Belonging in Crawley

1 Apr 2022 - 30 Sep 2023

Belonging in Crawley is an 18 month project funded by Arts Council England. The project started in April 2022. The project is overseen by a project manager, alongside 9 project volunteers. In the project we are working with a range of groups and individuals on what ‘Belonging in Crawley’ means to them. In 2022 we ran a number of workshops with people on the idea of belonging in Crawley.

We are now starting to plan pop up exhibitions which will take place in Crawley in 2023. The venues are:

January/February – at K2

March/April – at the Hawth Theatre

May – at County Mall

June/July – at Crawley Museum

Gallery

Click images to enlarge

Exhibition planning meeting, October 4th 2022. Photograph by Lawrence Williams.

Project exhibition launch, June 2023.

Workshops

As part of the project, in 2022 we ran a number of workshops with people to discuss the idea of belonging and ‘belonging in Crawley’. People discussed what the word ‘belonging’ meant to them, whether or not they felt that they belonging in Crawley, and what made them feel that way. We had a great time talking with people and have had some really interesting answers to our questions. If you would like to tell us your answers to the questions, you can answer them online at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GPDTCRW

Gallery Click images to enlarge

Workshop participants at Crawley Town Community Foundation's Extra Time Hub, July 2022. Photo by Lawrence Williams

Project volunteer showing off an object representing 'belonging in Crawley' at Crawley Town Community Foundation's Extra Time Hub, July 2022. Photo by Lawrence Williams.

Workshop for members of the Eastern European Community. Photograph by Lawrence Williams.

Workshop with members of Crawley InterFaith Network - September 2022

Exhibition Contributions

As part of the project we will be running four in person exhibitions, as well as creating an online version. We’ve had lots of ideas about what we could put in the exhibiton, and some people are loaning us items and creating art works and poetry. If you’d like to contribute to the exhibitions please get in touch!

Gallery Click images to enlarge

Members of the Outreach 3Way art group are making a model of Crawley for the exhibition.

Some members of Outreach 3Way have written poetry.

People at the Crawley Town Football Club Community Foundation's Extra Time Hub are creating a collage showing their family connections.

We are being loaned Home Office registration certificates from people who came to Crawley in the 1990s and now regard it as home.

Some people have chosen to contribute photographs of Crawley Pride, as they show that being accepted as who you are is an important part of feeling that you belong.

Artwork in progress, by Victoria. She writes: "When I was asked what belonging in Crawley meant to me the first and only thing that came to mind was my family, and for me the heart of my family was my great grandparents who moved from London to Crawley in 1955, it was from this move that five generations of our family have now proudly called Crawley our home."

This photograph of a community singalong celebrating the birthday of Crawley’s ‘electrifying heroine’ Dame Caroline Haslett was donated by Three Bridges Forum’s Caroline Haslett Memorial Project (CHaMP) group. They aim to get some form of permanent, prominent memorialisation as part of a gateway improvement scheme between Three Bridges Station and Crawley. This is part of what represents Belonging in Crawley to them.

This drawing of the Montefiore Institute was sent to us by Stella, as it represents belonging in Crawley to her. She explains: "The Monte was built in Three Bridges in 1897 for the use of the people who lived in the area. It was built originally as a Reading Room but in the 1930s it was made a charity for all the community and is still used today for family parties and events, sports clubs, children's groups, Religious Services and the local Polling Station. The Monte has been and still is the centre of the community for the people of Crawley."

Crawley Town FC Community Foundation's Community Hub's collage being put together by Steve. He explains "It shows how we are all connected to the Community Foundation here at the football club. As you can see from the display, some of us have got huge family connections in Crawley and some of us have just arrived in Crawley, but we all belong in Crawley through being part of the Extra Time Hub.

One workshop participant chose the patchwork blanket that was given to Aura, the giant puppet who visited Crawley, as something that represented belonging in Crawley to her. She helped to sew the blanket together.

Not featured in the exhibition but as part of the project, members of Refugees Welcome Crawley sewed bags to show how they feel about belonging in Crawley and the fact that they may have to leave.

Children who attend English classes run by Refugees Welcome Crawley have been colouring leaves to show how they feel about belonging in Crawley. This one reads "Crawley is safe. I am happy."

Children who attend English classes run by Refugees Welcome Crawley have been colouring leaves to show how they feel about belonging in Crawley. This one reads "I live in Crawley. My favourite colour is white. I like Crawley. Crawley is my home."