Art exhibit shows ‘incredible strength and resilience’ of Hamilton newcomers
‘Thriving Together’ exhibition will run until June 7 on the second floor of Hamilton City Hall
Overlaid on a map of Hamilton, there is a green and yellow home with half of its heart missing. It represents the love Louai Moghrabi has for both Canada and Syria.
“I left half of my heart in my country,” said Moghrabi, who arrived in the city as a refugee in early 2020, pointing to the art piece. “But still, we’ve made connections here.”
Moghrabi’s piece is one of dozens currently on display at Hamilton City Hall as part of the “Thriving Together” art exhibit.
The art pieces were created as part of a research project that focused on the mental health and well-being of newcomers and their children as they settled in the city, said Amanda Sim, an assistant professor at McMaster University and lead researcher on the study.
The study, which was in collaboration with Wesley, saw Mac researchers speak with 40 government-assisted refugee families who had arrived in Hamilton in the past few years from Syria, Iraq and Sudan.
Sim said the study, which spanned more than a year, found that newcomer parents experienced many different challenges in the city, including the cost of living, separation from loved ones as well as language and employment barriers.
She noted that the children shared that they often dealt with feelings of loneliness and isolation as language barriers made it challenging to make friends and learn at school.
“All of these things had a really significant impact on mental health and well-being, particularly for parents,” said Sim. “They were the ones that had to help their children navigate through these challenges and also were really trying to protect their children and shield them from these problems.”
Sim said in spite of the “enormous challenges” faced by the families, they demonstrated “incredible strength and resilience.” Many reported relying on loved ones as well as their faith to cope, she noted.
That theme came through in Moghrabi’s piece, which pointed to his Muslim faith as a means for hope “no matter how hard the pain is.”
Sim said the study showed the need for support for newcomers, especially when it comes to the cost of living, housing and language services as well as better access to culturally responsive mental-health support.
There is also a need for more recreational and community-based programming for newcomers to help them form social connections, Sim added.
“We can really help them to not just survive, but also to really thrive here in their new lives and in their new communities,” said Sim.
To help share the results of the research with the community, the researchers hosted art workshops in partnership with Centre [3] for Artistic + Social Practice on James Street North.
The goal? To offer the participants a chance to reflect on their journeys to Hamilton as well as their hopes and dreams for their future, said Sim.
Each participant was given a map of Hamilton as their canvas and what they did with it was “left up to them,” said Sim. They used several different media — such as paint, embroidery, fabrics and collage.
Some included depictions of butterflies and flowers, while others focused more on sports and the ideas of home. For some, it was the first time they had ever created a piece of art, noted Sim.
“It was such a wonderful experience to be a part of it,” said Sim. “You could see how transformative the experience was for them.”
The exhibit will run until June 7 on the second floor of city hall.