Museum on Migration Issues Will Open in London

The UK’s first museum dedicated to migration will open in London later this month in a bid to create the “UK’s equivalent of Ellis Island”.

26 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7AG
Opens Weds 26 April 2017 | Weds–Sun (plus bank holidays) 10am–4pm | Free admission

Our new Migration Museum at the Workshop in London opens to the public on 26 April 2017 at 10am.

We will stage an adventurous programme of exhibitions, events and education workshops telling stories of movement to and from Britain at our new museum, situated within the Workshop, an exciting arts and community space just off Albert Embankment.

What’s on:

Exhibitions
Call Me by My Name: Stories from Calais and Beyond
26 April 2017–30 July 2017
A critically acclaimed multimedia exhibition exploring the complex and human stories behind the current migration crisis, with a particular focus on the now-demolished Calais camp. Originally staged in June 2016, this updated exhibition is both a record of a complex temporary space that no longer officially exists and an exploration of the stories and creativity of those who passed through the camp, many of whom continue to face an uncertain future.

100 Images of Migration
26 April 2017–30 July 2017
100 Images of Migration is a collection of diverse images by professional and amateur photographers. The subjects of these images range from the unique to the everyday; together they tell a compelling story about what migration means now to people across the UK.

Details:

Housed in The Workshop in Lambeth, a new arts space once used for repairing fire engines, the museum will launch on April 26 and explore how the movement of people has shaped British history. 

“We ought to have in this country a cultural institution that puts Britain’s migrant population and their stories at the centre,” Sophie Henderson, a former immigration barrister who is now the Migration Museum’s director, said. “It’s the topic that’s on everyone’s lips — even more so now after the EU referendum. People’s attitude to migration matters. There is such a strong case for a calm, sober, well-informed discussion and a venue for those conversations. This will be the perfect place to unpick what people think.” 

The opening programme will include Call Me By My Name, an exhibition on the Calais “Jungle”, and a photography collection, 100 Images of Migration. 

In the autumn, a new exhibition,  No Turning Back: Seven Migration Moments That Changed Britain, will open, looking at major migration movements back through British history in the context of Brexit and forward to 2020, when mixed-race Britons are projected to be the biggest minority group in the country. 

The project has more than 100 high-profile supporters, who include Labour peer Lord Dubs, who fled Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia as a child and came to London on the Kindertransport, writer Sir Salman Rushdie, actress Joanna Lumley, novelist Dr Jung Chang and broadcaster Jon Snow. Trustees include Charles Gurassa, chairman of Channel 4, and Robert Winder, author of Bloody Foreigners: The Story Of Immigration To Britain. 

The space will house the Migration Museum until at least February 2018; the goal for the museum is then to move into a permanent space. 

“We would like a full-time venue in London that is the go-to destination for conversations about Britain’s migration history,” Ms Henderson added. “We think it’s a subject that merits its own space. Ellis Island is what inspired me — going there and thinking, ‘Why don’t we have one in the UK?’”

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More info:

Migration Museum Project is increasing knowledge and appreciation of how migration has shaped Britain across the ages through the creation of an authoritative and inspiring permanent national Migration Museum, a far-reaching national education programme, and a knowledge-sharing network of museums and galleries across the UK.

Since 2013, we have staged an acclaimed series of events, exhibitions and education workshops at a wide range of venues across the UK, shedding light on the lively part that migration plays in the national life, and helping us to hone our strategy and receive input and feedback from individuals and communities as we work towards our goals. Our exhibitions and events have been attended by over 100,000 visitors, while more than 3,500 school children have participated in our education workshops.

Our new Migration Museum at the Workshop is a major step forward for MMP, building on our previous work and providing a showcase for the permanent Migration Museum for Britain that we are creating. Being based at a central London venue until at least February 2018 will enable us to raise our profile, expand audience reach, deepen links with community groups and schools, and test ideas for the permanent museum that we aspire to create. We are also establishing an Arts Council England-funded Migration Museums Network, bringing together heritage-sector organisations across Britain to share knowledge and best practice, with the aim of increasing and improving outputs related to migration across the UK heritage sector.

The Migration Museum Project has secured the support of a wide range of distinguished friends – high-profile supporters who back our vision and ambitions. Our team and trustees encompass individuals with a diverse range of experience and expertise – all of whom share a passion for telling Britain’s migration stories in a dedicated national museum. We have brought together an Education Committee from a range of relevant backgrounds who guide and support our learning work, and have convened a high-powered steering committee for our Migration Museums Network.

We have received funding and support from a range of academic, arts, charitable and corporate organisations and trusts over the past four years, including: Alfred Caplin Charity Settlement, Arts Council England, The Baring Foundation, City Bridge Trust, Doris Pacey Charitable Foundation, Economic and Social Research Council, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Hogan Lovells, Kohn Foundation, Londonewcastle, Migration Foundation, Nadir Dinshaw Charitable Trust, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Rayne Foundation, Rothschild Foundation, The Schroder Foundation, Sigrid Rausing Trust, UBS and Unbound Philanthropy.

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Link:
http://www.migrationmuseum.org/workshop/