Isaac Blake's Posts - National Theatre Wales Community
2024-03-28T19:19:14Z
Isaac Blake
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Conference on Critical Engagement with the History of Sinti and Roma - 9.11.23
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2023-11-06:3152760:BlogPost:343033
2023-11-06T14:22:30.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><span>The Romani Cultural and Arts Company is delighted to have been offered the opportunity to attend this conference in</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=essen&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#Essen</a><span>, Germany on 9th November 2023.</span><br></br><br></br><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAZ-u14BtSFzi0QKBMb6F-RdLzOgq3JXiJY">Isaac Blake</a><span>, Director of The…</span></p>
<p><span>The Romani Cultural and Arts Company is delighted to have been offered the opportunity to attend this conference in</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=essen&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#Essen</a><span>, Germany on 9th November 2023.</span><br/><br/><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAZ-u14BtSFzi0QKBMb6F-RdLzOgq3JXiJY">Isaac Blake</a><span>, Director of The</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=romani&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#Romani</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=cultural&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#Cultural</a> <span>and</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=arts&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#Arts</a> <span>Company will be presenting the work of his organisation to delegates with a specific focus on the</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=artsprogramme&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#ArtsProgramme</a><span>, the</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=romaholocaust&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#RomaHolocaust</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=schoolcurriculum&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#SchoolCurriculum</a> <span>resource pack and the charity’s work on the intersectionality within the</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=gypsy&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#Gypsy</a><span>,</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=roma&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#Roma</a> <span>and</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=traveller&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#Traveller</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=communities&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#communities</a> <span>with respect to</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=lgbtqi&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#LGBTQI</a> <span>plus.</span><br/><br/><span>Isaac Blake says: “It is such an honour to attend this conference in</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=germany&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#Germany</a> <span>and once again represent The Romani Cultural and Arts Company and</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=wales&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#Wales</a> <span>on an</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=international&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#international</a> <span>platform. I am looking forward to showcasing the outstanding work we do, but also to learn from others.”</span><br/><br/><span>The conference will bring together a group of international presenting to a range of public sector leaders,</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=ngo&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#NGO</a> <span>leaders and</span> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=policymakers&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7127298289774792705">#policymakers</a><span>; as well as Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community members. The event will also be live-streamed.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12286197854?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12286197854?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
CALL FOR UNPUBLISHED GYPSY, ROMA AND TRAVELLER WRITERS IN WALES
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2023-09-12:3152760:BlogPost:342394
2023-09-12T10:30:00.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
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<p>The <a href="https://www.romaniarts.co.uk/call-for-unpublished-gypsy-roma-and-traveller-writers-in-wales/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Romani Cultural and Arts Company</a>’s trailblazing new creative writing project ‘Gypsy Writers’ kicks off in September 2023, inviting applications from emerging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller writers currently living…</p>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.romaniarts.co.uk/call-for-unpublished-gypsy-roma-and-traveller-writers-in-wales/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Romani Cultural and Arts Company</a>’s trailblazing new creative writing project ‘Gypsy Writers’ kicks off in September 2023, inviting applications from emerging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller writers currently living in Wales.</p>
<p>The Romani Cultural and Arts Company has gratefully received £30,000 from the <a href="https://llyfrau.cymru/en/">Book Council of Wales</a> to develop this ground-breaking literary project, which will generate new writing from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller writers currently living in Wales.</p>
<p>Extending the Romani Cultural and Arts Company’s highly successful Gypsy Maker programme, five emerging writers will be commissioned for a competitive mentoring and writing development programme. The writers must be Gypsy, Roma and Travellers and must not have previously published (online or in print) a chapbook, pamphlet, collection of poems, short stories, or a novel.</p>
<p>Applications to participate in the programme will be accepted from <strong>15th September 2023</strong> via email to <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="mailto:grtwriters@romaniarts.co.uk" target="_blank">grtwriters@romaniarts.co.uk</a>. Each author will be paid £2,000 and must commit to being available for the duration of the mentoring scheme from September 2023 until July 2024.</p>
<p>Funds will be used to commission a leading Gypsy, Roma and Traveller writer to steer the development of new creative writing by offering tailored one-to-one mentoring, prose and poetry workshops, and industry-specific training.</p>
<p>‘Gypsy Writers’ is a highly competitive scheme which aims to nourish the rich talent in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and bring exciting, marginalised voices to the attention of the publishing industry.</p>
<p><strong>The project will run until July 2024.</strong></p>
Gypsy Makers Tour – 20th January to 29th June 2024
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2023-09-04:3152760:BlogPost:342390
2023-09-04T09:35:45.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
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<h1 class="entry-title">Gypsy Makers Tour – 20th January to 29th June 2024</h1>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company (RCAC) is pleased to announce the latest edition of their ground-breaking Gypsy Maker project. Gypsy Makers is a new touring exhibition that will feature work from artists that the RCAC has commissioned since the inception of the…</p>
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<h1 class="entry-title">Gypsy Makers Tour – 20th January to 29th June 2024</h1>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company (RCAC) is pleased to announce the latest edition of their ground-breaking Gypsy Maker project. Gypsy Makers is a new touring exhibition that will feature work from artists that the RCAC has commissioned since the inception of the Gypsy Maker initiative in 2014. The Gypsy Makers touring exhibition will show new and existing artworks to mark the tenth anniversary of the GM programme which has been fully supported by the Arts Council of Wales. </p>
<p>Artworks from each of Gypsy Maker shows will be included in order to best represent the full range of voices and diverse practices that our programme has platformed to date. These existing artworks from the RCAC archive and art collection, will be displayed alongside newly commissioned artworks made specially for the 2024 exhibition. The exhibition tour will be accompanied by a programme of artist-led workshops that will expand upon themes within the show and further enlighten audiences regarding each artist’s practice. </p>
<p>Gypsy Makers will include works by the artists Daniel Baker, Billy Kerry, Artur Conka, Corrina Eastwood, Cas Holmes, Rosamaria Kostic Cisneros, Shamus McPhee and Dan Turner and is funded by the Arts Council of Wales. </p>
<p>The Gypsy Maker initiative supports the development of innovatively created artistic works by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists. The Gypsy Makers exhibition in 2024 expands the work of the RCAC by continuing to engage GRT communities with the wider public in an ongoing dialogue about the ways in which art continues to inform our lives today. </p>
<p><em>“We are so proud to continue our ground-breaking work with GRT artists, with support from the Arts Council of Wales. This project will strengthen the role of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers on the arts scene in Wales, the UK and beyond.”</em> Isaac Blake; Director of the Romani Cultural & Arts Company</p>
<p><em>“The ground-breaking work of the RCAC in supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists is unparalleled. The Gypsy Maker project is unique worldwide in commissioning new bodies of work by GRT artists thus enabling the production of significant new knowledge from an underrepresented group and making a valuable contribution to international contemporary art and cultural discourse.”</em> Dr Daniel Baker</p>
<p>There remains a regrettable shortage of knowledge about this exciting community. The further showcasing of its artistic heritage and current cultural innovation will benefit greatly both members of GRT communities and the wider population.</p>
<p>Gypsy Makers Exhibition Tour Schedule 2024</p>
<p><a href="https://www.typawb.wales/">Tŷ Pawb</a> Market Street, Wrexham, Wales, LL13 8BY <br/>FREE ADMISSION – Monday to Saturday 10am – 4pm<br/>Exhibition: 20th January 2024 – 29th March 2024</p>
<p><a href="https://g39.org/">g39</a>, Oxford St, Cardiff, CF24 3DT <br/>FREE ADMISSION – Wednesday to Saturday 11am – 5pm<br/>Exhibition: 19th April 2024 – 29th May 2024</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.newportlive.co.uk/en/venues/riverfront/">Riverfront</a>, Kingsway, Newport, NP20 1HG<br/>FREE ADMISSION – Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm <br/>Exhibition: 3rd June 2024 – 27th June 2024</p>
Sites of Inclusion: Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Participation in the Arts Sector
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2022-09-07:3152760:BlogPost:340441
2022-09-07T07:57:09.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
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<p>The Riverfront, Kingsway, Newport, NP20 1HG (Monday 24 October from 12.30pm – 5pm)</p>
<p><strong>Places are free but please try to book in advance as capacity in our studio theatre is limited</strong></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company (RCAC) is pleased to announce the launch of a new report titled Sites of Inclusion: Gypsy, Roma and…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10805560480?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10805560480?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>The Riverfront, Kingsway, Newport, NP20 1HG (Monday 24 October from 12.30pm – 5pm)</p>
<p><strong>Places are free but please try to book in advance as capacity in our studio theatre is limited</strong></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company (RCAC) is pleased to announce the launch of a new report titled Sites of Inclusion: Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Participation in the Arts Sector of Wales, which comprises new research conducted by The Romani Cultural & Arts Company and commissioned by the Arts Council of Wales. This new study offers insight into the level of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller participation and inclusion within the Arts Sector of Wales with the aim of optimising opportunities for engagement with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller audiences, artists and arts professionals. This research also aims to support The Welsh Government’s goal to achieve an Anti-Racist Wales by 2030 through their Race Equality Action Plan. </p>
<p>This exciting conference will feature speakers and academics from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and follows in the footsteps of The Romani Cultural & Arts Company’s ground-breaking community engagement work to date. The Sites of Inclusion report expands the work of the Romani Cultural & Arts Company by finding new ways to engage Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities with the wider public in ongoing dialogue about the ways in which art continues to inform our lives today.</p>
<p>We anticipate that this exciting half-day symposium will generate great interest so please book your place early by register on <a href="https://www.newportlive.co.uk/en/events/09f36a1b-5828-ed11-80e6-00505601006a/">Newport Live</a>.</p>
Gypsy Maker 5 – Dance Talks at Ballet Cymru/Sgyrsiau Dawns yn Ballet Cymru
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2022-08-16:3152760:BlogPost:340430
2022-08-16T10:11:32.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
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<p><strong>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company (RCAC) is excited to announce an afternoon of Dance Talks in association with Ballet Cymru</strong></p>
<p>Ballet Cymru, Unit 1 Wern Trading Estate, Rogerstone, Newport, NP10 9FQ</p>
<p>Friday, 16 September 2022 (12:30 – 15:00 BST)</p>
<h2>About this event</h2>
<p>The Romani Cultural…</p>
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<p><strong>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company (RCAC) is excited to announce an afternoon of Dance Talks in association with Ballet Cymru</strong></p>
<p>Ballet Cymru, Unit 1 Wern Trading Estate, Rogerstone, Newport, NP10 9FQ</p>
<p>Friday, 16 September 2022 (12:30 – 15:00 BST)</p>
<h2>About this event</h2>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company (RCAC) is excited to announce an afternoon of Dance Talks in association with Ballet Cymru to mark the installation of the RCAC’s Gypsy Maker 5 exhibition at The Riverfront in Newport. </p>
<p>This exciting installation of specially commissioned works from the artists Imogen Bright Moon, Corrina Eastwood and Rosamaria Kostic Cisneros, is the latest in our ground-breaking Gypsy Maker project, an initiative that supports the development of innovatively created artistic works by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists. The Gypsy Maker 5 project expands the work of the RCAC by continuing to engage GRT communities with the wider public in an ongoing dialogue about the ways in which art continues to inform our lives today. </p>
<p>The exhibition is commissioned by the RCAC with support from the Arts Council of Wales. </p>
<p>“Ballet Cymru are honoured to be supporting and endorsing the fifth iteration of the Gypsy Maker programme – a platform showcasing the incredible talents of GRT artists. Meeting Rosa, and her generosity in sharing some of her stories and experiences, has been inspirational. Ballet Cymru look forward to developing our future partnership with the Romani Cultural Arts Company and the vibrant and exciting communities they work with.” Amy Doughty, Assistant Artistic Director, Ballet Cymru</p>
<p>“We are so proud to continue our ground-breaking work with GRT artists, with support from the Arts Council of Wales. This project will strengthen the role of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers on the arts scene in Wales, the UK and beyond.” Isaac Blake; Director of the Romani Cultural & Arts Company</p>
<p>“The ground-breaking work of the RCAC in supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists is unparalleled. The Gypsy Maker project is unique worldwide in commissioning new bodies of work by GRT artists thus enabling the production of significant new knowledge from an underrepresented group and making a valuable contribution to international contemporary art and cultural discourse.” Dr Daniel Baker.</p>
<p>We anticipate that this exciting half-day symposium will generate great interest so please book your place early by registering on Eventbrite (<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gypsy-maker-5-dance-talks-yn-ballet-cymrusgyrsiau-dawns-at-ballet-cymru-tickets-385693328127?aff=estw&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=tw&utm-term=listing">https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gypsy-maker-5-dance-talks-yn-ballet-cymrusgyrsiau-dawns-at-ballet-cymru-tickets-385693328127?aff=estw&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=tw&utm-term=listing</a>)</p>
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller LGBTQ+ Spoken History Archive
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2021-02-02:3152760:BlogPost:332834
2021-02-02T20:49:53.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
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<div class=""><span class=""><font class="" face="Arial">The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce the launch of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller LGBTQ+ Spoken History Archive. This new online resource is the result of research carried out by the…</font></span></div>
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<div class=""><span class=""><font face="Arial" class="">The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce the launch of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller LGBTQ+ Spoken History Archive. This new online resource is the result of research carried out by the RCAC, with the support of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture, and gives insight into the experience of LGBTQ+ individuals from a variety of international Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. </font></span></div>
