Look Back: Sharing Love

Sharing Love was a collaborative project between the RWA, Bristol Refugee Artists Collective (BRAC), and Dorcas Dress Project (DDP), running from March to August 2025.

Co-designed with all partners, the project was developed in response to the RWA's summer exhibition, Soft Power: Lives Told Through Textile Art. Together, the partners explored how textiles can be a powerful medium for sharing personal stories, building connections, and creating welcoming spaces for refugees and people seeking sanctuary within cultural institutions.

In addition, Lucy collaborated with the wider RWA team to deliver professional development sessions for BRAC members, including training in facilitation and curatorial practice.

The project culminated in an exhibition featuring hand-stitched dresses created by the Dorcas Dress Project as well as participants from the workshops. Exhibited alongside the dresses were stories collected by BRAC members and documentary photographs reflecting the theme of Sharing Love.

During celebrations events BRAC members brought many of the workshop participants—most of whom had never visited the RWA gallery before—to the exhibition, making it a meaningful and inclusive event.

In total, 86 refugees and people seeking asylum were involved in the development and delivery of Sharing Love.

This project is a result of a long-standing relationship between BRAC and the RWA, which began in 2019 and continues to produce impactful outcomes. Co-creating exhibitions with artists is central to the RWA’s ongoing commitment to supporting lifelong engagement with art.

Photo credit: Khali Ackford/KoLAB Studios