A Place at the Table is an exhibition of poster poems, bringing focus to the voices of Manchester people during the cost-of-living crisis. Part of a programme of work showing throughout the year in our purpose-built new community exhibition space for the Inspire Gallery on the Ground Floor at HOME.
Working collaboratively with poet Phil Davenport and artist Christine Johnson, A Place at the Table features a beautiful collection of poster poems by people from Manchester during the cost-of-living crisis, especially those experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless.
People from Manchester experiencing homelessness, or at risk of becoming homeless, as well as the wider community, have been taking part in local charity Caritas Salford‘s new project, A Place at the Table, writing hundreds of poems with poet Phil Davenport and supported by the team at Caritas’ Cornerstone day centre in Hulme. Participants also worked with artist Christine Johnson developing poster poems to evoke a day in the life of the many authors.
The exhibition invites visitors to appreciate the wit, wordplay, and distinct perspectives on food and everyday life that are shared within the collection of poetry and rhymes. Audiences should expect to be met with candid words and genuine expressions of the challenges facing people experiencing poverty locally.
Poet Phil Davenport said: “Poems see our inner life, the subtle connections between us all.”
Project participant Steve said: “Poems tell us the truth and the truth resonates with everyone.”
Supported using public funding by Arts Council England, the poems developed through a year of sessions, some during one-to-one conversations with people experiencing homelessness, with others through more formal community workshops themed around food, warmth and togetherness. People who reside at the neighbouring Caritas Morning Star supported
accommodation also took part. Morning Star provides safe, supported accommodation for homeless men, the team works alongside people to empower them to transform their lives,
aiming to help them to move on and successfully resettle in the community.
More Information
About Caritas Salford and Cornerstone Centre
Caritas Salford is a charity which, despite its name, supports people from right across Greater Manchester and Lancashire who are experiencing poverty, homelessness and discrimination, and its services are embedded in the local communities it supports. The Cornerstone day centre is one of the services run by the charity, and works with people experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless – not just in preventing them from becoming homeless, but also ensuring that people who do become homeless are helped to secure safe accommodation, and that no one has to sleep rough. The team also aims to enable people to improve their health and wellbeing, access specialist support services, and take up education, training, volunteering opportunities, and employment, as a means of sustaining positive housing outcomes.
With many decades of experience, the charity is proud to work alongside local people to develop its services and ensure that they are embedded in the local communities it works alongside.
For more information on Caritas Salford and its services, visit www.caritassalford.org,uk
For more information on the Cornerstone day centre, or to make a donation in support of its work, please visit www.caritassalford.org.uk/cornerstone