<div class=""><font face="Arial" class=""> </font></div>
<div class=""><font face="Arial" class=""><span class="">This unique initiative brings to light the important, fascinating and often moving stories told by members of the global GRT LGBTQ+ community, highlighting </span><span class="">the valuable roles that these individuals play in the rich complexity of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller life. </span><span class="">The result is a dynamic online resource that not only documents and archives but also celebrates the intersectional heritage, culture and experiences of LGBTQ+ Gypsies, Roma & Travellers across the world. </span></font></div>
<div class=""><font face="Arial" class=""> </font></div>
<div class=""><span class=""><font face="Arial" class="">This timely project gives long overdue voice to the often hidden GRT LGBTQ+ stories that our community members carry with them and at the same time offers greater insight into the wider Gypsy, Roma and Traveller experience—insight which feels particularly relevant during this current period of social isolation during global pandemic. </font></span></div>
<div class=""><font face="Arial" class=""> </font></div>
<div class=""><span class=""><font face="Arial" class="">The interviews were carried out by Chris Lee, a lesbian feminist of Romani Gypsy heritage and Daniel Baker, a gay Romani Gypsy. Each note of their experience working of the project: </font></span></div>
<div class=""><font face="Arial" class=""> </font></div>
<div class=""><span class=""><font face="Arial" class="">‘<i class="">We’ve been very fortunate that all 20 contributors spoke so openly and freely about their very personal and sometimes difficult journeys as Romani Gypsies who are LGBTQ+. I’ve learned through these interviews how important the Romani LGBTQ+ community is to many people. I’ve also realised more and more through these interviews, the wealth of talent, kindness and goodwill that exists within the community’.</i> Chris Lee</font></span></div>
<div class=""><font face="Arial" class=""> </font></div>
<div class=""><span class=""><font face="Arial" class=""><i class="">To embark on such an intimately personal collaborative project as the GRT LGBTQ+ Spoken History Archive felt particularly poignant during these current times of isolation. The archive will be a valuable resource for many who are beginning their journey as LGBTQ+ people across the variety of GRT communities. </i>Daniel Baker</font></span></div>
<div class=""><font face="Arial" class=""> </font></div>
<div class=""><span class=""><font face="Arial" class="">Isaac Blake; Director of the Romani Cultural & Arts Company, said <i class="">‘This is a very personal project for me as a proud Gay Romani Gypsy. The Romani Cultural and Arts Company gratefully acknowledges the support of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture in carrying out this important work’.</i></font></span></div>
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<div class=""><span class=""><font face="Arial" class=""><i class=""><b class="">Available from 1</b><b class=""><sup class="">st</sup></b><b class=""> February 2021 on the RCAC website: </b><font color="#0000FF" face="Arial" class=""><b class=""><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/voices/grt-lgbtq-spoken-history-archive/" class="">http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/voices/grt-lgbtq-spoken-history-archive/</a></b></font></i></font></span></div>
LGBTQI Gypsies, Roma and Travellers & society
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-08-19:3152760:BlogPost:289866
2020-08-19T08:28:26.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
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<div dir="auto">The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is very proud and grateful to have received 5000 euros from the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture.…</div>
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<div dir="auto">The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is very proud and grateful to have received 5000 euros from the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture.</div>
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<div dir="auto">The Romani Cultural & Arts Company will delve and capture the unique oral histories of LGBTQI Gypsies, Roma & Travellers in order to create a dynamic online and physical exhibition or book and archive of their heritage, culture and experiences of attempting to integrate into mainstream society. We have the opportunity to build an archive and to now use our extensive links and knowledge of our Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families to achieve what no other organisation can achieve. A rare, unique insight into the hidden LGBT Roma stories of these people and therefore an insight into the wider world of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.</div>
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<div dir="auto">Our work will be conducted remotely and we will ask participants to offer stories about how the covid-19 pandemic has impacted on their personal lives. The project will address historic issues of isolation for GRT LGBTQ+ people and highlight how this is amplified in the current and post Covid-19 landscape.</div>
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<div dir="auto">In trying to capture the rare, unheard stories of GRT people, LGBTQI Gypsies, Roma and Travellers tend to be forgotten; yet some of their family histories and the photographs and artefacts that they have, are significant. Our project will hopefully capture the long-standing relationship between mainstream culture and LGBTQI Gypsies, Roma and Travellers and ensure that this essential knowledge and information is retained for use for generations to come through the development of an online archive.</div>
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<div dir="auto">We are generating new resources which can be used by people now and into the future. We are focusing on knowledge production and knowledge transfer in capturing digitally the life stories of LGBTQI Roma.</div>
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<div dir="auto">Isaac Blake says “This is a very personal project for me as a proud Gay Romani Gypsy. I am so grateful to ERIAC for the opportunity to drive this project forward and for their finding.”</div>
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<div dir="auto">Dr Daniel Baker says “I congratulate the RCAC on continuing its groundbreaking work in the support and promotion of GRT LGBTQI identities with new funding from ERIAC. This new research into the lives of GRT LGBTQI individuals provides a great opportunity to build upon the progress made by its pioneering GRT LGBTQI International Conference held at the Senedd in Cardiff in 2019.”</div>
</div>
Online event with Isaac Blake, Cas Holmes, Dan Turner and Daniel Baker
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-08-03:3152760:BlogPost:289727
2020-08-03T09:39:03.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7197000896?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7197000896?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Gypsy Maker 4 Presentation with g39, 30<sup>th</sup> September 2020 6–8pm </strong></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce an evening of talks and discussions in association with g39. The event takes place to mark the end of the latest Gypsy Maker exhibition tour of new works by the artists Cas…</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7197000896?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7197000896?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Gypsy Maker 4 Presentation with g39, 30<sup>th</sup> September 2020 6–8pm </strong></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce an evening of talks and discussions in association with g39. The event takes place to mark the end of the latest Gypsy Maker exhibition tour of new works by the artists Cas Holmes and Dan Turner. These exciting exhibitions of newly commissioned artworks are the latest in the RCAC’s groundbreaking Gypsy Maker project—an initiative that supports the development of innovative works by established and emerging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists. The Gypsy Maker project expands the work of the RCAC by continuing to engage GRT communities and the wider public in ongoing dialogue about the ways in which art continues to inform the lives of individuals and communities today. </p>
<p>Cas Holmes trained in fine art and currently works with textiles and mixed media. She is the author of several books for Batsford Publications including Stitch Stories (2015) and Textile Landscape: Painting with Cloth (2018). The transient nature of Holmes’ work and process underpins her compulsion to engage with our built and natural landscapes—with people and place.</p>
<p><em>‘The opportunity to work with and be mentored by the Gypsy Maker 4 project allows me to pause to reflect on my identity and mixed heritage. With migration, changes in our working lives and increasing opportunities to travel, certainties about who we are and our place in the world are in flux</em>.’ Cas Holmes</p>
<p>Dan Turner is an artist and educator. A Romani Gypsy, born in Dartford, Kent, Turner attended St Martins School of Art where he studied Sculpture. His work has recently appeared in FUTUROMA at the Venice Biennale in 2019. By using Transactional Objects which have significance across cultures, Turner examines how Gypsy, Roma and Traveller cultures meet and interact with the dominant culture. </p>
<p><em>‘Working with the RCAC on its Gypsy Maker project provides a unique opportunity that is rarely available, especially to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups. Its approach of tirelessly commissioning ground breaking work and projects has helped promote understanding about GRT communities. In the process it has changed people’s lives, including mine.’</em> Dan Turner</p>
<p>Isaac Blake is Executive Director of the Romani Cultural & Arts Company in Cardiff, UK, which is supported by a variety of major funders and government departments. RCAC is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. He is a proud Romani Gypsy and has worked as a professional dancer and choreographer. Isaac was Dance Curator to the RomArchive the <em>international</em> digital archive for art of the Roma. </p>
<p><em>“I am proud once again to provide a platform for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists to showcase the best of our community’s culture and heritage. The resulting work from Gypsy Maker 4 is illuminating and I know that my community and the wider public will benefit enormously from it.”</em></p>
<p>Daniel Baker is a Romani Gypsy born in Kent, UK in 1961. An artist, curator and theorist, he holds a PhD on the subject of Gypsy aesthetics from the Royal College of Art, London. Baker curated FUTUROMA at the 58th International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale 2019. Publications include We Roma: A Critical Reader in Contemporary Art (2013) and Ex Libris (2009). Baker‘s work can be found in collections worldwide. </p>
<p><em>“The pioneering work of the Romani Cultural and Arts Company in supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists is unparalleled. Their Gypsy Maker project is unique worldwide in commissioning new bodies of work by GRT artists thereby enabling the production of new knowledge from an underrepresented group and thus making a valuable contribution to international contemporary art and cultural discourse.”</em> Dr Daniel Baker</p>
<p>Book at Eventbrite: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/114864460694">Eventbrite</a></p>
Cosh 2019 (detail) by Dan Turner and Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Wagtail 2019 (detail) by Cas Holmes
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-08-03:3152760:BlogPost:289825
2020-08-03T09:31:08.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><span><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196971272?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196971272?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration</b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>Cosh</i> 2019 (detail) by Dan Turner and <i>Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Wagtail</i> 2019 (detail) by Cas Holmes<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span>The artworks that Cas Holmes and Dan Turner have produced for their Gypsy Maker 4…</span></p>
<p><span><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196971272?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196971272?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration</b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>Cosh</i> 2019 (detail) by Dan Turner and <i>Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Wagtail</i> 2019 (detail) by Cas Holmes<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span>The artworks that Cas Holmes and Dan Turner have produced for their Gypsy Maker 4 exhibitions have drawn together a number of elements that play important roles within Gypsy, Roma and Traveller visual culture. Emphases include depictions of flora, innovative use textiles, imaginative exploration of the photographic image, examinations of landscape and geographies—and related questions regarding the transcendence of cultural and territorial boundaries. In relation to the latter, an understanding of the implications of movement and mobility has influenced many of the artworks and their modes of manufacture. Although the majority of Romani people are no longer itinerant, the influence of a common nomadic past seems to remain significant. An emphasis on connections to landscapes and the cycles of movement precipitated by economic imperatives, such as the seasonality of agricultural labour, continue to inform Gypsy, Roma and Traveller histories and the stories that define our communities and can be seen to inform many of the works in the show.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>
<p><span>Key elements from the fields of traditional domestic artistic practice, rural craft and contemporary art practice have been brought together by both artists to help us think through the different ways that we can encounter objects and how these ways can influence our understanding of artefacts and the meanings that they carry. Looking at objects in new ways can highlight particular preoccupations and modes of making and in turn help us see more clearly the elements that narrate the experience and concerns of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities both in the UK and internationally.</span></p>
<p><span>Many of the artworks have brought our attention to important issues relating to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller innovation. These include a clear and longstanding focus on recycling and its implications for conserving the environment and an understanding of the healing potential of common plants for both physical and spiritual well being. The ways in which Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities have historically inhabited the world can be seen as distinctly forward thinking in terms of living lightly on the land through values which underpin a connectedness to place, a shared sense of concern for the spaces that we occupy, and an awareness of our impact upon the world around us.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>
<p><span>The central importance of family within Gypsy, Roma and Traveller life is a significant factor throughout the exhibition and highlights a communal emphasis which is expressed as a collective sense of community action and responsibility. It is no surprise then that domestic artistic practice underpins many of the artworks on display in the show. In encountering these objects we experience their related practices from a fresh perspective. This in turn makes room for wider and more unexpected associations which lift our understanding from the usual range of reference so allowing us to make new connections through the artworks and the questions that they generate—not only in relation to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller culture but also to the wider world. Dr Daniel Baker</span></p>
<p><span>Gypsy Maker is an innovative, ground-breaking concept devised, owned and developed by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RomaniCulturalAndArtsCompany/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARArsyNZJwSkRDKJCBodUij-g5TKvMdRK1Sl_wB21AR7qN2GbuNwYPcappJqjppeEBt7r2ecKkG38pKMGjrgoYsYRcfqSfUcHO4kMzWikr32gYBciMtJ9Sg5EAHu4ONUl3fXL5sn_S3vhsTyc38TzcbZKyKCpq6NnW4dLs4auEL87rWbr_cRdGbb6Rr9vcxRqL3617CGSeIH_mLcgeG0kRZ680QrT2A54Qu5yVNpaD9l4RiLq4H-g6BVWCAvQiZ-oRl88gO870ZuH9HAOxNdh82aj9tjLWZSHffha0AkR_5sEc29HV538ymeda_tXw4zJbAlfDu4Spi3a5r1P-MrLZ9pfA&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARA42suZpd-ucKgsHu9UM3-aJmWLtnG1CpwChzd8PDj_YeF42hH3vldXURW6gLIMWbPGwsRbmxt6i_DITvyvIk-22biKOTthRkLW1aLNUuLlhQSGBs27__qhRiZK9QeiWDWVn-wcYK3xIgQy5K-lNNfH9Z_goqfLXrg_GNSoA7Xn8zcA7z1uoqce77ebWSmfpMp36j8nMA9o9QiDM0D9UvfL5CALk-wNIZS2DPKLx20ZlmY0G9uer0EFEwpkDWOwVxXbk-a4Pj_46ex5kKttHQooYvgr9oLYxL-wfah3PzdzseWe5fo1eb3qlfzxO_TA9RICcXB7L8YPSPpjZGI6mE0KVw&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARB55FCxl6xYSRViUOlCP9zgLKoHBVs9Yxa6j5HI23qNbrb5vnBGMMWRxKCVnVP6lj4HyoTSyq1_OtWV&fref=mentions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Romani Cultural and Arts Company</a> – the only Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Arts Development organisation in the United Kingdom. This 2020 project is supported by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/celfyddydau/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARArsyNZJwSkRDKJCBodUij-g5TKvMdRK1Sl_wB21AR7qN2GbuNwYPcappJqjppeEBt7r2ecKkG38pKMGjrgoYsYRcfqSfUcHO4kMzWikr32gYBciMtJ9Sg5EAHu4ONUl3fXL5sn_S3vhsTyc38TzcbZKyKCpq6NnW4dLs4auEL87rWbr_cRdGbb6Rr9vcxRqL3617CGSeIH_mLcgeG0kRZ680QrT2A54Qu5yVNpaD9l4RiLq4H-g6BVWCAvQiZ-oRl88gO870ZuH9HAOxNdh82aj9tjLWZSHffha0AkR_5sEc29HV538ymeda_tXw4zJbAlfDu4Spi3a5r1P-MrLZ9pfA&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARA42suZpd-ucKgsHu9UM3-aJmWLtnG1CpwChzd8PDj_YeF42hH3vldXURW6gLIMWbPGwsRbmxt6i_DITvyvIk-22biKOTthRkLW1aLNUuLlhQSGBs27__qhRiZK9QeiWDWVn-wcYK3xIgQy5K-lNNfH9Z_goqfLXrg_GNSoA7Xn8zcA7z1uoqce77ebWSmfpMp36j8nMA9o9QiDM0D9UvfL5CALk-wNIZS2DPKLx20ZlmY0G9uer0EFEwpkDWOwVxXbk-a4Pj_46ex5kKttHQooYvgr9oLYxL-wfah3PzdzseWe5fo1eb3qlfzxO_TA9RICcXB7L8YPSPpjZGI6mE0KVw&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARAd4-GcuvLNGCEdBNP_nmR7CNYIcf8wgvRSvXLtnVdLPDfWcQmElGPVRgKy4p6TzOKaINqgtl81FmKa&fref=mentions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales</a> and is commissioned by the Romani Cultural and Arts Company’</span></p>
