Now the Museum of Gloucester has re-opened, visitors will see and hear the people of Gloucester in the Community Gallery.

Using existing work (film and photography), co-curated with artist Rider Shafique, visitors will be asked to consider and respond to the questions "What is community?"; "Who are you?" and "What do you love?"

The Community Gallery will be shared as a space to represent and empower our communities.

Rider is a Gloucester-based artist/creative who works across multiple art forms. Over time Rider has learnt to create work from his authentic true self by celebrating, documenting and drawing inspiration from his surroundings, his culture and his identity.

Rider hopes this will encourage others to value their own individual perspectives and experiences not only in day-to-day life, but also when creating.

These films were originally commissioned by City Voices, and the artworks co-commissioned with Gloucester Culture Trust and Gloucestershire Archives for the 2020 Gloucester History Festival.

City Voices brings people together through projects and partnerships which fuse the voices and contributions of different communities across Gloucester.

Projects aim to encourage a deeper understanding of global themes in a participatory way, through art and the exploration of local history and heritage.

To find out more visit: www.gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk 

Rider Shafique said: "Community to me means to have a common unity, a common goal and objective. I want to create or rekindle this unity that I personally feel Gloucester at times lacks especially in the sense of feeling represented or reflected in some of Gloucester's long-standing attractions or institutions.

"I am interested in working alongside the Museum of Gloucester in starting to reflect a wider, more diverse and a more accurate face of Gloucester.

"Who is the Museum for? It's for the community isn't it? So why shouldn't they be represented in a place that is for them?"

Ashley Mackenzie-White said: "Rider's work allows us to see, hear and feel the communities of Gloucester in the Museum. We want to represent and empower people to share powerful stories in the Community Gallery and we hope that we can continue to co-curate with more important artists from Gloucester to be a Museum FOR Gloucester."