Hear people’s stories of making who have migrated to the Midlands from other countries.
We have been collecting stories of making in the Midlands that are influenced by migration.
We met with ‘everyday makers’ who craft for themselves, making at home, in a local studio or with a community. Through jewellery, pottery, crochet, textiles, blacksmithing and batik, their work celebrates the cultural and ethnic diversity of the Midlands. It highlights how craft skills that migrate with the makers influence creativity.
We met makers of South American, North American, African, Caribbean, South Asian and East Asian heritage. They tell of a love for making and craft. Whether self-taught, passed down through family or shared within their community. It has been a privilege to work with them to weave together a rich tapestry of stories across the Midlands.
Featured Makers
Ayesha Bibi
A member of Sundragon Pottery, Ayesha’s work is inspired by colour, her Bangladeshi heritage, its landscape and food traditions.
Chiamaka Claudia Duru
Claudia is of Italian and Nigerian descent, she has lived in Leicester for two and a half years and attends weekly pottery classes.
DOSTI
Meaning friendship, members of the DOSTI group make and share their skills in knitting, crochet, embroidery and paper flowers.
Haleema Bibi
Haleema shares her memories of learning embroidery and crochet from her mother, who was from Pakistan and how they embellished scarves using their skills.
Michelle Amezcua
Originally from America, Michelle explores her Mexican roots by basing her work on traditional carved pottery from the southern state of Oaxaca.
Rosie Taheem
Rosie crochets and knits, and makes dolls and baubles from remnants of Indian fabric that belonged to her mother.
Sandra Stanley and the Sewing Circle
Sandra is the leader of the Sewing Circle, which meets weekly at the Afro-Caribbean Centre in Leicester.
Shirlyn Low
Shirlyn shares the batik process she learnt in secondary school in Malaysia, while reinventing it in a modern light.
Smashing Metal
Smashing Metal is a blacksmithing group run by Alex at Newbigin Community Trust, helping people to learn new skills and practice mindfulness.
Zahra
For over 20 years, Zahra has been reinvigorating the form of traditional Kurdish women’s caps, fashioning these ornate and vibrant objects out of unwanted and second-hand materials.
Research, documentation and storytelling by Hayley Salter, a Birmingham based photographer, film-maker and creative producer.
Find out more about the exhibition
Meet the artists
See the artists exhibiting in Made in the Middle.
Visit: See the exhibition
Find out more about the tour.