Kan 2019 by Dan Turner
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-08-03:3152760:BlogPost:289725
2020-08-03T09:26:43.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><span><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196936871?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196936871?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>Kan</i> 2019. 91cm x 61 cm diameter, mixed media</b> <b>by Dan Turner<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><i>“As part of my research I have looked at the history of Travelling peoples as…</i></span></p>
<p><span><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196936871?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196936871?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>Kan</i> 2019. 91cm x 61 cm diameter, mixed media</b> <b>by Dan Turner<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><i>“As part of my research I have looked at the history of Travelling peoples as healers and in the process I have discovered a wide range of wild medicinal plants that would be available to Roma across Europe. The Gypsy Maker 4 exhibition includes the paper works ‘Kan’, ‘Per’, ‘Mui’ and ‘Yok’ which include in their manufacture herbs that have been chosen to represent protection against some of the hazards of travelling and to promote self sufficiently across continents. During a recent residency at the Wellcome Foundation Reading Room in London, I conducted research into Romani luck and healing resulting in the formation of a number of art workshops based on the subjects of luck, lucky charms, and herbal remedies. These workshops took place during the Welcome Foundation exhibition of early Indian medicine titled The Ayurvedic Man. As part of the research I looked at the migratory history of Travelling peoples and I subsequently produced work which combined Greek Tamata (Votives) with ‘visual prescriptions’ using dried herbs based on Ayurvedic medical drawings. The use of recycled materials within the ‘Kan’ piece and its related artworks also reflects wider Roma occupations, present and past, and our role in the various economies of our host countries. I have been looking at this through the filter of the Roma diaspora, and the ways in which many different territories have benefitted from our cultural influence. Fitting the broader themes of the artworks that I have produced for the Gypsy Maker project these works are also intended as maps of imagined, more positive, future worlds.” Dan Turner</i></span></p>
<p><span>Dan Turner’s concentration on the value of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller cultural practices and the ways in which they can contribute to wider society is an important factor in generating new and positive counter-narratives to commonplace and counterproductive stories about Gypsy, Roma and Travellers. Building on his research into Romani luck and healing, Turner produced an art installation titled <i>Seeds of Change</i> as part of the FUTUROMA exhibition which appeared at The International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale in 2019. <i>Seeds of Change</i> sets out Turner’s vision of a technological future where Romani space is optimised to ecological effect to transform the roofs of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller homes into herb gardens to produce remedies that were once widespread among their communities. Here healing is at the heart of Romani life. Turner’s living first aid kits point to a time when Gypsy, Roma and Travellers were valued within rural communities for their skill and expertise along with the unique insights that they had to offer. As well herbs seen growing in glass containers, the Venice installation includes images of green roofs depicted on Romani homes to indicate the kind of recycling and regeneration initiatives that have long underpinned economies of Romani existence and situating them as central to the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller experience and to Romani knowledge. Dr Daniel Baker</span></p>
<p><span>Gypsy Maker is an innovative, ground-breaking concept devised, owned and developed by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RomaniCulturalAndArtsCompany/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARArsyNZJwSkRDKJCBodUij-g5TKvMdRK1Sl_wB21AR7qN2GbuNwYPcappJqjppeEBt7r2ecKkG38pKMGjrgoYsYRcfqSfUcHO4kMzWikr32gYBciMtJ9Sg5EAHu4ONUl3fXL5sn_S3vhsTyc38TzcbZKyKCpq6NnW4dLs4auEL87rWbr_cRdGbb6Rr9vcxRqL3617CGSeIH_mLcgeG0kRZ680QrT2A54Qu5yVNpaD9l4RiLq4H-g6BVWCAvQiZ-oRl88gO870ZuH9HAOxNdh82aj9tjLWZSHffha0AkR_5sEc29HV538ymeda_tXw4zJbAlfDu4Spi3a5r1P-MrLZ9pfA&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARA42suZpd-ucKgsHu9UM3-aJmWLtnG1CpwChzd8PDj_YeF42hH3vldXURW6gLIMWbPGwsRbmxt6i_DITvyvIk-22biKOTthRkLW1aLNUuLlhQSGBs27__qhRiZK9QeiWDWVn-wcYK3xIgQy5K-lNNfH9Z_goqfLXrg_GNSoA7Xn8zcA7z1uoqce77ebWSmfpMp36j8nMA9o9QiDM0D9UvfL5CALk-wNIZS2DPKLx20ZlmY0G9uer0EFEwpkDWOwVxXbk-a4Pj_46ex5kKttHQooYvgr9oLYxL-wfah3PzdzseWe5fo1eb3qlfzxO_TA9RICcXB7L8YPSPpjZGI6mE0KVw&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARB55FCxl6xYSRViUOlCP9zgLKoHBVs9Yxa6j5HI23qNbrb5vnBGMMWRxKCVnVP6lj4HyoTSyq1_OtWV&fref=mentions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Romani Cultural and Arts Company</a> – the only Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Arts Development organisation in the United Kingdom. This 2020 project is supported by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/celfyddydau/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARArsyNZJwSkRDKJCBodUij-g5TKvMdRK1Sl_wB21AR7qN2GbuNwYPcappJqjppeEBt7r2ecKkG38pKMGjrgoYsYRcfqSfUcHO4kMzWikr32gYBciMtJ9Sg5EAHu4ONUl3fXL5sn_S3vhsTyc38TzcbZKyKCpq6NnW4dLs4auEL87rWbr_cRdGbb6Rr9vcxRqL3617CGSeIH_mLcgeG0kRZ680QrT2A54Qu5yVNpaD9l4RiLq4H-g6BVWCAvQiZ-oRl88gO870ZuH9HAOxNdh82aj9tjLWZSHffha0AkR_5sEc29HV538ymeda_tXw4zJbAlfDu4Spi3a5r1P-MrLZ9pfA&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARA42suZpd-ucKgsHu9UM3-aJmWLtnG1CpwChzd8PDj_YeF42hH3vldXURW6gLIMWbPGwsRbmxt6i_DITvyvIk-22biKOTthRkLW1aLNUuLlhQSGBs27__qhRiZK9QeiWDWVn-wcYK3xIgQy5K-lNNfH9Z_goqfLXrg_GNSoA7Xn8zcA7z1uoqce77ebWSmfpMp36j8nMA9o9QiDM0D9UvfL5CALk-wNIZS2DPKLx20ZlmY0G9uer0EFEwpkDWOwVxXbk-a4Pj_46ex5kKttHQooYvgr9oLYxL-wfah3PzdzseWe5fo1eb3qlfzxO_TA9RICcXB7L8YPSPpjZGI6mE0KVw&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARAd4-GcuvLNGCEdBNP_nmR7CNYIcf8wgvRSvXLtnVdLPDfWcQmElGPVRgKy4p6TzOKaINqgtl81FmKa&fref=mentions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales</a> and is commissioned by the Romani Cultural and Arts Company’</span></p>
Great Aunt Margaret’s Hopes 2019 by Cas Holmes
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-08-03:3152760:BlogPost:289723
2020-08-03T09:21:15.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><span><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196881087?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196881087?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>Great Aunt Margaret’s Hopes</i> 2019, 59 cm x 69 cm by Cas Holmes</b></span></p>
<p><span><i>“In the last few years I have travelled a great deal and often miss seeing the seasonal changes at home. The Gypsy in me…</i></span></p>
<p><span><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196881087?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196881087?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>Great Aunt Margaret’s Hopes</i> 2019, 59 cm x 69 cm by Cas Holmes</b></span></p>
<p><span><i>“In the last few years I have travelled a great deal and often miss seeing the seasonal changes at home. The Gypsy in me calls equally, and when I am at home I want to travel. ‘</i></span><span><i>Great Aunt Margaret’s Hopes’ along with ‘Wanderers Nightsong’ are</i></span> <span><i>both part of a series called 40 Yards. I found a scrap of fabric with 40 yards printed on it on a footpath locally so used that as my starting point for this series. The pieces reflect the seasonal changes and odd observations that I record from within my visual footfall of around 40 yards connecting me to home. The materials are collected and donated as I travel. A few pieces of this modular installation are represented in the Gypsy Maker exhibition. I will have 40 Yards worth eventually</i></span><span><i>. It is the transient nature of my work and process, a compulsion to engage with the things experienced as part of the overlooked details of daily life that are of interest to me. Yet, at the same time the stories I find about people and place, regardless of social, cultural and economic backgrounds inform who I am and my particular take on the world. Seasonal changes are also reflected in some other works in the exhibition. My ‘Edgelands’ series<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> depicts branches above for protection, woodland for foraging, and grasses and hedgerows for pulling up the vardo and resting, and gleaning seasonal fruit and nuts. Chestnutting with my gran brings back fond memories, and she baked a mean wild berry fruit tart. The ‘Hopkins’ series shows myself reflected in images of hoppers huts and hop pickers. This was previously installed in a hoppers hut on a Kent farm. Sadly, hop picking in Kent is now no more than memory. The cloth belonged to the family and the shadow prints are of hops.”</i> Cas Holmes<i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></p>
<p><span>Cas Holmes’ artwork <i>Great Aunt Margaret’s Hopes</i> along with many of her other works within the exhibition emphasise the deep connection to landscape and season that has long been an important factor in the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller experience. Although the majority of Romani people are no longer itinerant, the influence of a common nomadic past remains significant. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller histories are founded partly upon cycles of movement precipitated by economic imperatives, for example the seasonality of agricultural labour. This kind of cyclicality is distinct from linear notions of time such as the chronology through which Western histories are narrated.</span> <span>Roma’s seemingly cyclic approach to time reflects a sensitivity to the contingencies of the natural world; an understanding of time that is shared by a number of Indigenous nomadic peoples including Aborigine and Native American. The idea of Indigenous nomadism could be seen as counterintuitive as nomads are generally considered to be the antithesis of Indigenous through a perceived non-attachment to specific geographies—an argument which has clearly aided the commandeering of land by property focused colonialists overseas and the implementation of restrictive legislation for the movement of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups closer home. Dr Daniel Baker</span></p>
<p><span>Gypsy Maker is an innovative, ground-breaking concept devised, owned and developed by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RomaniCulturalAndArtsCompany/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARArsyNZJwSkRDKJCBodUij-g5TKvMdRK1Sl_wB21AR7qN2GbuNwYPcappJqjppeEBt7r2ecKkG38pKMGjrgoYsYRcfqSfUcHO4kMzWikr32gYBciMtJ9Sg5EAHu4ONUl3fXL5sn_S3vhsTyc38TzcbZKyKCpq6NnW4dLs4auEL87rWbr_cRdGbb6Rr9vcxRqL3617CGSeIH_mLcgeG0kRZ680QrT2A54Qu5yVNpaD9l4RiLq4H-g6BVWCAvQiZ-oRl88gO870ZuH9HAOxNdh82aj9tjLWZSHffha0AkR_5sEc29HV538ymeda_tXw4zJbAlfDu4Spi3a5r1P-MrLZ9pfA&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARA42suZpd-ucKgsHu9UM3-aJmWLtnG1CpwChzd8PDj_YeF42hH3vldXURW6gLIMWbPGwsRbmxt6i_DITvyvIk-22biKOTthRkLW1aLNUuLlhQSGBs27__qhRiZK9QeiWDWVn-wcYK3xIgQy5K-lNNfH9Z_goqfLXrg_GNSoA7Xn8zcA7z1uoqce77ebWSmfpMp36j8nMA9o9QiDM0D9UvfL5CALk-wNIZS2DPKLx20ZlmY0G9uer0EFEwpkDWOwVxXbk-a4Pj_46ex5kKttHQooYvgr9oLYxL-wfah3PzdzseWe5fo1eb3qlfzxO_TA9RICcXB7L8YPSPpjZGI6mE0KVw&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARB55FCxl6xYSRViUOlCP9zgLKoHBVs9Yxa6j5HI23qNbrb5vnBGMMWRxKCVnVP6lj4HyoTSyq1_OtWV&fref=mentions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Romani Cultural and Arts Company</a> – the only Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Arts Development organisation in the United Kingdom. This 2020 project is supported by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/celfyddydau/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARArsyNZJwSkRDKJCBodUij-g5TKvMdRK1Sl_wB21AR7qN2GbuNwYPcappJqjppeEBt7r2ecKkG38pKMGjrgoYsYRcfqSfUcHO4kMzWikr32gYBciMtJ9Sg5EAHu4ONUl3fXL5sn_S3vhsTyc38TzcbZKyKCpq6NnW4dLs4auEL87rWbr_cRdGbb6Rr9vcxRqL3617CGSeIH_mLcgeG0kRZ680QrT2A54Qu5yVNpaD9l4RiLq4H-g6BVWCAvQiZ-oRl88gO870ZuH9HAOxNdh82aj9tjLWZSHffha0AkR_5sEc29HV538ymeda_tXw4zJbAlfDu4Spi3a5r1P-MrLZ9pfA&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARA42suZpd-ucKgsHu9UM3-aJmWLtnG1CpwChzd8PDj_YeF42hH3vldXURW6gLIMWbPGwsRbmxt6i_DITvyvIk-22biKOTthRkLW1aLNUuLlhQSGBs27__qhRiZK9QeiWDWVn-wcYK3xIgQy5K-lNNfH9Z_goqfLXrg_GNSoA7Xn8zcA7z1uoqce77ebWSmfpMp36j8nMA9o9QiDM0D9UvfL5CALk-wNIZS2DPKLx20ZlmY0G9uer0EFEwpkDWOwVxXbk-a4Pj_46ex5kKttHQooYvgr9oLYxL-wfah3PzdzseWe5fo1eb3qlfzxO_TA9RICcXB7L8YPSPpjZGI6mE0KVw&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARAd4-GcuvLNGCEdBNP_nmR7CNYIcf8wgvRSvXLtnVdLPDfWcQmElGPVRgKy4p6TzOKaINqgtl81FmKa&fref=mentions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales</a> and is commissioned by the Romani Cultural and Arts Company’</span></p>
Patteran Series 2019 by Dan Turner
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-08-03:3152760:BlogPost:289721
2020-08-03T09:16:55.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><span><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196852675?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196852675?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>Patteran Series</i> 2019. 91cm x 60cm x 50cm, mixed media</b> <b>by Dan Turner<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><i>“In these works I examine the sense of double belonging that has…</i></span></p>
<p><span><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196852675?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196852675?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>Patteran Series</i> 2019. 91cm x 60cm x 50cm, mixed media</b> <b>by Dan Turner<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><i>“In these works I examine the sense of double belonging that has continually structured Romani identity and unity—that of being ‘home’ and at the same time being ‘other’. As Roma we belong to our community and at the same time we belong to the landscape of the territories and countries that we live in. I have been looking at this particular sensibility through the filter of the Roma diaspora and the varieties of different countries of origin that have benefitted from our cultural influence. Working with modern population maps and distinctive decorative metal charms I signify how Roma have travelled and crossed continents using traditional crafts or occupations. By displaying these works on the ground, and employing altered and subverted building materials associated with road making and construction (well established Traveller ways of earning a living), I reimagine the past, focus on the present, and look towards the future to challenge mainstream culture’s view of our identity.”</i> Dan Turner</span></p>
<p><span>Dan Turner’s <i>Patteran Series</i> considers a pervasive element of Romani identities—that of how movement and travel have influenced Gypsy, Roma and Traveller lives and their relations with settled populations. Many Romani groups continue to exist outside of societies that they have been surrounded by for many generations and any resulting sense of dislocation is further shaped by cultural narratives of life on the outskirts of society. Along with shared histories of movement these qualities have equipped Roma with the facility to resist ongoing economic and legislative pressure towards assimilation and expulsion but not of course without serious hardship and great oppression.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>
<p><span>A nomadic history has been passed down through generations to today’s Roma and persists to inform the Romani worldview—a worldview which has set Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups apart from, and often in opposition to society at large. This combination of elements has resulted in a sensibility through which Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups maintain an inherent understanding of the vagaries and contingencies of life on the move. The collective experience of life at the edge of state control has resulted in the development of Roma’s acute understanding of the value of the makeshift and its associated qualities of movement, transition and adaptability. This is apparent not least in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller’s integration of artistic practice within everyday life. The reasoning behind this phenomenon becomes clearer when we consider that, historically, all artefacts accompanying a nomadic community on their travels were required to serve multiple purposes. The resulting need to combine acculturation with artistic nourishment, practicality and portability has consequently played an important role the development of Gypsy visuality and the Romani aesthetic—resulting in a legacy of nomadism which means that form and function remain intimately and symbolically connected within Gypsy, Roma and Traveller cultures. Dr Daniel Baker</span></p>
