The Refugee Project began in the fall of 2016 when Dana Morris, an art teacher from Mills E. Godwin High School, reached out to the Virginia Holocaust Museum with a project proposal. Through collaborating with the VHM, Morris sought to provide students with both historical and contemporary context vital to the understanding of the current refugee crisis. The goal of the project is to humanize a world issue while creating connections within our lives and communities.

To begin the project, Godwin High School students from Dana Morris’ and Lindsey Hurlburt’s art classes learned about refugees living in Richmond resettled by Commonwealth Catholic Charities. Next, the participating students visited the VHM and toured the exhibits. Afterward, students had the opportunity to meet refugees from our community and listen to stories about their experiences. The refugees resettled in Richmond from all over the world, including Iran, Bhutan, Sudan, Iraq, Poland, and Nepal. We wanted to provide a platform for people whose stories are often not heard. It is from those conversations that students drew inspiration for their artwork.

The artwork will officially open to the public on May 18th and can be viewed from 6:30–8:00 pm.

You can see the original post about the project here!