Rugby residents young and old share stories as part of new exhibition that celebrates borough's diverse communities

Your Story, Your Collection celebrates our sense of belonging and the factors which combine to make our 'home'
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Young and old residents have joined together for a new exhibition that explores what 'home' means to the borough's diverse communities.Your Story, Your Collection celebrates our sense of belonging and the factors which combine to make our 'home' - from people and places to memories and stories.

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum launched the social history project to capture a picture of Rugby in the 2020s - forging new creative partnerships and giving unheard stories a voice.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Supported by a £50,000 grant from Arts Council England, the project worked with the Benn Partnership Centre and enlisted Rugby-based artist Jessica Hartshorn to run workshops with community groups from across the borough, including members of the Sikh Social and Welfare Association and Individual Support Solutions.

The exhibition takes place in Rugby.The exhibition takes place in Rugby.
The exhibition takes place in Rugby.

With the museum's social history collection serving as a starting point, the workshops encouraged participants to explore what makes 'home' and, working with Jessica, turn deeply personal stories into pages of a pop-up book.

Your Story, Your Collection features contributions from across Rugby's communities, with the youngest participant five-years-old and the eldest 75.

The finished pop-up book pages capture the diverse perspectives and definitions of 'home' through evocative images and text.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Catherine Shanahan, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum's senior collections officer, said the exhibition was a celebration of the project.

"We launched the Your Story, Your Collection project at a particularly poignant moment in our social history, as we started the tentative return to normality following the pandemic," Catherine said.

"It was a stark reminder social history unfolds every day, impacting the lives and experiences of all of us.

"Your Story, Your Collection has allowed us to capture a unique snapshot of Rugby's social history in the early 2020s, giving us glimpses of what 'home' means to residents of the borough."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Your Story, Your Collection exhibition opens at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum on Tuesday, February 28 and runs until Saturday, April 22.

In addition to the artworks on display, visitors to the exhibition can listen to stories from the participants' lives, find out more about the project workshops, and contribute thoughts and ideas about what 'home' means.

For more information visit www.ragm.co.uk