A new photography exhibition exploring the experiences of people who have moved to Stoke-on-Trent from around the world opens next week as part of the city’s Centenary Living Heritage Festival.
Settling 2.0, by award-winning photographer Sam Ivin, revisits his 2019 project Settling, adding fresh portraits and stories alongside the original collection.
The exhibition captures the life journeys of residents from diverse backgrounds, including World War Two veteran Walerian Tyminski, 16-year-old Santiago Gutierrez Rey, who moved to the city at age seven, and Aida Haughton, recognised for her work raising awareness of the Srebrenica genocide and combating hate speech.
Supported by B. ARTS, the exhibition will be on display at the University of Staffordshire’s Henrion Gallery in College Road. It opens to the public on Wednesday, 19 November, and runs until Thursday, 8 January.
Sam said: “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to revisit Settling and create a few more portraits. I hope audiences enjoy looking at people’s pictures and learning about their fascinating stories as much as I have. The communities that exist here are very special.”
B. ARTS creative producer Rebecca Frankenberg added: “Settling is an incredible exhibition. Stoke-on-Trent’s heritage as a city is richly diverse, and it’s fantastic to have an exhibition that shares some of these stories as part of the centenary celebrations.”
The 2025 edition of Settling has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the University of Staffordshire. The project was originally commissioned by Appetite and GRAIN in 2017, expanded with Arts Council England support in 2019, and first exhibited at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley.