<p><span>Gypsy Maker is an innovative, ground-breaking concept devised, owned and developed by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RomaniCulturalAndArtsCompany/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARArsyNZJwSkRDKJCBodUij-g5TKvMdRK1Sl_wB21AR7qN2GbuNwYPcappJqjppeEBt7r2ecKkG38pKMGjrgoYsYRcfqSfUcHO4kMzWikr32gYBciMtJ9Sg5EAHu4ONUl3fXL5sn_S3vhsTyc38TzcbZKyKCpq6NnW4dLs4auEL87rWbr_cRdGbb6Rr9vcxRqL3617CGSeIH_mLcgeG0kRZ680QrT2A54Qu5yVNpaD9l4RiLq4H-g6BVWCAvQiZ-oRl88gO870ZuH9HAOxNdh82aj9tjLWZSHffha0AkR_5sEc29HV538ymeda_tXw4zJbAlfDu4Spi3a5r1P-MrLZ9pfA&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARA42suZpd-ucKgsHu9UM3-aJmWLtnG1CpwChzd8PDj_YeF42hH3vldXURW6gLIMWbPGwsRbmxt6i_DITvyvIk-22biKOTthRkLW1aLNUuLlhQSGBs27__qhRiZK9QeiWDWVn-wcYK3xIgQy5K-lNNfH9Z_goqfLXrg_GNSoA7Xn8zcA7z1uoqce77ebWSmfpMp36j8nMA9o9QiDM0D9UvfL5CALk-wNIZS2DPKLx20ZlmY0G9uer0EFEwpkDWOwVxXbk-a4Pj_46ex5kKttHQooYvgr9oLYxL-wfah3PzdzseWe5fo1eb3qlfzxO_TA9RICcXB7L8YPSPpjZGI6mE0KVw&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARB55FCxl6xYSRViUOlCP9zgLKoHBVs9Yxa6j5HI23qNbrb5vnBGMMWRxKCVnVP6lj4HyoTSyq1_OtWV&fref=mentions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Romani Cultural and Arts Company</a> – the only Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Arts Development organisation in the United Kingdom. This 2020 project is supported by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/celfyddydau/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARArsyNZJwSkRDKJCBodUij-g5TKvMdRK1Sl_wB21AR7qN2GbuNwYPcappJqjppeEBt7r2ecKkG38pKMGjrgoYsYRcfqSfUcHO4kMzWikr32gYBciMtJ9Sg5EAHu4ONUl3fXL5sn_S3vhsTyc38TzcbZKyKCpq6NnW4dLs4auEL87rWbr_cRdGbb6Rr9vcxRqL3617CGSeIH_mLcgeG0kRZ680QrT2A54Qu5yVNpaD9l4RiLq4H-g6BVWCAvQiZ-oRl88gO870ZuH9HAOxNdh82aj9tjLWZSHffha0AkR_5sEc29HV538ymeda_tXw4zJbAlfDu4Spi3a5r1P-MrLZ9pfA&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARA42suZpd-ucKgsHu9UM3-aJmWLtnG1CpwChzd8PDj_YeF42hH3vldXURW6gLIMWbPGwsRbmxt6i_DITvyvIk-22biKOTthRkLW1aLNUuLlhQSGBs27__qhRiZK9QeiWDWVn-wcYK3xIgQy5K-lNNfH9Z_goqfLXrg_GNSoA7Xn8zcA7z1uoqce77ebWSmfpMp36j8nMA9o9QiDM0D9UvfL5CALk-wNIZS2DPKLx20ZlmY0G9uer0EFEwpkDWOwVxXbk-a4Pj_46ex5kKttHQooYvgr9oLYxL-wfah3PzdzseWe5fo1eb3qlfzxO_TA9RICcXB7L8YPSPpjZGI6mE0KVw&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARAd4-GcuvLNGCEdBNP_nmR7CNYIcf8wgvRSvXLtnVdLPDfWcQmElGPVRgKy4p6TzOKaINqgtl81FmKa&fref=mentions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales</a> and is commissioned by the Romani Cultural and Arts Company’</span></p>
Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Wagtail 2019, 160 cm x 59 cm x 0.5 cm by Cas Holmes
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-08-03:3152760:BlogPost:289819
2020-08-03T09:13:12.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><span><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196727866?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196727866?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Wagtail</i> 2019, 160 cm x 59 cm x 0.5 cm by Cas Holmes</b></span></p>
<p><span><i>“The artworks in the Pani Kekkavva Triptych are the signature pieces of my Places, Spaces, Traces exhibition for…</i></span></p>
<p><span><b><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196727866?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/7196727866?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></p>
<p><span><b><i>Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Wagtail</i> 2019, 160 cm x 59 cm x 0.5 cm by Cas Holmes</b></span></p>
<p><span><i>“The artworks in the Pani Kekkavva Triptych are the signature pieces of my Places, Spaces, Traces exhibition for the Gypsy Msker 4 project and reflect the idea of family through the image of the ‘kettle’ and the idea of the comfort of Tea. This work shows my Great-Grandparents and is symbolic of the last photographic evidence of my immediate family. The ancient ties to India are represented in the colours and the reclaimed sari materials used in the making of the artwork. The print method employs reclaimed materials such as oil paints retrieved from a bin. My father used oil paints in his signwriting which was his trade alongside decorating. Whilst living in a small house on the outskirts of Maidstone for much of my adult life I may, by any description, be perceived as a ‘settled’ member of my local community however my art practice and lifestyle choice contradicts this. I travel internationality in pursuit of my work and readily continue drawing, stitching and producing pieces as I travel, work and engage with others. I see what I do as being of the world and not as separate from it. Everything is collated and collected as I travel. My way of thinking and my approach to my work is constantly in motion and being challenged by the exchanges that I experience with people and places.”</i> Cas Holmes<i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></p>
<p><span>Cas Holmes’ artwork <i>Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Wagtail</i> brings to our attention some important issues relating to the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller experience. These include a focus on recycling and its increasingly important implications in conserving the world around us but perhaps more significantly the centrality of the idea of family within Gypsy, Roma and Traveller life. The central importance of the family within the Romani consciousness foregrounds a culture of group rather than individualistic emphasis—an idea of collectivism which is expressed by Romani groups through shared community responsibility. This accommodation of collective responsibility is apparent in the way that Romani elders are regarded within the community and the ways in which their perspective is valued in the management of communal and family affairs. Senior members of these communities are referred to as aunt and uncle regardless of any blood relation and the inclusion of their voice of experience contrasts the pervasive culture of youth which dominates the individualistic approach of many Western contemporary societies. This acknowledgement of the value of communal interest and endeavour is grounded in survival strategies (including strength in numbers) which are the legacy of a culture that has been continually required to fight for its existence. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller strategies of collectivism continue to be linked to the situation on the ground, developed as they are in reaction to current and historic experience of prejudice and discrimination. The implementation of said strategies means that despite continued attempts towards assimilation and / or eradication Gypsy, Roma and Traveller populations continue to grow. Dr Daniel Baker</span></p>
<p><span>Gypsy Maker is an innovative, ground-breaking concept devised, owned and developed by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RomaniCulturalAndArtsCompany/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARArsyNZJwSkRDKJCBodUij-g5TKvMdRK1Sl_wB21AR7qN2GbuNwYPcappJqjppeEBt7r2ecKkG38pKMGjrgoYsYRcfqSfUcHO4kMzWikr32gYBciMtJ9Sg5EAHu4ONUl3fXL5sn_S3vhsTyc38TzcbZKyKCpq6NnW4dLs4auEL87rWbr_cRdGbb6Rr9vcxRqL3617CGSeIH_mLcgeG0kRZ680QrT2A54Qu5yVNpaD9l4RiLq4H-g6BVWCAvQiZ-oRl88gO870ZuH9HAOxNdh82aj9tjLWZSHffha0AkR_5sEc29HV538ymeda_tXw4zJbAlfDu4Spi3a5r1P-MrLZ9pfA&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARA42suZpd-ucKgsHu9UM3-aJmWLtnG1CpwChzd8PDj_YeF42hH3vldXURW6gLIMWbPGwsRbmxt6i_DITvyvIk-22biKOTthRkLW1aLNUuLlhQSGBs27__qhRiZK9QeiWDWVn-wcYK3xIgQy5K-lNNfH9Z_goqfLXrg_GNSoA7Xn8zcA7z1uoqce77ebWSmfpMp36j8nMA9o9QiDM0D9UvfL5CALk-wNIZS2DPKLx20ZlmY0G9uer0EFEwpkDWOwVxXbk-a4Pj_46ex5kKttHQooYvgr9oLYxL-wfah3PzdzseWe5fo1eb3qlfzxO_TA9RICcXB7L8YPSPpjZGI6mE0KVw&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARB55FCxl6xYSRViUOlCP9zgLKoHBVs9Yxa6j5HI23qNbrb5vnBGMMWRxKCVnVP6lj4HyoTSyq1_OtWV&fref=mentions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Romani Cultural and Arts Company</a> – the only Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Arts Development organisation in the United Kingdom. This 2020 project is supported by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/celfyddydau/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARArsyNZJwSkRDKJCBodUij-g5TKvMdRK1Sl_wB21AR7qN2GbuNwYPcappJqjppeEBt7r2ecKkG38pKMGjrgoYsYRcfqSfUcHO4kMzWikr32gYBciMtJ9Sg5EAHu4ONUl3fXL5sn_S3vhsTyc38TzcbZKyKCpq6NnW4dLs4auEL87rWbr_cRdGbb6Rr9vcxRqL3617CGSeIH_mLcgeG0kRZ680QrT2A54Qu5yVNpaD9l4RiLq4H-g6BVWCAvQiZ-oRl88gO870ZuH9HAOxNdh82aj9tjLWZSHffha0AkR_5sEc29HV538ymeda_tXw4zJbAlfDu4Spi3a5r1P-MrLZ9pfA&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARA42suZpd-ucKgsHu9UM3-aJmWLtnG1CpwChzd8PDj_YeF42hH3vldXURW6gLIMWbPGwsRbmxt6i_DITvyvIk-22biKOTthRkLW1aLNUuLlhQSGBs27__qhRiZK9QeiWDWVn-wcYK3xIgQy5K-lNNfH9Z_goqfLXrg_GNSoA7Xn8zcA7z1uoqce77ebWSmfpMp36j8nMA9o9QiDM0D9UvfL5CALk-wNIZS2DPKLx20ZlmY0G9uer0EFEwpkDWOwVxXbk-a4Pj_46ex5kKttHQooYvgr9oLYxL-wfah3PzdzseWe5fo1eb3qlfzxO_TA9RICcXB7L8YPSPpjZGI6mE0KVw&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARAd4-GcuvLNGCEdBNP_nmR7CNYIcf8wgvRSvXLtnVdLPDfWcQmElGPVRgKy4p6TzOKaINqgtl81FmKa&fref=mentions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales</a> and is commissioned by the Romani Cultural and Arts Company’</span></p>
Coshtis 2019, by Dan Turner
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-04-13:3152760:BlogPost:288775
2020-04-13T18:45:33.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4413598837?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4413598837?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration</p>
<p>Coshtis 2019, 90 cm x 60 cm x 10 cm, wood, Perspex and foam by Dan Turner</p>
<p>“As an artist, my work has not always been concerned with my heritage although it has always been informed by being born into a family of makers and a vibrant visual and craft based culture. As my practice evolved I slowly came to…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4413598837?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4413598837?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration</p>
<p>Coshtis 2019, 90 cm x 60 cm x 10 cm, wood, Perspex and foam by Dan Turner</p>
<p>“As an artist, my work has not always been concerned with my heritage although it has always been informed by being born into a family of makers and a vibrant visual and craft based culture. As my practice evolved I slowly came to understand I was using some specific aspects of my Romani upbringing within my work. In collecting from the street and taking materials and objects to the studio I felt a unification of what had felt, until then, like two separate parts of myself. I have since gone on to explore more closely areas of Romani and mainstream culture. My current practice looks at how mainstream and Traveller culture have met and interacted historically. I want to use my work to challenge perceptions of Travellers. To achieve this I use transactional objects which are significant to both groups. Examples of these are wagons/carts/photography.” Dan Turner</p>
<p>The kind of objects explored by Turner in relation to his studio practice, and clearly exemplified in his artwork Coshtis, are foundational to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller material culture. Such items are embodiments of what I would call Gypsy visuality—a term which describes the qualities found in artefacts that originate from and/or circulate within Gypsy communities. Such qualities might also be described a Romani ‘style’ or Gypsy aesthetic.</p>
<p>Until recently what might be loosely termed Gypsy art and craft in Britain has generally taken the form of carved and painted objects, examples of which are reflected in a small number of collections around the United Kingdom. These collections show functional artefacts such as tools, toys and vehicles, rather than paintings and drawings or sculptures. Painting and carving are shown instead to ornament functional objects with patterns and motifs that transform them into reflections of social narrative. The main function of these objects has been the enrichment of home and work environments with little interest being paid to the production of ‘art objects’ in their own right. A combination of functionality and ornamentation are common to many of these objects and can be seen as placing artistic practice firmly within the realm of the everyday.</p>
<p>The reasoning behind this integration of artistic practice and everyday life becomes clearer when we consider that, historically, all objects accompanying a nomadic community were required to serve multiple purposes. The resulting need to combine acculturation and artistic nourishment with practicality and expediency persists today within the Gypsy aesthetic—a legacy of nomadism which means that form and function remain intimately connected for the Romani people.</p>
<p>By presenting the clothes pegs in a minimalist manner in his artwork Coshtis, Turner accentuates the hand-crafted and rustic materials and methods employed in the making of the objects. This in turn focuses the mind of the viewer on elements of the artefacts which might otherwise be overlooked thereby allowing greater insight to the objects and the meanings therein. Dr Daniel Baker</p>
Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Bamboo 2019, by Cas Holmes
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-04-13:3152760:BlogPost:289031
2020-04-13T18:42:09.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4413574612?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4413574612?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration</p>
<p>Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Bamboo 2019, 132 cm x 52 cm x 0.5 cm by…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4413574612?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4413574612?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration</p>
<p>Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Bamboo 2019, 132 cm x 52 cm x 0.5 cm by <a class="profileLink" title="Cas Holmes" href="https://www.facebook.com/casholmes?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARBUQCq-amBXx_AfS1lbOoCNi_CD935oJQKs2r9g2mZx_kjqKQNe7nMn-_cFixJ30JnQs62EM279us3z&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCKKQdEEIXMpPqxj6f8T8Sh37WRswE3jfH0x05zx1aXoOy58JJdQZnwJywphBM4lgyQ9CKVyVe_mM1v8qDUqNWx2zS8dBJizq7wzdgjl9_IcSVPjoAQ2mUrBeWcL9XtF81wbGG1NSJ5O5oRZkM63AdNmBYmSRgUbrus59Is1d86F1ZbVwsphQ6EsPZGLoqcxgtOSc70QYdmdel3">Cas Holmes</a></p>
<p>“The places and landscapes I ‘walk through’ are reflected in the imagery and materials I use. The nature of tea, (O-Cha in Japan and Chai in India) for example is a common motive of social gathering. ‘Putting the Kettle on’ a welcome sign of companionship and discussion and symbolic of my personal, creative and cultural growth. Memories of my Grandmother’s house and childhood stories told over a ‘cuppa’ first igniting my imagination and a thriftiness in what I use. Studies in Japan in my early art career laid the foundation for many of the processes and techniques I use in my work. As I matured I began, as Gran would say, to ‘grow into myself’ and found new confidence in drawing upon my Romany cultural background that was often obscured (sometimes through choice to ‘protect’ myself as I found my way through education). Research in India helped with a greater understanding of the roots of my heritage. All of my work uses reclaimed materials including cloth and paper and much of the media I use such as paint or dye is retrieved and salvaged from bins etc wherever I can find it. We have become careless in our care of this shared world.” <a class="profileLink" href="https://www.facebook.com/casholmestextiles/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARA_IRPnNr0T3pF-rRoAPQUb6w2HmsBr-JfREtVuqwN8nvFTsZFUJ_L15tdd2Cu4hdWgWfYe-V9ZZGv_esSWawmJh7mfV8Ea_9uncZQ3RNHOyfxdc2DivAsj3v3cZYOr_7RUGtVceaD6hWbY-x0CUfR22lRo-DGoyqxCuWJpy4b5wP9G3pWILSVAct4k7jLrYFU5DHbOLlDjTSsS&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARCKKQdEEIXMpPqxj6f8T8Sh37WRswE3jfH0x05zx1aXoOy58JJdQZnwJywphBM4lgyQ9CKVyVe_mM1v8qDUqNWx2zS8dBJizq7wzdgjl9_IcSVPjoAQ2mUrBeWcL9XtF81wbGG1NSJ5O5oRZkM63AdNmBYmSRgUbrus59Is1d86F1ZbVwsphQ6EsPZGLoqcxgtOSc70QYdmdel3&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARChnY5nodiVfxPunuCkblU1MmEqS59vUboedwYWDjExWCyjyTySV4c1WtgSPtpKucn5Dtztlp7rYPim&fref=mentions">Cas Holmes Artist</a></p>
<p>Cas Holmes’ artwork Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Bamboo touches upon a number of important aspects of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller experience. The ways in which these communities have historically inhabited the world can be characterised as truly green in terms of living lightly on the land, connectedness to place, a focus on recycling (scrap metal dealing for example) and a shared sense of community responsibility for the spaces that we occupy in the world around us.</p>
<p>Living in tune with the land is implicitly understood and enacted by Romani groups. This is apparent historically in a number of Romani phenomena including cycles of movement precipitated by economic nomadism as in the seasonality of agricultural labour for example. Such a recurring experience of being can be said to contrast the linear notions of temporality that underpin Western histories and have encouraged Romani groups to develop a notion of existence-as-survival attuned to the contingencies of the natural world and the cycles of nature.</p>
<p>Cyclical notions of existence, as exemplified by the concepts of rebirth and karma, are also evident among some Eastern philosophies—a resonance which underpins an awareness of meeting again the consequences of one’s actions as exemplified by seasonality, an alignment with the rhythms of life and nature, and a sensitivity to the fluctuations of such phenomena. The connectedness that results from such attunement to place and time explains the existence of the seasonal stopping places which have long punctuated the Romani calendar and the Romani landscape. These elements along with the shared sense of community responsibility for the land that we inhabit can be said to lay at the heart of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller worldview. Dr Daniel Baker</p>
Cosh 2019, by Dan Turner
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-03-30:3152760:BlogPost:288820
2020-03-30T13:10:05.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4274925441?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4274925441?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration</p>
<p>Cosh 2019, 90 cm x 60 cm x 10 cm, wood, Perspex and foam by Dan Turner</p>
<p>“My work has become not only a journey to learn about my own culture, but also a way to integrate my identity and my art practice. I am interested in how human life can be defined and archived through made objects. I want to explore how…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4274925441?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4274925441?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration</p>
<p>Cosh 2019, 90 cm x 60 cm x 10 cm, wood, Perspex and foam by Dan Turner</p>
