Women of Newport – A project by Kamila Jarczak

Another latergram this week of a project I was humbled to be involved with in 2019 alongside Sarah Goodey through our involvement with Art On The Hill Newport, this time for Kamila Jarczak’s project Women of Newport.

I first met Kamila back in 2018 after being put in touch by a mutual friend. Originally from Poland, Kamila and her family had not been living in Newport long at that time, but she was keen to make friends and new connections through her photography. Kamila is a very successful and hugely talented self taught photographer whose focus is mainly on music, portrait photography, and documenting community projects. Kamila was the official photographer of Newport’s first ever Chartist festival, Newport Rising Festival in November 2018, organised by local charity Our Chartist Heritage.

See more of Kamila’s work here: https://kamilajphotography.com/

Kamila came to photograph Sarah and I in April 2019. I just happened to be on Newport week between visits home, so we agreed to have coffee. We met at Sarah’s house as our ‘place of work’ (aka Sarah’s kitchen table) for Kamila to see the glamorous reality of planning that goes in to AOTH… we had a lovely morning! I remember she was an absolute whirl of activity leading up to the first exhibition of Women of Newport at The Escape Rooms in Newport (underneath Newport’s Indoor Provisions Market). She was looking for women who were active in the community and from all walks of life, to photograph and include in her show. Sarah and I were truly humbled at being asked to be included in her project based on our efforts with AOTH, and have been in awe of her own ambition (and success) as the project has continued to grow.

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Some photos from the first Women of Newport exhibition can be seen below… Who can you spot?

“Women of Newport” is about showing and celebrating wonderful women in our city – their  success, passions, commitment and inspiring work. Women of art, creative minds , writers, women of business, those who make a difference , musicians and many more. The exhibition is also about making physical connections between women’s networks in Newport, so we can work together and help each other, make new collaborations or partnerships. Women helping women – because sometimes by doing something together we can achieve more.”

Kamila Jarczak – Women of Newport

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Women of Newport has now had 2 amazingly successful exhibitions to date, first in Newport, the second sponsored by Jayne Bryant MS taking place at the Senedd Cymru during 2020’s International Women’s Day celebrations. Her subjects in this project are women of art, creative minds, writers, politicians, business leaders, difference-makers, musicians and many more. Her goal is to continue to develop her professional skills while also working on new exhibitions and projects, exploring subjects such as human environmental impact, mental health issues and plans to expand and develop the Women of Newport platform and a related project – ‘People of Newport’.

Find out more about Women of Newport here: >>> http://womenofnewport.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/WomenOfNewport

https://www.instagram.com/womenofnewport

https://twitter.com/WomenOfNewport

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It continues to be an exciting time for Kamila and the group, plus it is no understatement to say that Women of Newport is continuing to grow and develop from strength to strength! The Women of Newport team has expanded (hello Georgie & Miss Rie!) and there are some seriously ambitious altruistic plans on the horizon to come… you can literally support this project by buying their t-shirt (artwork by Miss Rie Tattoo). A hint of what more is to come from the group can be found here: http://womenofnewport.co.uk/714-2/#more-714

At the time of the Women of Newport exhibitions I wasn’t able to support Kamila in the way I wished I could have. She is a wonderful soul with a very kind heart – this belated post I hope will signpost new audiences to her work, and help her continue to get the recognition her talent, hard work and tenacity deserves.

The best way to keep up to date with this project is via their social media platforms, but check for new posts on their website each Thursday.

TTFN – K xxx

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STOP PRESS!!!

Just as I was about to press PUBLISH on this post, Kamila made this EXCITING announcement on the Women Of Newport website and Instagram:

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“This book is a collection of photos taken for the first Women of Newport exhibition in 2019. Our hosts were Ellie Daniel and David Daniel from the Escape Rooms Newport. The exhibition happened in this amazing venue and the book was part of the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, as one of the rewards for your support. Some of you purchased this book at that time and those who did not, it is available now!”

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The book is A5, with more than 100 pages of photographs from the exhibition. The price for the book is £40 in a limited edition of 25 – once they’re gone, they’re gone!

To buy your book contact Kamila directly by email at womenofnewport@gmail.com