The installation at the Bradford Council-run museum is the culmination of work by photographer Cath Muldowney over five years of capturing portraits of members of Gypsy and Traveller communities across the Bradford district and beyond. James Steward, Head of Bradford Museums and Galleries services celebrated the exhibition’s success over the last three months. “The exhibition has been a resounding success with over 10,000 visits since opening on 23rd May.
The exhibition and unique partnership with Leeds GATE and their community members showcases some of the stories of Gypsy and Traveller communities illustrated through the lens of Cath Muldowney’s stunning photography. Our Museums and Galleries are committed to making Bradford District a vibrant, creative, inclusive place to live where everyone feels proud of their diverse heritage and culture.” The exhibition has been created working in partnership with community and members organisation and charity Leeds GATE (Gypsy and Traveller Exchange) and Bradford District Museums and Galleries.
Photos are included from iconic fairs and drives such as Lee Gap, as well as at people’s homes and events. This is the first time these communities have been part of an inclusive photography display in the region. Personal objects are shared by some of the community members photographed, and together they offer a glimpse into the lives and culture of Gypsy and Traveller communities in Bradford.
A free closing event will also be held in the gallery itself – Writing our Dreams, Singing our Songs – showcasing talented Gypsy and Traveller writers, poets and performers on Thursday 5th September from 6-8pm. Performers will share their work in the beautiful gallery surroundings located in Lister Park, providing a great opportunity to see the exhibition before it closes. Violet Cannon, whose life story is featured in the exhibition, author of Gypsy Princess will be sharing from her book and poetry.
Senior Researcher, writer & ambassador Chelsea McDonagh will represent the all-women writing group “Write into Culture”. One of the co-founders of the group Dee Cooper said, “Write into Culture are delighted to be included in this wonderful event and be part of the exhibition, filled with rich history and heritage, both past and present.” The collective is made up of Gypsy and Traveller women all over the country and also founded by Lisa Smith, a creative producer and educationalist.
Recent productions include, “Sisters in Solidarity” & Romany Nights. Jo Clement, a working-class poet and interdisciplinary maker, of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller ethnicity, will be reading for her highly acclaimed work ‘Outlandish’ shortlisted for the John Pollard International Poetry Prize and longlisted for the Michael Murphy Memorial Prize 2023. She has a doctorate, is a Northern Writers' Award winner and lectures in Creative Writing at Northumbria University.
Gypsy and Traveller people are often seen as one group, with much about their heritage and lives unseen and unknown. Both the exhibition and closing event however showcases these communities' diverse traditions and cultures, and their place in the rich history of Bradford and West Yorkshire through to the modern day. Kathleenanne Boswell lives on a site in Bradford and works at Leeds GATE as a Senior Youth Worker, engaging with tens of young people through education and activities in the region.
Her family, like many others on the site, have lived there for four generations and are deeply connected to the region. “Exhibitions like this are so important. Our culture and traditions are dying out.
This is a first; we have never had anything like this all the years I’ve lived in Bradford. It is important for our kids to see this. When you walk in it’s like being a kid at Christmas.
You don’t know which way to turn. You want to look at everything at once to take it all in.” “As a Leeds GATE staff member and from the Traveller community, I’m privileged we get to do this exhibition.
I and others have been so proud to be part of planning and design of it. I hope it’s going to raise awareness for our communities across Bradford and give people a clearer understanding of our heritage.” Kathleenanne, her Mam and Granny are all woven into the backstory of Leeds GATE and the community activism at it’s heart; their life stories are told as part of the exhibition.
Photographer Cath Muldowney, said: “It’s been a privilege for me to be allowed a glimpse into a way of life that has existed for centuries and is very much a part of the tapestry of the Bradford district. The people I have met have been warm and welcoming, honest, and funny.” Rachel Trafford from Leeds GATE said: “Gypsy and Traveller communities certainly face challenges and discrimination in our society or being made invisible in our British history.
However, this exhibition is about finding and sharing Gypsy and Traveller hope, joy and beauty, opening in time to celebrate Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month in June. Over 10,000 recorded visits is an incredible achievement and shows the value and impact of inclusive arts and culture. Our thanks go to our memebrs for sharing their likeness and a small part of their experiences with us, the photographer Cath as well as Bradford Council’s Cartwright Hall Gallery – it couldn’t have happened without them.
” Find out more about the exhibition at https://bradfordmuseums.org/cartwright-hall-art-gallery/ Closing event https://bradfordmuseums.org/event/finale-event-dreams-and-songs-to-sing/ ABOUT THE TITLE OF THE EXHIBITION Taken from a line in the Irish folk classic Fields of Athenry , the exhibition title was chosen by photographer Cath Muldowney when she heard a Gypsy man, Bernard Cunningham, sing an emotional a cappella version of the song at a Leeds GATE event.
His singing is also featured in the exhibition. ABOUT CATH MULDOWNEY Cath is a Bradford-based documentary photographer, with a passion for photographing people and their stories. She prefers to work on long-term projects, to get to know the people that she is photographing.
She is self-taught, and much more interested in capturing the moment and telling a story than the technical aspects of photography. www.cathmuldowneyphotography.
com FB @cathmuldowneyphotography Instagram @cath_muldowney_photography EVENTS A final closing event will be held in the gallery on Thursday 5th September from 6pm showcasing selected Gypsy and Traveller poets and writers. Dreams and Songs to Sing is an exhibition about preserving and redefining culture within these communities, and storytelling is one of the ways to do so. The event will highlight talented writers and storymakers and the dreams and songs they want to share and carry forward for future generations.
INFORMATION ABOUT LEEDS GATE Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange, known more commonly as Leeds GATE, is a brave and creative grassroots membership organisation. We are led by Gypsy and Traveller people in partnership with others across West Yorkshire. Our work has an award-winning track record of community activism, social action, and member-led innovation.
Leeds GATE website – www.leedsgate.co.
uk Facebook and Twitter: @LeedsGATE Instagram @leeds_gate ABOUT CARTWRIGHT HALL ART GALLERY Standing in Lister Park, about a mile from Bradford city centre, Cartwright Hall was built on the former site of Manningham Hall and opened as a gallery in 1904. The hall housed a display of loaned artworks before acquiring its own collection of Victorian and Edwardian works using funds from the 1904 Bradford Industrial Exhibition. The collection now includes artworks by Hockney, Lowry, Warhol, Lichtenstein and Anish Kapoor.
Opening Times: Monday (except Bank Holidays): Closed Tuesday - Friday: 10am-4pm Saturday - Sunday: 11am-4pm.