<p>“My work has become not only a journey to learn about my own culture, but also a way to integrate my identity and my art practice. I am interested in how human life can be defined and archived through made objects. I want to explore how these objects communicate across timelines through a shared 'material' culture, and how they articulate that culture to a wider audience. In relation to the Romany community, I include transactional objects such as pegs, wooden or paper flowers in this category. In these works, I have re-valued these objects as works of art, in the way they are exhibited and the context in which they are shown. In reassessing their value to both Traveller and non-Traveller, I hope to establish a balanced dialogue, not one simply based on approbation without interpretation or understanding.” Dan Turner</p>
<p>Dan Turner’s artwork Cosh highlights the role of the traditional within the contemporary. By bringing together key elements from fields including traditional Romani artistic practice, rural craft and the contemporary art aesthetic Turner generates questions about the differing ways that we can encounter objects and how those ways inform our interpretation of their meaning—and therefore our understanding of them. Presenting objects in unexpected ways allows us to see them from a fresh perspective which in turn makes room for wider associations. Such associations can lift them from their usual range of reference to areas that would otherwise be closed to them thus allowing the viewer to make new connections with the artworks and the questions that they generate.</p>
<p>The image of the flower remains an important iconographical element for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups. Within the Gypsy aesthetic the flower can be seen to represent associations with the countryside, nature and wildlife thereby acting as a symbol of freedom and liberty. These associations continue to be important for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in the light of historic and ongoing discrimination, along with past and existing legislation that is intended to limit the ability of such groups to follow a traditional lifestyle.</p>
<p>The carefully crafted flowers Turner presents within this artwork have historically been made not only to adorn the living spaces of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller homes (the home and its décor being the main site of traditional Romani artistic practice and appreciation) but also to sell to make a living. The integration of such artistry within Gypsy, Roma and Traveller economic practice points to a kind of innovative creativity which has long been a defining factor within the Romani economy and our interactions with non-Romani communities—a factor which fuels the questions at the heart of Turner’s practice. The re-contextualisation of traditional Romani art within contemporary art modes of presentation and interpretation can allow greater insight into these questions. Dr Daniel Baker</p>
<p><span>Gypsy Maker is an innovative, ground-breaking concept devised, owned and developed by the</span> <a class="profileLink" href="https://www.facebook.com/RomaniCulturalAndArtsCompany/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARAKQ5Gmio-5vXJajsSrFM5DEKoy9JBOQ7TUw87068GyQvYGt16_eb2j1TN7FqtHUBx8gcO8ro9HQ0zMi4JVPgcSzk63mv-rrw_OSF9eLGwmfp4TY0NGgr9mo47o0It9b4vdxfR2SAWZG6gQ9cp_Jt86f3hkzo1rd2BOzahDoogldPe9WUFJMIopW9oi1HWcugXFqBPmmNDT8mn8z-y0dx4xVroYrfyaULg_WOsqxmGpmaTwsTHTKOBvSm4l9ZeVriFiAvxsyS4NgnUMg1OllDHLtvHJgCwdiyqXPcF0PMLfiaL3vkcLfi-Y_eFj6Q3Z_bWbYkDqZSA05mKDH-V9FMK8hQ&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARDzNdq9kODMi8zMfS0_To13TrUpSF-cgLFAqJmXR-UFjQISuaqznB_d09FNFsHj78fo4fLPLDbg3dl6obFrGCaBxnuyplhA25j81LGZW25vFssWt4Ff3cP0Bhc36gGfUqhbwTKEHL3XO60mu3DFWi0r2fGhP7rn939qtzgSfci4hdtjv5YKuSdSjRmbTUzQYReQC2fE58RDAzQ_kZzdhZszTaARrn_2DH4ZnqrXVmPzNQ-KAixbrylYIfLSI2P_XdhfKKHtSKL33SU5Ur-OXV53WXNzhgf_VQqHnxVDDcgDHz-Rn34nMMHeYzKIvxDjO3pw5oKI1c01OPbspLF-Q2gy_w&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARAYXxa24TrUhE18TrD_CKKIj08VVqKPblN71V1czPSNiKicOaUsbTeNLKHsx1Ek-LySLRopH_02guB_&fref=mentions">Romani Cultural and Arts Company</a> <span>– the only Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Arts Development organisation in the United Kingdom. This 2020 project is supported by</span> <a class="profileLink" href="https://www.facebook.com/celfyddydau/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARAKQ5Gmio-5vXJajsSrFM5DEKoy9JBOQ7TUw87068GyQvYGt16_eb2j1TN7FqtHUBx8gcO8ro9HQ0zMi4JVPgcSzk63mv-rrw_OSF9eLGwmfp4TY0NGgr9mo47o0It9b4vdxfR2SAWZG6gQ9cp_Jt86f3hkzo1rd2BOzahDoogldPe9WUFJMIopW9oi1HWcugXFqBPmmNDT8mn8z-y0dx4xVroYrfyaULg_WOsqxmGpmaTwsTHTKOBvSm4l9ZeVriFiAvxsyS4NgnUMg1OllDHLtvHJgCwdiyqXPcF0PMLfiaL3vkcLfi-Y_eFj6Q3Z_bWbYkDqZSA05mKDH-V9FMK8hQ&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARDzNdq9kODMi8zMfS0_To13TrUpSF-cgLFAqJmXR-UFjQISuaqznB_d09FNFsHj78fo4fLPLDbg3dl6obFrGCaBxnuyplhA25j81LGZW25vFssWt4Ff3cP0Bhc36gGfUqhbwTKEHL3XO60mu3DFWi0r2fGhP7rn939qtzgSfci4hdtjv5YKuSdSjRmbTUzQYReQC2fE58RDAzQ_kZzdhZszTaARrn_2DH4ZnqrXVmPzNQ-KAixbrylYIfLSI2P_XdhfKKHtSKL33SU5Ur-OXV53WXNzhgf_VQqHnxVDDcgDHz-Rn34nMMHeYzKIvxDjO3pw5oKI1c01OPbspLF-Q2gy_w&__tn__=K-R&eid=ARDt63nq6COdltunP6z9sJ_d01huzsW5Ze-wGNyD4y1pwyyL8bywIGPP7r3LmMYcniApn0LMivM-mtOG&fref=mentions">Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru | Arts Council of Wales</a> <span>and is commissioned by the Romani Cultural and Arts Company’</span></p>
Gypsy Maker 4 Artwork Narration
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-03-27:3152760:BlogPost:288676
2020-03-27T10:09:04.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4244545270?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4244545270?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Rose 2019, 160 cm x 59 cm x 0.5 cm by Cas Holmes</p>
<p>“The works I produced for Gypsy Maker4 are influenced by the time that I have had to reflect on my Romany heritage. I am interested in the commonalities we all share as people, the need for a place of our own, and for family and food. With migration, and changes in our…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4244545270?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4244545270?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Rose 2019, 160 cm x 59 cm x 0.5 cm by Cas Holmes</p>
<p>“The works I produced for Gypsy Maker4 are influenced by the time that I have had to reflect on my Romany heritage. I am interested in the commonalities we all share as people, the need for a place of our own, and for family and food. With migration, and changes in our working lives with increasing opportunities to travel, our certainty about who we are and where we fit in is unsure. Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Rose represents my fraternal Grandmother, Mary Cunningham and her family. She always had Roses in her garden. She was born in Newport, Wales at one of the traditional Romany ‘Stopping Places’”. <a class="profileLink" title="Cas Holmes" href="https://www.facebook.com/casholmes?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARB4xZePScSp-hTQ6uSnslXyLrShF108M9Qb0uI5OtykCiyfb-4jEQAiR4-K_5ZRYoopMGuutOBb5RRX&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCzXsFBRO43NeFzp-ogOw-2tK9e1206k_W9FsPgfiYQoehn9MWnXAQaq9qF66lertpUlv1lbNsc6ulqh6gdck5cdwiFKz86StWwoDzbnqQlsGSVcycJwcdDbwtakuXTjffvrEeitrRlEFCsML0pastiUmfaKzCx3qk10K_4Q9uqepJHPd4rwPNvrr98npSWmgDVZOIvwEPNvky0">Cas Holmes</a></p>
<p>Cas Holmes’ artwork Pani Kekkavva (Kettle) Rose draws together a number of elements that are widely evident within Romani visuality. These include the depiction of flora, the innovative use textiles and the photographic image. My research into the Gypsy aesthetic looks at the ways in which particular preoccupations and modes of making within Romani visual culture narrate the experience and the concerns of wider international Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.</p>
<p>Representations of flora and fauna and the paraphernalia of rural life denote an affinity with seasonal phenomena, cyclicality and wildlife to draw associations with nature and freedom. These qualities remain important within the Romani self image and are the result, it could be said, of a history of nomadic lifestyles which either by choice of by economic necessity have underpinned the experience of the majority of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups worldwide. The roses depicted within Holmes’ artwork point toward the continued resonance of such iconography with Romani visual culture and also serve to emphasis the use of such symbols with the décor of Romani homes.</p>
<p>Domestic life is frequently reflected within Romani artistic practice which often displays through its iconography and/or manufacture elements which mark the infrastructures of family life and community. Not only does the use of stitch and textile within this artwork denote the domestic artistic practices common within Romani households, but the image of the kettle draws us again to the importance of community and familial bonds which remain so important within Gypsy, Roma and Traveller worldviews.</p>
<p>The skilfully oblique representations of the photographic image that Holmes employs within this artwork tell of our hunger for pictures of our community. At the same time they echo a fascination with the photographic image for its depiction of the people and landscapes that support Romani family histories and cultural narratives. Such narrative pictorial accounts also perform another vital function—by revealing existing and also generating new visual histories they not only expose Gypsy, Roma and Traveller exclusions from established national and international narratives but also move to establish our own alternative record. Dr Daniel Baker</p>
UK CHILDREN’S COMPETITION SUMMER 2020
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-03-26:3152760:BlogPost:288668
2020-03-26T13:31:30.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4235289531?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4235289531?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>UK CHILDREN’S COMPETITION SUMMER 2020</p>
<p>1st Prize: £50 vouchers, 2nd prize: £30 vouchers, 3rd prize £15 voucher, 4th prize £5 voucher</p>
<p>This competition is open to all ages up to 16.</p>
<p>CREATE A SAFETY POSTER FOR GYPSIES, ROMA & TRAVELLERS- to help Gypsies, Roma and Travellers keep themselves safe from coronavirus</p>
<p>The…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4235289531?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4235289531?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>UK CHILDREN’S COMPETITION SUMMER 2020</p>
<p>1st Prize: £50 vouchers, 2nd prize: £30 vouchers, 3rd prize £15 voucher, 4th prize £5 voucher</p>
<p>This competition is open to all ages up to 16.</p>
<p>CREATE A SAFETY POSTER FOR GYPSIES, ROMA & TRAVELLERS- to help Gypsies, Roma and Travellers keep themselves safe from coronavirus</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RomaniCulturalAndArtsCompany/?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARARwN-7ChgUjmIcZSVZJQeBCOIfpolpb9SGF29b5SN9NrBFwGSSH8od2Mac8oZHPEE4-zC5JfzooU6S&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCSZBtEOpvX7UO13ufScQt437vmYIcMMEustv3oDHnICmv6QYWbE2CCm2jNvVBQdkym2ZS3BYo4hC8vq7hoeTFA__uf9JaW91nyLxV1tKQvm2wwUDw8O-m1uGEwinFWhGFlqXAKrmF7u7qUJoHDoy1ReNDualzFEDZtcu_wWoq9L2pnkmh8cPpTo46b7pVMWZAjPXDP07UtdflM">Romani Cultural and Arts Company</a> will be looking for interesting designs which are colourful and have a Gypsy, Roma & Traveller theme and / or element to them.</p>
<p>Take a high resolution photograph of the poster and get an adult to email this photo with your name, age and contact phone number (in case you win) to: <a href="mailto:competition@romaniarts.co.uk">competition@romaniarts.co.uk</a></p>
<p>THE DEADLINE IS 3pm on 31st May 2020</p>
Gypsy Maker 4 at g39
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-01-29:3152760:BlogPost:288436
2020-01-29T14:08:07.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3838916497?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3838916497?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>An evening of talks and discussion with Isaac Blake, Cas Holmes, Dan Turner and Daniel Baker </strong></p>
<p><strong>Date</strong>: Saturday 23rd May 2020 (6pm-8pm)</p>
<p><strong>Venue</strong>: g39 Oxford St, CARDIFF CF24 3DT – FREE ADMISSIOM</p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce an evening of…</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3838916497?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3838916497?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>An evening of talks and discussion with Isaac Blake, Cas Holmes, Dan Turner and Daniel Baker </strong></p>
<p><strong>Date</strong>: Saturday 23rd May 2020 (6pm-8pm)</p>
<p><strong>Venue</strong>: g39 Oxford St, CARDIFF CF24 3DT – FREE ADMISSIOM</p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce an evening of talks and discussion in conjunction with g39. The event takes place to mark the end of the tour of new works by the artists Cas Holmes and Dan Turner. These exciting exhibitions of newly commissioned artworks are the latest in the RCAC’s groundbreaking Gypsy Maker project—an initiative that supports the development of innovative works by established and emerging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists. The Gypsy Maker project expands the work of the RCAC by continuing to engage GRT communities and the wider public in ongoing dialogue about the ways in which art continues to inform the lives of individuals and communities today. </p>
<p>Cas Holmes trained in fine art and currently works with textiles and mixed media. She is the author of several books for Batsford Publications including Stitch Stories (2015) and Textile Landscape: Painting with Cloth (2018). The transient nature of Holmes’ work and process underpins her compulsion to engage with our built and natural landscapes—with people and place.</p>
<p><em>‘The opportunity to work with and be mentored by the Gypsy Maker 4 project allows me to pause to reflect on my identity and mixed heritage. With migration, changes in our working lives and increasing opportunities to travel, certainties about who we are and our place in the world are in flux</em>.’ Cas Holmes</p>
<p>Dan Turner is an artist and educator. A Romani Gypsy, born in Dartford, Kent, Turner attended St Martins School of Art where he studied Sculpture. His work has recently appeared in FUTUROMA at the Venice Biennale in 2019. By using Transactional Objects which have significance across cultures, Turner examines how Gypsy, Roma and Traveller cultures meet and interact with the dominant culture. </p>
<p><em>‘Working with the RCAC on its Gypsy Maker project provides a unique opportunity that is rarely available, especially to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups. Its approach of tirelessly commissioning ground breaking work and projects has helped promote understanding about GRT communities. In the process it has changed people’s lives, including mine.’</em> Dan Turner</p>
<p>Isaac Blake is Executive Director of the Romani Cultural & Arts Company in Cardiff, UK, which is supported by a variety of major funders and government departments. RCAC is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. He is a proud Romani Gypsy and has worked as a professional dancer and choreographer. Isaac was Dance Curator to the RomArchive the <em>international</em> digital archive for art of the Roma. </p>
<p><em>“I am proud once again to provide a platform for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists to showcase the best of our community’s culture and heritage. The resulting work from Gypsy Maker 4 is illuminating and I know that my community and the wider public will benefit enormously from it.”</em></p>
<p>Daniel Baker is a Romani Gypsy born in Kent, UK in 1961. An artist, curator and theorist, he holds a PhD on the subject of Gypsy aesthetics from the Royal College of Art, London. Baker curated FUTUROMA at the 58th International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale 2019. Publications include We Roma: A Critical Reader in Contemporary Art (2013) and Ex Libris (2009). Baker‘s work can be found in collections worldwide. </p>
<p><em>“The pioneering work of the Romani Cultural and Arts Company in supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists is unparalleled. Their Gypsy Maker project is unique worldwide in commissioning new bodies of work by GRT artists thereby enabling the production of new knowledge from an underrepresented group and thus making a valuable contribution to international contemporary art and cultural discourse.”</em> Dr Daniel Baker</p>
<p>By attending this event you accept that you will be filmed and photographed and these images will be used for publicity purposes.</p>
<p>Book at Eventbrite: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gypsy-maker-4-at-g39-tickets-91990452921?utm_term=eventurl_text">Eventbrite</a></p>
Meet-the-Artist
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2020-01-29:3152760:BlogPost:288170
2020-01-29T13:59:02.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3838907473?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3838907473?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Romani Cultural and Arts Company Meet-the-Artist Workshops at the Riverfront Gallery</strong></p>
<p><strong>February 17th – 18th 2020</strong></p>
<p>The RCAC is very pleased to offer free Meet-the-Artist Workshopsin conjunction with Cas Holmes’ new exhibition <em>Places, Spaces, Traces</em> at the Riverfront Gallery…</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3838907473?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3838907473?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Romani Cultural and Arts Company Meet-the-Artist Workshops at the Riverfront Gallery</strong></p>
<p><strong>February 17th – 18th 2020</strong></p>
<p>The RCAC is very pleased to offer free Meet-the-Artist Workshopsin conjunction with Cas Holmes’ new exhibition <em>Places, Spaces, Traces</em> at the Riverfront Gallery Newport</p>
<p>The artist will be available from 1 – 3pm on Feb 17th and 10.30am – 12.30pm and 1 – 3pm on Feb 18th </p>
<p>The artist Cas Holmes’ will focus on ideas of identity and place. What would we miss if we had to leave our ‘home’ and move to another place or country for example? The sessions will encourage participants to think about what it is that connects us to location and home and how these form part of who we are. Participants will have the opportunity to explore these ideas in discussion with the artist and contribute to small collaborative artworks using drawing, text and stitch. The workshops will take place against the backdrop of Holmes’ exhibition of newly commissioned artworks <em>Places, Spaces, Traces</em> in the Riverfront gallery space. The workshops are suitable for individuals and family groups with children aged 10 and over. Please note that these workshops are not suitable for unaccompanied children.</p>
