Central Library is hosting a section of the art trail for ‘Happy, Safe and Free’.

Happy, Safe and Free is a yearlong, city-wide art project, exploring empathy and understanding for refugees through creativity. It has been designed for Manchester’s Year of the Child and Young People 2022 by Emma Martin, assisted by Judy Donnelly.

Since the beginning of 2022 over 10,000 school students across our city have been making artworks expressing
what makes them ‘happy’, ‘safe’ and ‘free’. They then destroyed their artworks, shedding each piece to illustrate the loss of the basic human needs of happiness, safety, and freedom. The shredded artworks will be on display as ‘seas’ with origami boats floating on top to symbolise the dangerous journeys migrants and refugees are forced to make to find a place of sanctuary. Later in the year, the young-artists work will be recycled to create a further exhibition exploring the vast contribution migrants have made to our city.

To mark the beginning of Refugee Week 2022, people are encouraged to journey across our city on the 18th of June to follow the trail of artworks installed in 10 city-centre locations to view the young people. Make Central Library part of your route!

Happy, Safe and Free is a ‘Building the Bridge’ and ‘Drawing Us Together’ project Funded by Stanley Grove Primary Academy and MADE.