HOME - Arts & Homelessness Festival: Send A Smile postcard exhibition

Fri 8 Oct 2021 to Sat 16 Oct 2021

West Midlands Police Museum
26 Hertford Street, Coventry Show on map

FREE

‘When we smile, it makes us feel good, as well as the people around us. There are many things that make us smile.’ Beginning in Coventry during the pandemic, the Send a Smile postcard project has travelled to homeless communities in the USA, Brazil, South Africa, India, Japan and Australia.

Developed by Underground Lights with support from Coventry UK City of Culture 2021, Arts and Homelessness International, The Belgrade Theatre and Crisis, this international project was designed by Hayley Harman and Beth Fiducia-Brookes as a way to engage creatively with people experiencing deep isolation in hostels during lockdown.

In an aim to get these people thinking about smiling, participants were encouraged to decorate postcards as a way of recording their feelings of joy. After its success in Coventry, the project was extended to communities around the world, with some of these postcards now being displayed at the HOME festival.

Supported by funding from Spirit of 2012.

Art

HOME - Arts & Homelessness Festival: ‘ART is where the HOME is’ Creative Hub

Drop into the HOME Festival Creative Hub to participate in a range of creative activities whilst chatting to some of the people involved in developing the HOME festival. Hear their stories whilst printing t-shirts, making bracelets, learning the guitar, pebble painting of playing a game of giant homeless monopoly.

Developed from inspiration sessions with the homeless community across the city, these informal sessions give us all space to create something new and make new connections. Saturday 16th October will focus on activities for children so bring the whole family to create and celebrate with us.

See event page