<p>Cas Holmes trained in fine art and currently works with textiles and mixed media. She is the author of several books for Batsford Publications including Stitch Stories (2015) and Textile Landscape: Painting with Cloth (2018). As part of her practice Holmes works on community collaborations developing a range of projects based on environmental themes from the natural and observed world. The transient nature of Holmes’ work and process underpins her compulsion to engage with our built and natural landscapes—with people and place. The overlooked details of daily life which reveal commonalities across communities continue to inform her particular take on the world.</p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce a new exhibition of works by the artist Cas Holmes. This exciting installation of specially commissioned artworks is the latest in our groundbreaking Gypsy Maker project—an initiative that supports the development of innovative works by established and emerging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists. The Gypsy Maker project expands the work of the RCAC by continuing to engage GRT communities with the wider public in ongoing dialogue about the ways in which art continues to inform the lives of individuals and communities today. </p>
<p><strong>Cas Holmes’ Exhibition <em>Places, Spaces, Traces</em> opens 17th February to 14th March 2020</strong></p>
<p><strong>The Riverfront, Kingsway, Newport NP20 1HG </strong></p>
<p><strong>FREE ADMISSIOM – Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm </strong></p>
Traveller Communities – Step Beyond the Stereotype. A discussion and networking event about representation and portrayal.
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2019-12-11:3152760:BlogPost:287727
2019-12-11T21:04:58.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<h2><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3765725264?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3765725264?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></h2>
<h2>About this Event</h2>
<p><strong>Date</strong>: 21st January 2020 (7:30 PM – 9:00 PM)</p>
<p><strong>Venue</strong>: Young Vic Theatre 66 The Cut London SE1 8LZ</p>
<p>In close collaboration with <em>Young Vic Taking Part</em>, Equity is delighted to be hosting an evening panel discussion to focus on good practice in the representation and…</p>
<h2><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3765725264?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3765725264?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></h2>
<h2>About this Event</h2>
<p><strong>Date</strong>: 21st January 2020 (7:30 PM – 9:00 PM)</p>
<p><strong>Venue</strong>: Young Vic Theatre 66 The Cut London SE1 8LZ</p>
<p>In close collaboration with <em>Young Vic Taking Part</em>, Equity is delighted to be hosting an evening panel discussion to focus on good practice in the representation and portrayal of Gypsy, Romany and Traveller (GRT) people and communities. </p>
<p>GRT people and communities have become misunderstood and feared in part as a result of media portrayal reflective of deep-rooted stereotypes and prejudice.</p>
<p>As part of the <em>Young Vic Taking Part</em> initiative to develop the writing for performance skills and experience of young Travellers, this event will provide a wide range of perspective for writers, directors and producers on developing their practice and approach to featuring GRT lives as part of their work.</p>
<p><strong>Panellists</strong></p>
<p>Alessandra Davidson (Assistant Director, Young Vic Taking Part Traveller project)</p>
<p>Richard O’Neill (Internationally acclaimed author, playwright and storyteller)</p>
<p>Isaac Blake (Romani Cultural and Arts Company) </p>
<p>Suzanna King (Friends, Families and Travellers. Author of <em>Crystal’s Vardo)</em></p>
<p><strong>Doors open for drinks at 6.45pm</strong></p>
<p><strong>Panel discussion starts at 7.30pm</strong></p>
<p>Book at Eventbrite: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/traveller-communities-step-beyond-the-stereotype-tickets-83833661739">Eventbrite</a></p>
The Romani Cultural and Arts Company proud - RomArchive wins prestigious award
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2019-11-25:3152760:BlogPost:287809
2019-11-25T13:52:28.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p class=""><font class="" face="HelveticaNeue"><span class=""><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2999438813?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2999438813?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></span></font></p>
<p class=""><font class="" face="HelveticaNeue"><span class="">Paris, 29 October 2019 – The winners of the 2019 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, Europe’s top honour in the field, were celebrated</span> with the Grande Soirée du Patrimoine Européen at the recently…</font></p>
<p class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" class=""><span class=""><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2999438813?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2999438813?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></span></font></p>
<p class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" class=""><span class="">Paris, 29 October 2019 – The winners of the 2019 European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards, Europe’s top honour in the field, were celebrated</span> with the Grande Soirée du Patrimoine Européen at the recently restored Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. On this occasion, Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra, announced the 7 Grand Prix laureates.<font color="#666666" class=""> </font><a href="https://www.europanostra.org/2019-grand-prix-winners-announced/" class="">The Grand Prix</a><font color="#666666" class=""> </font>winners were selected by a jury of experts and the Board of Europa Nostra from among this year’s 25 winning achievements.</font></p>
<p class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" class=""><span class="">Under the category ‘Research’ the RomArchive – Digital Archive of the Roma won the prize</span>. RomArchive is an international digital archive for Romani arts – a growing collection of art of all types, complemented by historical documents and scholarly texts. The archive enables the Roma to reclaim and form the narrative around their community.</font></p>
<p class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" class="">Isaac Blake led a team of academics and researchers in collating appropriate items and artefacts for the RomArchive. While “hegemonic” archives have almost exclusively portrayed Roma in stereotypical ways, RomArchive focuses on their self-representation: New narratives will emerge, reflecting the heterogeneity of the Roma’s diverse national and cultural identities. The wealth of their artistic and cultural production – tightly interwoven with that of Europe as a whole, centuries old, lively and varied to this very day – will become visible and publicly accessible. This way, the project seeks to counter persistent stereotypes and deep-seated prejudices. RomArchive is thus addressed not only to Europe’s largest minority, but also to Europe’s social majorities.</font></p>
<p class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" class="">Isaac Blake, Director of the Romani Cultural and Arts Company says: “I am very proud that we were key leaders in the<font color="#666666" class=""> </font><a href="https://www.romarchive.eu/en/" class="">RomArchive</a><font color="#666666" class=""> </font>and developed a significant contribution through our<font color="#666666" class=""> </font><a href="https://www.romarchive.eu/en/dance/" class="">Dance Archive</a><font color="#666666" class="">.</font> This is a far-reaching piece of work.”</font></p>
<p class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" class="">Nick Capaldi, Chief Executive of the<font color="#666666" class=""> </font><a href="https://arts.wales/" class="">Arts Council of Wales</a><font color="#666666" class=""> </font>says “Culture is strengthened by the diverse experience and creativity of all sections of contemporary society. In spite of globalisation – perhaps because of it – we find ourselves living in an increasingly fractured society where all too often we can seem small‑minded, mean‑spirited and ill at ease with ourselves. The RomArchive initiative provides an important and timely reminder of the dynamism of the Roma traditions. A tolerant and fair society recognises the creativity of all its citizens. We warmly recognise this celebration of the creativity and identity of an often ignored community.” </font></p>
<p class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" class="">Jane Hutt, Deputy Minister and Chief Whip and whose work covers the Romani community said, “Congratulations to the Romani Cultural and Arts Company for the excellent work they’ve undertaken in Wales and across Europe in the development of RomArchive. Promoting the works of Welsh Romani’s such as Howell Wood is an excellent way of showcasing the contributions of the community. The arts help us to celebrate diversity and break down feelings of distrust, ignorance and prejudice; they have a vital role in creating a fairer, more equal and more tolerant society.</font></p>
<p class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" class="">“Last June,<font color="#666666" class=""> </font><a href="https://gov.wales/" class="">Welsh Government</a><font color="#666666" class=""> </font>published its ‘Enabling Gypsies, Roma and Travellers’ Plan which seeks to tackle some of the fundamental injustices faced by these communities. The publication of this Plan reinforces our commitment to improving equality, providing opportunities and narrowing the gaps experienced by Gypsies, Roma and Travellers across Wales.”</font></p>
<div class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" class="">Europa Nostra’s press release: </font><font face="HelveticaNeue" class=""><span class=""><a href="https://www.europanostra.org/2019-grand-prix-winners-announced/" class="">https://www.europanostra.org/2019-grand-prix-winners-announced/</a></span></font></div>
<div class=""></div>
<div class=""><span class="">RomArchive Dance section: </span><a href="https://www.romarchive.eu/en/dance/" class="">https://www.romarchive.eu/en/dance/</a></div>
Cas Holmes’ ‘Places, Spaces, Traces’
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2019-10-15:3152760:BlogPost:286771
2019-10-15T16:56:59.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3663639914?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3663639914?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>An Arts Council of Wales funded project gets the green light</strong></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce a new exhibition of works by the artist Cas Holmes. This exciting installation of specially commissioned artworks is the latest in our groundbreaking Gypsy Maker project—an initiative that…</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3663639914?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3663639914?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>An Arts Council of Wales funded project gets the green light</strong></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce a new exhibition of works by the artist Cas Holmes. This exciting installation of specially commissioned artworks is the latest in our groundbreaking Gypsy Maker project—an initiative that supports the development of innovative works by established and emerging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists. The Gypsy Maker project expands the work of the RCAC by continuing to engage GRT communities with the wider public in ongoing dialogue about the ways in which art continues to inform the lives of individuals and communities today. </p>
<p>Cas Holmes trained in fine art and currently works with textiles and mixed media. She is the author of several books for Batsford Publications including Stitch Stories (2015) and Textile Landscape: Painting with Cloth (2018). As part of her practice Holmes works on community collaborations developing a range of projects based on environmental themes from the natural and observed world. The transient nature of Holmes’ work and process underpins her compulsion to engage with our built and natural landscapes—with people and place. The overlooked details of daily life which reveal commonalities across communities continue to inform her particular take on the world.</p>
<p><em>‘The opportunity to work with and be mentored by the Gypsy Maker 4 project allows me to pause to reflect on my identity and mixed heritage. With migration, changes in our working lives and increasing opportunities to travel, certainties about who we are and our place in the world is in flux.’ Cas Holmes</em></p>
<p><em>‘We are excited at hosting The Romani Cultural and Arts Company’s Gypsy Maker 4 exhibitions at The Riverfront and the prospect of engaging further with our local and regional audiences as well as showcasing the innovative work of both Cas Holmes and Dan Turner.’ Alan Dear, Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre</em>.</p>
<p><em>‘Here at RUG we are very pleased to exhibit new artworks by Cas Holmes and Dan Turner as part of the Gypsy Maker 4 project. We look forward to expanding the reach of the works and our gallery through this collaboration with The Romani Cultural & Arts Company in 2020.’ John Abell, Director, RUG.</em></p>
<p><em>‘We at Art in the Attic, The Robert Maskrey Gallery are very pleased to be curating such a prestigious exhibition as Gypsy Maker 4, here in the Rhondda Valleys. We look forward to engaging with the artists and a successful cultural event.’ Anne Culverhouse Evans, Valleys Kids, The Factory.</em></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company invites you to see the works and meet the artist at the opening of this new exhibition by Cas Holmes.</p>
<p><strong>Exhibitions of Cas Holmes’s work will be at the following venues between these dates:</strong></p>
<p>The Riverfront Kingsway, Newport NP20 1HG – FREE ADMISSIOM – Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm</p>
<div class="wp-block-file"><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/15th-February-to-16th-March-2020-Riverfront-Cas-Holmes-press-release.pdf">15th-February-to-16th-March-2020-Riverfront-Cas-Holmes-press-release</a><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/15th-February-to-16th-March-2020-Riverfront-Cas-Holmes-press-release.pdf" class="wp-block-file__button">Download</a></div>
<p>RUG Unit 16, Ground Floor, Capital Centre, Queen Street,Cardiff, CF10 2HQ FREE ADMISSIOM – Monday to Sunday 12pm – 6pm</p>
<div class="wp-block-file"><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21st-March-to-18th-April-2020-RUG-Cas-Holmes-press-release-151019.pdf">21st-March-to-18th-April-2020-RUG-Cas-Holmes-press-release-151019</a><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21st-March-to-18th-April-2020-RUG-Cas-Holmes-press-release-151019.pdf" class="wp-block-file__button">Download</a></div>
<p>The Factory Jenkin Street, Porth, CF39 9PP – FREE ADMISSIOM – Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm</p>
<div class="wp-block-file"><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/27th-April-to-22nd-May-2020-%E2%80%93-Factory-Cas-Holmes-press-release-121019.pdf">27th-April-to-22nd-May-2020 – Factory-Cas-Holmes-press-release-121019</a><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/27th-April-to-22nd-May-2020-%E2%80%93-Factory-Cas-Holmes-press-release-121019.pdf" class="wp-block-file__button">Download</a></div>
<div class="wp-block-file"></div>
<p>Image: Detail of work in progress © Cas Holmes 2019</p>
Dan Turners’ ‘TAN’
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2019-10-15:3152760:BlogPost:286946
2019-10-15T16:48:08.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3663624256?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3663624256?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>An Arts Council of Wales funded project gets the green light</strong></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce a new exhibition of works by the artist Dan Turner. This exciting installation of specially commissioned artworks is the latest in our groundbreaking Gypsy Maker project—an initiative that…</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3663624256?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3663624256?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>An Arts Council of Wales funded project gets the green light</strong></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce a new exhibition of works by the artist Dan Turner. This exciting installation of specially commissioned artworks is the latest in our groundbreaking Gypsy Maker project—an initiative that supports the development of innovative works by established and emerging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists. The Gypsy Maker project expands the work of the RCAC by continuing to engage GRT communities with the wider public in ongoing dialogue about the ways in which art continues to inform the lives of individuals and communities today. </p>
<p>Dan Turner is an artist and educator. A Romani Gypsy, born in Dartford, Kent, Turner achieved a BA Hons Degree in Sculpture from St Martins School of Art. His work recently appeared in FUTUROMA at the Venice Biennale in 2019. By using Transactional Objects which have significance across cultures, Turner examines how Gypsy, Roma and Traveller cultures meet and interact with the dominant culture. Working with migration maps of Roma diasporas and using traditional crafts and occupations such as peg and wooden flower making, and fortune telling Turner re-imagines Roma past, present and future to challenge mainstream culture’s view of our Roma identities.</p>
<p><em>‘Working with the RCAC on its Gypsy Maker project provides a unique opportunity that is rarely available, especially to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups. Its approach of tirelessly commissioning ground breaking work and projects has helped promote understanding about GRT communities. In the process it has changed people’s lives, including mine.’</em> <em>Dan Turner</em></p>
