Northern Print worked with Action Foundation in 2022 to offer a range of printmaking opportunities for refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants who have settled in Newcastle. As well as a series of sessions in our studio, we ran workshops with a group of people from Action Foundation’s InterAction Drop-in to create a large woodcut print for display at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art as part of Refugee Week, with the theme of ‘Healing’. The print was displayed as part of an exhibition in BALTIC’s Learning Lounge from 22 June until 21 August 2022.

"Many of the asylum seekers and refugees we work with are surviving on just a few pounds a day and would never be able to afford art classes – let alone the cost of travelling to them. Yet being able to express their creativity is so important – and often therapeutic – for the people who come to Action Foundation. Northern Print workshops with people from our Drop-in were so, so valuable. Not only did our clients enjoy learning new skills, they also really looked forward to meeting up with other people in their group. Isolation can be a real problem for people from displaced communities, so a group activity like this makes the world of difference. One of our Iranian clients, Tamineh, who attended the workshops with her husband, Mahdi, said the activities were good for her language skills too.” 

Yvonne Cheung, InterAction Drop-in Manager, Action Foundation  

“Northern Print was a great and new experience for me and because I have done art work before and loved it, this course made me learn new things and have new experiences. I love artistic works, including music, and this makes me relax when I do it, and in fact, it makes me focus and feel good and all this experience was certainly thanks to the good environment and excellent staff at Northern Print and with the help of Helen, who was our artist and teacher.”

Kasra, Participant