Art as a Bridge-Builder: A Program for Young Refugees

Abstract

ABSTRACTRefugee children and young people are living a life in transition: they have been forced to leave their countries due to war, poverty or political persecution in order to seek protection and new life options in Denmark. This article argues that museums have opportunities to help the process of integration that has been mostly overlooked. In the Travelling with Art program for young refugees at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, our goal is to create good experiences for refugee students by developing methods that invite them to express themselves through art as a way to share their thoughts and feelings. Bridgebuilding in the form of intercultural workshops between Danish and refugee youth is another recent, but important aspect that we believe can help the students to create networks, and thereby help their integration process. Of course, this raises questions – such as how to balance the expressive element in such a way that the children are invited to express themselves without risking getting close to feelings that are traumatic. Or whether it makes sense to build bridges between Danes and young refugees who will perhaps not even stay in Denmark.