<p><em>‘We are excited at hosting The Romani Cultural and Arts Company’s Gypsy Maker 4 exhibitions at The Riverfront and the prospect of engaging further with our local and regional audiences as well as showcasing the innovative work of both Cas Holmes and Dan Turner.’ Alan Dear, Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre</em>.</p>
<p><em>‘Here at RUG we are very pleased to exhibit new artworks by Cas Holmes and Dan Turner as part of the Gypsy Maker 4 project. We look forward to expanding the reach of the works and our gallery through this collaboration with The Romani Cultural & Arts Company in 2020.’ John Abell, Director, RUG.</em></p>
<p><em>‘We at Art in the Attic, The Robert Maskrey Gallery are very pleased to be curating such a prestigious exhibition as Gypsy Maker 4, here in the Rhondda Valleys. We look forward to engaging with the artists and a successful cultural event.’ Anne Culverhouse Evans, Valleys Kids, The Factory.</em></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company invites you to see the works and meet the artist at the opening of this new exhibition Dan Turner.</p>
<p><strong>Exhibitions of</strong> <em><strong>Dan Turner</strong></em><strong>’s work will be at the following venues between these dates:</strong></p>
<p>The Riverfront Kingsway, Newport NP20 1HG – FREE ADMISSIOM – Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm</p>
<div class="wp-block-file"><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/15th-February-to-16th-March-2020-Riverfront-press-release.pdf">15th February to 16th March 2020 – Riverfront press release</a><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/15th-February-to-16th-March-2020-Riverfront-press-release.pdf" class="wp-block-file__button">Download</a></div>
<p>RUG Unit 16, Ground Floor, Capital Centre, Queen Street,Cardiff, CF10 2HQ FREE ADMISSIOM – Monday to Sunday 12pm – 6pm</p>
<div class="wp-block-file"><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21st-March-to-18th-April-2020-RUG-press-release.pdf">21st March to 18th April 2020 – RUG press release</a><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21st-March-to-18th-April-2020-RUG-press-release.pdf" class="wp-block-file__button">Download</a></div>
<p>The Factory Jenkin Street, Porth, CF39 9PP – FREE ADMISSIOM – Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm</p>
<div class="wp-block-file"><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/27th-April-to-22nd-May-2020-Factory-Dan-Turner-press-release-121019.pdf">27th April to 22nd May 2020 – Factory press release</a><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/27th-April-to-22nd-May-2020-Factory-Dan-Turner-press-release-121019.pdf" class="wp-block-file__button">Download</a></div>
<div class="wp-block-file"></div>
<p>Image: ‘I have travelled long roads and met lucky people’ © Dan Turner 2019</p>
Gypsy Maker 4
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2019-10-15:3152760:BlogPost:286887
2019-10-15T16:24:59.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2999382945?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2999382945?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>Under my leadership, The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce that an Arts Council of Wales funded project gets the green light.</p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce two new exhibitions of works by the artists Cas Holmes and Dan Turner. This exciting installation of specially commissioned artworks is…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2999382945?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2999382945?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Under my leadership, The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce that an Arts Council of Wales funded project gets the green light.</p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company is proud to announce two new exhibitions of works by the artists Cas Holmes and Dan Turner. This exciting installation of specially commissioned artworks is the latest in our groundbreaking Gypsy Maker project—an initiative that supports the development of innovative works by established and emerging Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists. The Gypsy Maker project expands the work of the RCAC by continuing to engage GRT communities with the wider public in ongoing dialogue about the ways in which art continues to inform the lives of individuals and communities today. </p>
<p>Cas Holmes trained in fine art and currently works with textiles and mixed media. She is the author of several books for Batsford Publications including Stitch Stories (2015) and Textile Landscape: Painting with Cloth (2018). As part of her practice Holmes works on community collaborations developing a range of projects based on environmental themes from the natural and observed world. The transient nature of Holmes’ work and process underpins her compulsion to engage with our built and natural landscapes—with people and place. The overlooked details of daily life which reveal commonalities across communities continue to inform her particular take on the world.</p>
<p><em>‘The opportunity to work with and be mentored by the Gypsy Maker 4 project allows me to pause to reflect on my identity and mixed heritage. With migration, changes in our working lives and increasing opportunities to travel, certainties about who we are and our place in the world is in flux</em>.’ Cas Holmes</p>
<p>Dan Turner is an artist and educator. A Romani Gypsy, born in Dartford, Kent, Turner achieved a BA Hons Degree in Sculpture from St Martins School of Art. His work recently appeared in FUTUROMA at the Venice Biennale in 2019. By using Transactional Objects which have significance across cultures, Turner examines how Gypsy, Roma and Traveller cultures meet and interact with the dominant culture. Working with migration maps of Roma diasporas and using traditional crafts and occupations such as peg and wooden flower making, and fortune telling Turner re-imagines Roma past, present and future to challenge mainstream culture’s view of our Roma identities. </p>
<p><em>‘Working with the RCAC on its Gypsy Maker project provides a unique opportunity that is rarely available, especially to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups. Its approach of tirelessly commissioning ground breaking work and projects has helped promote understanding about GRT communities. In the process it has changed people’s lives, including mine.’</em> Dan Turner</p>
<p><em>“The pioneering work of the Romani Cultural and Arts Company in supporting Gypsy, Roma and Traveller artists is unparalleled. Their Gypsy Maker project is unique worldwide in commissioning new bodies of work by GRT artists thereby enabling the production of new knowledge from an underrepresented group and thus making a valuable contribution to international contemporary art and cultural discourse.” Dr Daniel Baker</em></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company invites you to see the works and meet the artists follow this link for more information: <a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk">http://www.romaniarts.co.uk</a></p>
<p></p>
An insider’s guide to working with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities Training day
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2019-10-10:3152760:BlogPost:287011
2019-10-10T09:55:13.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3654844386?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3654844386?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Date</strong>: Tuesday 17th December 2019 (9.30 AM – 5:00 PM)</p>
<p><strong>Venue</strong>: First Space Chapter Arts Centre, Market Rd, Cardiff CF5 1QE</p>
<p><strong>Admission</strong>: The cost for the day (including light refreshments and lunch) is £162.29 per delegate, if you book before the <strong>Tuesday 3rd…</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3654844386?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3654844386?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Date</strong>: Tuesday 17th December 2019 (9.30 AM – 5:00 PM)</p>
<p><strong>Venue</strong>: First Space Chapter Arts Centre, Market Rd, Cardiff CF5 1QE</p>
<p><strong>Admission</strong>: The cost for the day (including light refreshments and lunch) is £162.29 per delegate, if you book before the <strong>Tuesday 3rd December</strong> <strong>2019</strong> and £183.85 per delegate if you book between <strong>Wednesday 4th December 2019</strong>and <strong>Monday 16th December</strong> 2019. Places will only be secured with a confirmed payment.</p>
<p><strong>Organisers:</strong> The Romani Cultural & Arts Company</p>
<p><strong>Who should attend this training?</strong></p>
<p>This course is suitable for anyone interested in ensuring that their services are inclusive and accessible for the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, in meeting the needs of ‘hard-to-reach’ communities, and in addressing the intersection of ethnicity, race, class, gender and inequalities.</p>
<p>It would be particularly useful for those who work in:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Academia and Research </strong></li>
<li><strong>Accommodation and Housing </strong></li>
<li><strong>Early Years</strong></li>
<li><strong>Education</strong></li>
<li><strong>Environmental Services </strong></li>
<li><strong>Equalities </strong></li>
<li><strong>Fire, Police and Justice Services</strong></li>
<li><strong>Government: local, regional and national</strong></li>
<li><strong>Planning </strong></li>
<li><strong>Public Health</strong></li>
<li><strong>Social Services</strong></li>
<li><strong>Transport</strong></li>
<li><strong>Voluntary and Third Sector organisations</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Why should you attend this training?</strong></p>
<p>It will assist you to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Ensure effective engagement with the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities in your particular area</li>
<li>Address the range of policies and strategies necessary to empower Romani and Traveller families and individuals, especially girls and young women, LGBT Romani and Traveller individuals, children and youth, and the elderly in these communities, to overcome the disadvantages and obstacles they face in accessing services and provision on a daily basis</li>
<li>Build understanding, strengthen knowledge and make informed decisions in your interactions with people from the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities</li>
<li>Be better able to assess the needs of the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities in Wales</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Aims</strong></p>
<p>To increase awareness about the cultural diversity of Romani and Traveller communities across England and Wales, addressing issues of discrimination and exclusion, examining the needs of Gypsy, Roma, Travellers, to inspire and improve the services and provision delivered to GRT communities, and to generate trust and understanding between GRT communities and local authority service providers.</p>
<p><strong>Learning Objectives</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>To achieve a broader and more comprehensive understanding of the complex needs of Romani and Traveller communities, from local, national and international perspectives;</li>
<li>To develop a level of knowledge that will strengthen and improve staff and officers’ work, related to health, education, housing and accommodation, training, justice and law enforcement;</li>
<li>To introduce knowledge regarding the differences between Romani and Traveller communities and their cultures, languages and origins, insofar as is useful to participants in the training, with the aim of inspiring culturally sensitive ‘best practice’ and improving service delivery to <strong>all</strong> sections of the community;</li>
<li>To introduce to participants examples of community members who are ‘<strong>Community Champions</strong>‘ role models and who can challenge the prevailing stereotypes of Romani and Travellers, or the negative images of ‘Gypsies’, present in media and popular press;</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Outcomes</strong></p>
<p>By the end the session participants will have:</p>
<ul>
<li>Increased their knowledge of the culture, traditions and history of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities (this includes a timeline of key historical events and legislation); </li>
<li>Developed an understanding of diversity within the Romani and Traveller communities (that is, who are Gypsies, Roma and Travellers?);</li>
<li>Increased their awareness regarding the prejudice and discrimination faced by Romani and Traveller communities in Wales, the UK and more widely across the Europe, in particular Romani and Traveller women, LGBT Roma, older Travellers;</li>
<li>Identified obstacles to accessing <strong>their own services</strong> that Romani and Traveller people experience, and attitudinal issues, or barriers to equality of delivery in services such as housing, accommodation, education, health, employment, safeguarding and other public services, that inhibit the delivery of quality provision to GRT communities;</li>
<li>Improved participants’ understandings of how to engage effectively with the Romani and Traveller communities, particularly over issues of exclusion and marginalisation, and what they can do to address these and ensure inclusion in the delivery of services;</li>
<li>Developed an <strong>Action Plan</strong> that will put their learning into practice, in the workplace;</li>
<li>Established a baseline of knowledge and support that can be accessed to assist officers in carrying out their statutory duties.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>General Information</strong></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural Arts Company is the leading Romani and Traveller community-based organisation in Wales, using the arts and culture as a vehicle for advocacy, education and empowerment, amongst the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities and the wider society in Wales. RCAC also supports individuals to become “Community Champions”, as actors and agents of change in their own communities, making a difference for themselves and the wider society. RCAC is managed by a Board (voluntary management committee) made up of representatives from the GRT communities, meaning that community members have a role as decision-makers and are part of the process of shaping the advocacy and rights agenda that RCAC promotes.</p>
<p>The Company believes it is essential that the GRT communities be at the forefront of social progress and positive developments in social inclusion, in the struggle or the recognition of GRT rights and promoting inter-cultural understanding. Within Wales and increasingly across the UK, our advice and expertise is sought by local governments, policy-makers, decision-takers and local or national institutions. We are asked to evaluate the effectiveness of their policies and strategies or to support them in consultation to ensure the voice of the GRT communities they serve, is heard.</p>
<p>We lead on advocacy for these vulnerable communities, influencing the policy and strategy agendas in the context of a devolved Welsh Government and, increasingly internationally across the UK, and we deliver quality training for those who work with Gypsy, Roma, Traveller communities, who wish to improve their reach and their impact.</p>
<p>Book at Eventbrite: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/working-with-gypsy-roma-and-traveller-communities-training-day-tickets-75277867127?utm_term=eventurl_text">https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/working-with-gypsy-roma-and-traveller-communities-training-day-tickets-75277867127?utm_term=eventurl_text</a></p>
Isaac Blake to represent UK at the International anti-discrimination congress in New York
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2019-09-17:3152760:BlogPost:286428
2019-09-17T15:20:30.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3561085132?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3561085132?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>21-23 September 2019, New York</strong></p>
<p>Through the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups (NFGLG) Isaac Blake RCAC (Romani Cultural Arts Company) has been chosen to represent NFGLG for the UK at the September 2019 <strong>International Congress on Discrimination based on Work and Descent, Untouchability,…</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3561085132?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3561085132?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></strong></p>
<p><strong>21-23 September 2019, New York</strong></p>
<p>Through the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups (NFGLG) Isaac Blake RCAC (Romani Cultural Arts Company) has been chosen to represent NFGLG for the UK at the September 2019 <strong>International Congress on Discrimination based on Work and Descent, Untouchability, Anti-Gypsyism and Contemporary forms of Slavery (ICDWD)</strong> Conference in <strong>New York</strong>.</p>
<p>Communities discriminated against based on Work and Descent (DWD) are some of the most excluded, segregated, and marginalised groups at global and local levels. The inequalities and disadvantages they experience exist across various services like education, health, water and sanitation, employment, voting rights, equal access to land and housing, access to religious institutions in the public sphere, disaster risk reduction and environmental health.</p>
<p>The population of 260 million (approx.) worldwide comes under the DWD framework, which accounts for 3.25 percent of the world’s total population. </p>
<p>The International Congress on Discrimination Based on Work and Descent (ICDWD) will look at particular types of hierarchical-hereditary based structures among societies across the globe, which generate the same set of human rights violations and barriers limiting socio-economic development for different DWD peoples. Unlike racism and xenophobia, the structural violence of this form of discrimination does not rest on the white/non-white binary and on inferiority based on visible or ostensibly ‘biological’ differences given the legacy of colonialism. </p>
<p><strong>Isaac Blake says: ‘This conference will be significant for our organisation as it will enable us to present better cases to our own local governments back in the UK.’</strong></p>
It is the Romani Cultural and Arts Company’s 10th Birthday this year and we’d like you to celebrate with us.
