As We Are, Might Have Been, and Could Be is the Arab British Centre’s UK-wide visual arts and talent development programme, curated by Jessica El Mal and supported by the Freelands Foundation.

We are organising two As We Are: Creative Exchange Days in partnership with Manchester’s Longsight Art Space. These days are an opportunity for people with a connection to the 22 Arab nations* to get together, get inspired, and think about practical steps you can take to help advance your creative practice. It’s also a chance for us to more deeply understand the needs of our creative community, helping us shape our artist development initiatives for the future.

Applications are open now to take part. Simply fill in this online form by 2 June.

*As We Are centres people with a connection to the 22 Arab world – Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Applications from people with connections to these nations will be prioritised. 

The Multi-Hyphen – Building your creative career while having another job

Saturday 20 June | 1-4pm | Longsight Art Space

The Multi-Hyphen: Building your creative career while having another job is the first of our Creative Exchange Days, specifically for people who are already working on creative projects for the love of it, not necessarily for pay, or have no formal arts education, often due to pressure from families to pursue a more quote “sensible” career (we’ve all been there!). From our research and development phase, we found that multi-hyphens came to The Arab British Centre with goals of getting ideas off the ground, getting projects or ideas funded, building network and making creative passions economically viable. So that’s exactly what our first Creative Exchange on Saturday 20 June is offering. 

With a talk from Bahraini British artist Ali Al-Jamri to gain insight on how he switched from poet to visual artist working on his first film commission with us, while also holding down a full time job, group crit sessions to gain valuable feedback and a ‘getting your idea of the ground’ workshop, with Somali-Dominican curator, artist and producer Fauziya Johnson, the day will equip you with practical tools and new ideas to think about, as well as connecting you to a network of local, like-minded individuals.

To apply to take part, please fill in this form by 11pm on Tuesday 2nd June. 

The As We Are Network pilot workshops are a partnership between The Arab British Centre and Longsight Art Space, supported by The Freelands Foundation. 

Longsight Art Space is a community-led creative hub, founded in 2021. They believe everyone should have access to creativity, regardless of background. Their projects grow from the stories, skills and needs of local people. Focused on creativity, care, wellbeing and belonging, their space brings people together through exhibitions, workshops, and simple shared moments.