‘Shelanu is about more than jewellery – it's about creating a safe space for women to be themselves’

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2022, we’ve interviewed the founders of three organisations that put the experience of women at the core of their mission. First, we spoke to Emma Daker, exhibitions and project development manager at the organisation Craftspace, which set up and facilitates Shelanu – a Birmingham-based craft group dedicated to women that have moved into the city from around the world.

What prompted you to start Shelanu?

Shelanu: Women’s Craft Collective was launched in June 2011, but we began the work that informed its creation in 2009, following five years of working with a refugee and migrant organisation in Birmingham. Together, we delivered a series of arts projects to enrich the lives of refugee women and exhibited their work widely including at Origin, the Crafts Council’s London fair in 2007.

Buyers and the general public were interested in quality craft objects enriched by socially engaged content and narrative. This inspired us to create a crafts social enterprise that would help women to progress from being recipients and beneficiaries of arts activity to producers who can contribute to the creative economy and develop a more diverse offer to the marketplace.

What is your mission?

Shelanu is about much more than making jewellery. Arts and crafts are used as a catalyst in a process of discovery and learning, which enables women to find friends, independence, community and active citizenship in their new homes. Our mission is to create a safe space for refugee and migrant women to be themselves, which enables audiences to connect to the contribution of the women without overt political agendas.

What does craft bring to the women you work with?

Shelanu, which means ‘belonging to us’ in Hebrew, continues to be a collective of migrant and refugee women working with Craftspace to develop craft skills, confidence and wellbeing through social enterprise. The women have no formal training as jewellers. They learn creative skills from professional makers. Members produce high-quality jewellery and objects for sale inspired by the city, the melding of cultures and shared experiences of migration.

Shelanu is committed to not only developing skills but honing artistic creativity, nurturing friendships and supporting integration and language learning. Members of the collective, many of whom are new to the city, are empowered with the expertise to work with materials spanning silver, enamel and copper, and the artistic independence to share their accomplishments with new participants, teaching workshops and community groups across the country.

How has your work changed over time?

Over time the members have become more involved in the planning and delivery of community projects, as well as selecting the artists we work with for their own collections. Over the years we have become more networked with other refugee and migrant organisations across Birmingham, the region and nationally, leading to work in partnership as well as being commissioned for community work.

Local connections have led to referrals of women to join the group, demonstrating an ongoing need for what Shelanu offers. The collective continues to be significant as women continue to arrive in the city for many different reasons, experiencing isolation and limitations to what they can do.