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2019-09-02:3152760:BlogPost:286173
2019-09-02T14:43:11.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3507218014?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3507218014?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>10 years of community strength and success! </p>
<p><strong>2009 – 2019</strong></p>
<p>The Romani Culture and Arts Company has been the leading Romani organisation in Wales for 10 years and has become the strongest Romani and Traveller led organisation in the United Kingdom, with an extensive network across Wales, England and Europe. </p>
<p>The RCAC…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3507218014?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3507218014?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>10 years of community strength and success! </p>
<p><strong>2009 – 2019</strong></p>
<p>The Romani Culture and Arts Company has been the leading Romani organisation in Wales for 10 years and has become the strongest Romani and Traveller led organisation in the United Kingdom, with an extensive network across Wales, England and Europe. </p>
<p>The RCAC has an impressive portfolio of activities, programmes and projects, that have stretched its field of vision and engagement well beyond the usual parameters of what constitutes arts and culture. To build self-confidence, resilience and give a ‘voice’ to the usually ‘voiceless’, RCAC has </p>
<p>– extended its activities to include work on strengthening self–identity and Romani and Traveller ‘pride’, through arts and drama workshops with children of all ages, </p>
<p>– embarked upon a large, community-based early years creative education programme on (caravan) sites, </p>
<p>– worked with Romani and Traveller artists with international reputations, </p>
<p>– undertaken work in local primary schools across Wales to improve understanding around Gypsy, Roma, Traveller history, language and culture, especially through Gypsy, Roma, Traveller History Month (GRT HM), </p>
<p>– built stronger social and cultural relationships between Romani and non-Romani communities, </p>
<p>– carried out a unique and highly successful health and wellness project (in partnership with the Centre for Equality and Human Rights, Public Health Wales), </p>
<p>– organised exhibitions about Traveller lives and experiences, and delivered high-level, international symposia on the arts, education, government strategy, policy and Romani rights. </p>
<p>The RCAC also; through its consultants and experts, provides social justice and anti-bias training for local government officers in housing, planning and community provision services, voluntary-sector and non-governmental (NGO) organisation staff, early years pedagogues, teachers, educators and education managers, health professionals and practitioners, social workers, community-development workers, fire service officers and police officers, as part of its commitment to professionals and practitioners. This training is designed to provide practical, continuing professional development. Tailor-made support and training are also delivered to individual institutions and organisations (such as Public Health Wales). </p>
<p>We are proud of our track record over the last 10 years and look forward to the next 10 and beyond.</p>
<div class="wp-block-file"><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Please-click-on-the-link-to-download-%E2%80%98RCAC-Report-2009-2019%E2%80%99.pdf">Please-click-on-the-link-to-download-‘RCAC-Report-2009-2019’</a><a href="http://www.romaniarts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Please-click-on-the-link-to-download-%E2%80%98RCAC-Report-2009-2019%E2%80%99.pdf" class="wp-block-file__button">Download</a></div>
LGBTQI Gypsy, Roma & Traveller Conference Report 2019
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2019-07-25:3152760:BlogPost:285904
2019-07-25T16:30:00.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3384409543?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8314546268?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8314546268?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a> <a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3384409543?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><br></br></a></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company was proud to hold the first Gypsy, Roma & Traveller…</p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3384409543?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8314546268?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/8314546268?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3384409543?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><br/></a></p>
<p>The Romani Cultural & Arts Company was proud to hold the first Gypsy, Roma & Traveller (GRT) LGBTQI International Conference in the UK on July 4th 2019. The event was hosted by the Senedd – National Assembly of Wales and featured an international selection of speakers including activists, academics, artists and community champions who focused on the current and historic experience of GRT LGBTQI people and the future possibilities for improving equality and opportunity across our communities. The Romani Cultural and Arts Company gratefully acknowledge the support of Welsh Government in carrying out this important event.</p>
<p>This event is one of many that RCAC is currently co-ordinating. The RCAC is a GRT founded and run organisation and we were very proud and excited to be able to give a ‘minority within a minority’ a platform and a voice with this GRT LGBTQI conference. The conference presented a unique opportunity to participate in discussion with an international panel of inspiring speakers and to learn about their research and their professional and personal experiences.</p>
<p>It was important for us to host the event in a Government building in order to represent the action of taking this important issue directly to the seat of power where decisions are made that can effect change. We now hope that the Government will look more carefully at this particular intersection within our communities to assess the kind of support currently available and determine what more can be achieved. It was a privilege for all involved to be surrounded by other LGBTQI members of the GRT community and to be able to occupy a high profile professional platform to deliver this important conference. </p>
<p>Guests to this pioneering event included Jane Hutt AM - Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Welsh Government, Vera Kurtic, from the Council of Europe’s Roma and Travellers Team ROMACTED, Chris Lee, RCAC Community Champion covering GRT history, culture, welfare and racism. Dr Daniel Baker, artist, curator and theorist, William Bila, former President of La Voix des Rroms (France), Director of the Gypsy Roma Traveller Police Association, activist and performer Gianni Jovanovic, and Dezso Mate, Consultant of the Open Society Foundations Community Youth Fellowship. This varied range of GRT speakers with their diverse areas of expertise opened up debate regarding the contemporary GRT LGBTQI climate and the broader implications for GRT communities and for wider society. </p>
<p>This exciting event took place in the context of the Romani Cultural & Arts Company’s ongoing programme of increasing visibility, opportunity and equality for all members of GRT communities across Wales and beyond. The aim of this unique RCAC venture was to showcase emerging international voices within the field of GRT LGBTQI awareness and to facilitate the development of dialogue across communities about the ways in which articulations and negotiations of difference continue to inform the lives of individuals within GRT and LGBTQI communities today.</p>
<p>The event shared aspects of the intersectional experiences of GRT LGBTQI peoples with the general public that have not been openly discussed in the UK previously. It created visibility and an awareness of human experiences that have widely been ignored, suppressed and denied. Such omission has been common throughout mainstream society, the LGBTQI movement itself and the wider GRT community. The very act of refusing to deny the existence of GRT LGBTQI peoples is a starting point for beginning a dialogue that can eliminate the amplification of violence felt at the intersection of antigypsyism and homophobia. Acknowledging the spaces that these identity positions occupy and how they overlap can lead to new synergies that radiate beyond the intersection to help build a more cohesive and tolerant society.</p>
<p>A new approach to the current situation is certainly needed. In 2008, the National Institute of Mental Health drew attention to “the high rates of mental illness and suicide amongst Gypsy and Traveller individuals in the UK who identify as LGBTQI” (NIMH, 2003 Biddle et al 2008). Fear of the repercussions of revealing one’s sexuality to family and community within mainstream society undoubtedly still exists but the fear of violent reactions to such revelations within tightly knit and widely marginalised GRT communities is often more acute. Ostracism from their community can be particularly difficult for GRT LGBTQI individuals who may often have nowhere else to go. The harsh realities and the wider implications of the points outlined above were explored throughout the conference by the speakers and during the concluding open forum.</p>
<p>Please click on the link to download: </p>
Equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people in Europe ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference in Prague, Czech Republic
tag:community.nationaltheatrewales.org,2019-07-23:3152760:BlogPost:285736
2019-07-23T10:24:44.000Z
Isaac Blake
https://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profile/IsaacBlake
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3376585362?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3376585362?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>Isaac Blake is pleased to have received a scholarship to attend <strong>The 23rd ILGA-Europe Annual Conference, in Prague, Czech Republic from 23-26 October 2019. </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Stronger Together</strong></p>
<p><strong>This is the year in which we celebrate 50 years of Stonewall, a moment to acknowledge the…</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3376585362?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3376585362?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>Isaac Blake is pleased to have received a scholarship to attend <strong>The 23rd ILGA-Europe Annual Conference, in Prague, Czech Republic from 23-26 October 2019. </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Stronger Together</strong></p>
<p><strong>This is the year in which we celebrate 50 years of Stonewall, a moment to acknowledge the journey and celebrate our incredible collective achievements. Around the world Stonewall is considered the start of the ‘modern LGBT(I) movement’. </strong></p>
<p>We know we owe a lot of the tremendous progress we know today in so many parts of our region to activist who were working on the liberation of our communities long before Stonewall. It is thanks to them, and the several generations of activists they inspired that we achieve great changes in laws, policies and attitudes in Europe over the past decades.</p>
<p>Yet, we also know that our gains are fragile and that the journey for equality is not complete. This year ILGA-Europe sounded the alarm bell about real rollback. There is a real sense of urgency in taking action both to continue gaining protection and acceptance and to withstand very serious attempts to undermine our human rights. We are equally concerned about the state of democracy in the world: put simply, it is hard to disassociate the very real pressure that LGBTI communities experience in parts of the region and globally from forces of authoritarianism and populism. We also cannot separate the struggles our communities experience from ever widening economic inequalities.</p>
<p>Sadly, we start witnessing good policies being removed, political support disappearing, places that previously felt relatively safe becoming more unsafe. We have always known that guarantees of lasting equality are never fully achieved, but we are now seeing just how important it is to ensure that, in these uncertain political and social climates, that our incredible achievements do not regress. Year after year we are reminded of the importance of safeguarding rights yet to be recognised and of ensuring we do not see rollback on those rights we have won. And we are acting with all of our strength, defiance, determination and courage – as fiercely as ever.</p>
<p>All this is happening at a time when we are also assessing the imperfections within our own movement. Perhaps more than ever, we are becoming aware of the many voices from our communities which have been left behind and continue to remain too often unheard. There is no doubt that we need to do this self-examination as a movement: what does our diversity look like? Who is in our spaces and who is not? How do we make sure that our beautiful rainbow umbrella allows for each colour to shine in full equality? These questions are essential and challenging at the same time. They carry their share of hurt, pain, discomfort, anger and fear. We can let ourselves fall into the trap of letting these emotions take over our better selves, and let them be used to divide us. Or we can examine these very legitimate emotions, name and understand them, learn to better understand and see each other, and move forward together.</p>
<p>How do we figure out how to come together, truly, around shared goals? How do celebrate and elevate our rich diverse voices to make sure everyone is heard, while affirming our common humanity? How do we make sure none of us forget that we do have so much more in common than what divides us? Can we find unity around a common purpose? <strong>Those are some of urgent and crucial questions we have to ask ourselves, if we are to continue making real change happen to LGBTI people in all their diversities across our region and beyond.</strong></p>
<p><em><strong>Isaac Blake</strong>; Director of The Romani Cultural & Arts Company said: “Romani Arts is committed to fighting intolerance and to promoting tolerance and is proud to represent a minority within a minority; LGBTQI from the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community.”</em></p>
<p><strong><em>Jeremy Miles AM </em></strong><em>said: “This year’s ILGA-Europe Conference is more important than ever, as it takes place during a crucial period of change to the political landscape across Europe and beyond. The movement towards greater LGBT equality over the past 50 years cannot be taken for granted as we look ahead. Isaac’s scholarship to attend the conference on behalf of the LGBT Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Community will enable him to make an important contribution to the discussions about how we take forward the journey for LGBT equality in all our communities, in all parts of the world.”</em></p>