The power of art in community

Art can be a powerful tool to communicate stories, provide a space for self-development or personal expression, and be a therapeutic activity. Through a range of projects and events centred around art, our local communities contribute to a culture of welcome for people who have experienced displacement.

Students, staff, and community groups can take action in support of refugees and people seeking sanctuary through projects or events. Funding applications are open throughout the year to support activities in our communities. Art-based activities are one of the many ways that you can make a difference through simple acts; taking small steps to create a big change.

Connecting communities through art

In Community Plan 2025–30, the University recognises that New Scots, including people who have experienced forced migration, are integral to the “thriving communities” the Plan seeks to promote. 

Local and global come together in our Community Plan. The support offered through Education Beyond Borders and our status as a University of Sanctuary are actions we have committed to as part of a wider promise to help local to thrive.

Gemma Gourlay Head of Social Impact

The Plan recognises the importance of connection in supporting local communities to create the change that matters to them. For many community members, including local New Scots, art and culture cultivate relationships and growth.

Take inspiration from across our community

Students, staff, and community groups can take action through projects or events with funding available each year. Here’s how you can get involved. 

The University’s Community Grants assist communities in creating positive social impact. 

Home Through Our Eyes exhibition: A celebration of welcome and community

This project was supported by the Community Grants Scheme in Autumn 2025.

Home Through Our Eyes was a participatory photo and storytelling exhibition co-created by resettled refugee families and volunteers from the Edinburgh Refugee Sponsorship Circle (ERSC) and Student Action for Refugees (STAR). The project celebrates five years of community-led welcome by sharing personal memories and new photographs that explore what “home” and “community” means in Edinburgh. 


Through their creative work, University staff have also supported a culture of welcome:

Scotland’s first National Saturday Club 

Bobby Sayers, Teaching Fellow in Fine Art in Edinburgh College of Art, launched the National Saturday Club in 2025. It offers a 20-week course designed for young people aged between 13 and 15 years old to learn and explore many art and design techniques, including clay, printmaking, sculpture, collage, textiles and more. Last year, they welcomed 20 young people from underrepresented backgrounds across the city, including New Scots. 

National Saturday Club

Talbot Rice Gallery – engaging New Scots 

Last year, Talbot Rice Gallery engaged with organisations including The Welcoming and Salaam to create opportunities for New Scots to engage with its exhibitions through creative activities and reflective conversations. Sarah Leal, Community Engagement Officer, facilitated this. 


New Scots have driven research using arts-based methods: 

REALITIES in Health Disparities

Researching Evidence-Based Alternatives in Living, Imaginative, Traumatised, Integrated, Embodied Systems 

Through creative, nature-based and other activities, this consortium of 57 transdisciplinary research-practice-policy partners brings together communities who face barriers to accessing health and social care systems. Together, through creative health approaches, they re-imagine what co-designed services centring diverse community members could do to promote health, wellbeing and equity. In North Lanarkshire, sessions using drama, visual art, and music explored the experiences of New Scots, in line with the stated aims and outcomes of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy. The Refugee, Resettlement & Asylum Division at the Scottish Government is a formal REALITIES partner. 

REALITIES research project 

REALITIES – Measuring Humanity 


Community Grants for a better Edinburgh

This micro-grant scheme is open all year round for funding of up to £500. Applications are welcome from not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises. It aims to help the development of projects, community activities and sustainable local action through funding and collaboration.

Take inspiration from previous Refugee Week art events

Each year, the University supports Refugee Week – the world’s largest arts and culture festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Student- and staff-led events and activities can benefit from financial support of up to £500 from Education Beyond Borders’s Refugee Week event funding. 

As our world is embroiled in conflict, millions are displaced from their homes every year. Amidst this, it often becomes difficult to express. Where words might fail, art becomes a medium to express ourselves and tell our stories. This event in Refugee Week 2025 celebrated with the community through painting stories on a blank canvas, setting emotions free and sharing journeys. 


In Refugee Week 2024, the Centre for Open Learning held an event called “Connected Communities”. Local artist Xinyi Yang was present at the event and produced live artwork, inspired by the multi-cultural gathering.

Learn about Xinyi Yang


The Aesthetics of One Health project, embedded within the One Health FIELD Network, brought together visual and musical creations – a blend of paintings and compositions that celebrate traditional Syrian agricultural heritage and the intergenerational resilience of refugee communities. 

Syrian artists showcase One Health through art and music  


Get funding for your own event

Funding up to £500 is available for student groups and University staff to organise events during the academic year to contribute to the culture of welcome at Edinburgh for those who have experienced forced migration.

Take inspiration from Simple Acts

Simple Acts are everyday actions we can all do to stand with refugees and make new connections in our communities. By taking small steps, you can be part of a movement of people across the country who are working together to create a more welcoming and inclusive community. 

This Simple Act is all about the power of creativity. Through drawing and painting we can express ourselves, share stories and connect with one another. Art created in some quiet time by yourself, or collectively in a group, can be a moment for rest, reflection and possibility. 


Open your door to a neighbour, try new food, read a book or watch a film that changes your view of the world. Speak up, ask for help, or share your story – every action counts.

Simple Acts


More information

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