Threads of Us is a creative arts-based service led by Across the Border CIC, designed to provide a welcoming, expressive, and healing space for migrants, refugees, and displaced individuals to explore identity and belonging through visual art.
Recognising that many migrants are often grouped into a singular identity and misrepresented, this project seeks to celebrate the nuances within migrant communities. Through shared creativity and cultural expression, we aim to foster cross-cultural understanding, connection, and confidence using art as a universal language.
Why Art?Art transcends spoken language. For many migrants, English may not be their first language, and the journey of self-expression can feel isolating. Through tactile materials, colour, and form, individuals can share their stories without needing to speak, and often say more in the process.
Art becomes a bridge, connecting diverse identities, emotions, and experiences.
Programme Structure:We are launching with a 3-part hands-on arts workshop series. Each session blends cultural education, personal storytelling, and creative practice with participants creating individual pieces that become part of a larger shared narrative.
Session 1: Colours of IdentityExploring how colours convey emotion and cultural meaning, this session invites participants to create abstract self-portraits without faces — using paint, collage, symbols, and poetry fragments.
Session 2: Patterns of BelongingParticipants explore the cultural meanings of patterns and motifs (e.g., Persian mosaics, Indigenous beadwork, Indian mandalas), then create their own symbolic “identity tile” using drawing and painting techniques.
Session 3: Textiles & MemoryInspired by global textile traditions (e.g., kente cloth, tatreez embroidery), this session focuses on fabric-based storytelling. Participants will create memory collages using fabric scraps, beads, and writing to represent something or someone important to them.
