SANCTUARY THROUGH ART

Window art at the Ascension Church Hulme by Lynda Sterling of OT Creative Space. Photo courtesy of Rachel Bywater Photography.

Earlier this year, Ascension Hulme was proud to host a reflective art workshop in collaboration with the Radical Reading Room Collective and artist-activist Deirdre McConnell. Community members explored the theme of sanctuary through oil pastels, guided breathwork, and shared reflection - connecting emotions, history, and the enduring spirit of resistance.

McConnell, a former member of the Viraj Mendis Defence Campaign (VMDC), has long woven art and activism together. From designing sanctuary imagery and VMDC posters in the 1980s to creating works bearing witness to human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, her practice reflects the power of creative expression as both testimony and therapy.

The workshop highlighted how the VMDC embraced art to ‘bear witness’ to state violence, forge community bonds, and imagine alternative futures. Participants were invited to explore these histories, engage with McConnell’s legacy, and consider the transformative potential of the arts in sustaining movements against racialised state violence.

This event reminds us that sanctuary is not just a place, but a practice - one expressed through care, creativity, and the courage to confront injustice.

To learn more about the workshop, you can read Dr. Pimblott’s full article here:
https://www.racerootsresist.com/post/sanctuary-and-healing-centred-arts-practices