Coming soon. New Faces, New Focus: Stories We Share

Launch: Thursday 17 September / 6–8pm / Open Eye Gallery / free, RSVP

New Faces, New Focus: Stories We Share is a collaborative touring exhibition bringing together new creative work by artists and community participants alongside objects and artworks from three museums collections across the UK. 

Created by Open Eye Gallery in partnership with Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council and Aberdeenshire Council’s Museums Service, the exhibition is part of Art Fund’s Going Places programme – a series of 12 exhibitions touring the UK, created by museums working together to share and celebrate their collections in collaboration with local communities.

Developed through residencies in Liverpool City Region, Armagh and Aberdeenshire, the exhibition explores the theme of journeys, identity and home through the voices of local communities whose stories have not always been represented in museum collections – including those with lived experience of migration and displacement.

In Liverpool City Region, three socially engaged photographers have worked with communities to create new work inspired by local collections and participants’ own experiences; Anoosh Ariamehr worked with communities in Knowsley, Nina Karetska with displaced Ukrainian community in Sefton, and Abdullrhman Hassona with communities in St Helen’s supported by Cafe Laziz. Their projects have been developed in partnership with Kirkby Gallery (Knowsley), The Atkinson (Sefton), and The World of Glass (St Helen’s), where the work will also be exhibited. 

In Armagh, artists Rosalind Lowery and Catherine Willis, alongside mentee artists Maria McStay and Fionnula O’Gorman, worked with Polish, Ukrainian, Syrian, and Lithuanian communities. Together with Museums’ Curator Sean Barden, they explored the collection and selected objects to co-create artistic responses that reflect participants’ life journeys. Everyday objects have been interpreted in fresh and thoughtful ways, revealing new meanings through the eyes of the participants.

In Aberdeenshire, photographer Nicole Gildea has engaged newly formed Aberdeenshire communities with heritage collections and socially engaged photography. With additional support from mentee photographer Max Creamer, residents across the shire have co-created a body of new photographic work inspired by the diverse historic collections managed by Aberdeenshire Council’s Museums Service. 

Across all three locations, participants have worked alongside artists, curators and museum teams to explore the theme of journeys – from migration and exile to the milestones, traditions and celebrations that shape our lives – creating new work inspired by museum collections and their own experiences of place, identity and home.

For example, in Armagh, everyday objects from the museum collection sparked memories of home and family. A Harnan stand, traditionally used for toasting oatcakes, inspired participants to create their own stand to display artworks reflecting their identities and experiences. Through sewing, sculpture and writing, they explored themes of home, heritage and womanhood, creating pieces including a silk doll and delicate petticoat.

Meanwhile in Aberdeenshire, participants have used photography as a tool to explore what it means to make your home in a new place, using historic collections to consider how the movement of people, ideas and objects have made this North East corner of Scotland what it is today. Objects selected by participants hold strong cultural resonances and have brought new voices to existing Aberdeenshire collections. For example, participants felt strong links with local agricultural objects, such as an ornamental ‘bothy craft’ horse painting. Additionally, the group found links with a photograph album produced by local photographer Fred Bremner, documenting his journey across Kashmir at the turn of the 20th century, at just 19 years of age.    

At its heart, New Faces New Focus enables communities to tell their own stories through a process of co-creation and co-curation, and explore how these stories relate to local histories, collections and archives.

Sorcha Boyle, Open Eye Gallery’s New Faces New Focus Programme Manager, said: “The socially engaged approach that underpins this project is an innovative way to interpret and build on the collections of our galleries and museums. By placing the voices of the communities at the forefront, New Faces New Focus asks questions about the stories we are telling, and importantly, who is telling them. We hope that this project offers a new approach to engaging with cultural heritage that brings new voices into the fore. Working closely with communities and partners across Liverpool City Region, we have had the opportunity to embed this work in local contexts and create a dynamic constellation of exhibitions.”

Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said: “New Faces New Focus brings together photography, museum collections and personal stories to celebrate the many experiences that shape our communities today. We’re hugely grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Julia Rausing Trust for supporting Going Places. I’d encourage people from Liverpool and beyond to visit the exhibition at Open Eye Gallery as it begins its journey across the UK, before travelling on to Aberdeenshire and Armagh.”

Sarah Weir, Museums Services Manager & Mark Revels, Community Arts Officer, Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, said: “This has been an incredibly exciting project for the Museum. It has given us a new opportunity to connect with people in a truly participant-led way, opening up the Museum as a welcoming, creative space for communities from all walks of life. We have thoroughly enjoyed the process and have been delighted to welcome new audiences, many of whom had never explored the Museum before. Projects like this show that museums are not dry or static places, but vibrant spaces where people can come together, share ideas, be inspired and feel that they belong.  Objects were explored and histories unlocked giving way to wonderful stories of the past where participants connected and shared their own stories to create works inspired by the Museum’s collection.

Gemma Farquhar, Social Worker, Aberdeenshire Council, said: “The project has had a very positive impact on our young people, giving them opportunities to explore museums, learn about ancient objects, and take part in creative activities such as making and using pinhole cameras. They have really enjoyed being able to express themselves through photography and have felt very included and welcomed throughout. Grace, Nicole and the team have been incredibly pleasant, knowledgeable and supportive, which has made the experience even more meaningful for the young people.”

New Faces, New Focus runs from 18 September to 20 December 2026 at Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, with related displays taking place at The Atkinson, Kirkby Gallery and The World of Glass.

Following its display in Liverpool, New Faces New Focus: Stories We Share will tour to Armagh County Museum (17 January – 5 May 2027) and Aberdeenshire Farming Museum (June – September 2027).

Going Places is an Art Fund programme made possible with major support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Julia Rausing Trust, with additional support from a generous group of trusts, foundations and individuals. Art Fund is continuing to fundraise to reach the full potential of the programme and make the biggest impact for museums and visitors across the UK.

Meanwhile, our Gallery 3 (upstairs) will show Next Up-2026 (18 September – 1 November) and Fractured Landscapes And How We Heal (6 November – 30 November).