research found, CE/EE migrants find themselves ‘inbetween spaces’ – in the gray zone between the assumed sameness and disadvantages of being foreign and different.
Currently, there does not seem to be an adequate measure for capturing the experiences and needs of CEE migrants. We would like to attract the attention of policy influencers, policy makers and policy implementers to the relative marginalisation of these communities. Our findings indicate that CEE artists do not enjoy equal access and representation in the cultural sector, and their interests, participation and career opportunities are not sufficiently protected by current equality regulations.