Community arts project seeking hidden sheroes

A community focused arts project, led by MIMA and a consortium of partners, is seeking nominations of women for an engaging photography project about unsung heroes within the community.

Borderlands, part of the national Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme, is teaming up with award winning documentary photographer Joanne Coates, who will work with a selection of nominees to tell stories about the area and their lives through the pandemic.

People are invited to nominate an unsung community Shero who is based in the Middlesbrough or Redcar and Cleveland areas.

Borderlands Project Director Shahda Khan said: ‘We are searching for those unsung community Sheros and would love to hear about mams, sisters, nannas, partners, colleagues, friends, neighbours, teachers, key workers, nurses, any Shero who has made an impact, no matter how small, over this tough time.

‘We want to know about these ordinary women who have been doing extraordinary things.’

A Shero is a woman of any age, colour, nationality, gender non-binary or a trans woman. She is an active giver, an example of what is possible, a brilliant light and hope, and an inspiration to people of all ages. A woman who goes above and beyond and someone who makes a difference, whether it’s to an individual, a street or an entire town.

Shahda added: ‘Women have always been key in supporting strong communities, but never more so than over the past year. Many have juggled work with caring responsibilities as well as homeschooling.

‘Women have been involved in volunteering, supporting vulnerable friends and family and many have been front line workers. Women have often held everything together, putting themselves last and others first. We want to commemorate and celebrate these women by sharing their stories.’

If you know a Shero in your life who you want to celebrate, they can be nominated here. Tell their story and why they deserve to be recognised, before 20 May 2021.

A display of photographic portraits documenting selected women nominated is just one of the planned activities as part of the wider Borderlands programme. This is the first of the Borderlands Portraits which will see more initiatives celebrating communities across Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland.

Borderlands is a Creative People and Places project, funded by Arts Council England which is a major programme of creative growth, focused in Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland. Borderlands is led by a consortium of partners including MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art), Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation, Tees Valley Nature Partnership, NorthStar Housing, Tees Valley Education Academies and Future Regeneration of Grangetown. It is also supported by Tees Valley Combined Authority, Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland local authorities and Teesside University.

The project will focus on significantly increasing the number of local people taking part in cultural activity, as well as embedding culture as a part of our approach to wellbeing and resilience. It’s about getting together; talking, sharing, experiencing new things and making exciting things happen in our communities.

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