Author(s): REFUGEE ART PROJECT

Zines

The drawings, comics and testimony in this zine are by refugee women who we met in the Villawood detention centre and in our workshop in the Western Sydney suburb of Parramatta.  There is one exception, being the story of a woman (Shreya) in Villawood whose circumstances highlight the mistake of placing women (or anyone for that matter) in indefinite detention.

Our art workshop at Parramatta was generously funded in the first year by the Institute for Creative Health.  After that we continued with the support of one-off financial donations, donated art materials and community volunteerism.

Whilst many asylum seekers and refugees have withstood persecution and trauma, it is often the vulnerable members of these communities, specifically women and children, who are most at-risk and in need of support.

Our art workshop seeks to provide refugee women with opportunities for creative self-expression, a time to socialise and for women who live in the community, a chance to create a sense of belonging.

Refugee Art Project, 28/08/13