This exhibition brought together portrait photographs which were collected as part of a community archiving project led by The Oxfordshire Community Education Group. The images reflected the lives created as the Windrush generation arrived and settled in Oxford, making critical contributions to the life of the city through their work.
Fusion Arts hosted the Elders Tea Party and Preview, which was a heart-warming celebration of heritage, resilience, and community. Contributors who donated photos from personal archives saw their memories celebrated, alongside artwork from the East Oxford 50+ group and objects that brought traditional Caribbean homes to life — starched doilies, glassware, games, music, and clothing. The Oxford Caribbean Histories and Community Archive showcases the rich lives and stories of Oxford’s Windrush generation, complemented by a video made in 1989 from the African Caribbean Oral History Project.
You can see the exhibition come to life here!
The last day of the exhibition began with a screening of “Paving the Way - Pavilion Maxwell Alexandre”, a film by Oxford Brookes University PhD student and Fusion Arts studio artist Sylvia Morgado de Queiroz, followed by a discussion on diversifying audiences in museums and galleries with Brazilian guest Magda Gomes. Filmmaker and researcher Sylvia Morgado de Queiroz travelled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to look closely into the work of artist Maxwell Alexandre. He’s known for creating pop-up galleries, or ‘pavilions,’ in unexpected places. Through these spaces, he’s forming new audiences and shaking up the art scene. In the documentary, Morgado visits two of his pavilions in Rocinha and São Cristóvão, talking to visitors to see how Alexandre’s work affects them. She explores whether these encounters inspire people to visit other art spaces they might not have visited otherwise. Check out Sylvia’s work here.
During the closing remarks, Windrush Years curator and project lead Dolcie Obhiozele reflected on the project’s journey and its future. In a heartfelt tribute, artist and lecturer Rachel Barbaresi presented Dolcie with “A Cape for Dolcie Obhiozele”, symbolizing the deep community bonds forged through the project. Rachel Barbaresi collaborated with members of the East Oxford 50+ group to create the cape. In a symbolic gesture, the cape was swirled around the exhibition space, celebrating its significance and welcoming it into the archive.
Though this marked the end of Windrush Years in its current form, it’s far from over. The next generation is ready to carry the project forward, gathering new stories from Oxford’s Windrush descendants.
Oxfordshire Community Education Group and the Oxford African Caribbean Histories Archive group would like to thank the following organisations: Fusion Arts, Oxford Brookes and the Centre of Research in the Arts (CoRA), Unlock the Chains Collective, John Bunyan Baptist Church, Oxford Hub, Oxfordshire African Caribbean Multicultural Association (OACMA), East Oxford 50+ Group, Museum of Oxford, Oxford Community Action (OCA).
We would also like to thank Derek James, Jermaine Francis, Lorna Smith, Winnie, Arona Jones-Ellis, Kerissa Lawrence, Fay Rowe-McKenzie, Lorna Nevers, Gertrude Williams, Paulette Lidert, Ebonn Charles, Jini Agbu, Shari Petti, Khadijah Shodunke, Sylvia Morgado de Queiroz, Marlene Williams, Dawn Dishman, Joyce Nelson, Denise Berley, Elaine, Colette Fuller, Peter Savage, Amy Harris, Andrea Siret, Daniela Treveri-Gennari, Rosa Codina, Khisha Clarke, Rachel Barbaresi, Hanna Klien-Thomas, Kieran Cox, Euton Daley, Nigel Carter, Pat Green, Louise Williams, Cameron Aitken, and Zola Tatton.
