RESOURCES

Fusion Arts is an arts and social justice organisation working with artists, organisations, communities and landlords to enrich lives by opening up underused spaces across Oxford and creating temporary and permanent places for artists and communities to make, show, participate in and experience arts together.

For more than 40 years they have connected artists with communities and inspired hundreds of bespoke creative projects across Oxfordshire and beyond. Much of Fusion Arts' work responds to challenging social circumstances by delivering meaningful and inclusive artistic experiences, often working within communities in public and environmental art, participatory art projects and high-profile public events such as Cowley Road Carnival and Oxford’s Christmas Light Festival.

Formerly known as Bloomin’ Arts, Fusion has been operating from their base on the corner of Princes St and Cowley Road in the heart of the artistic East Oxford community since March 1977. In the 1980's a community darkroom was established and provided women and baby photography classes and taught young people and out of work groups photography and darkroom skills. It then closed in the late 90s. In 2018 a project began, with the support of artist, photographer and lecturer John Blythe, to revive the darkroom and reinstate it for the community. Since it's reopening numerous analogue photography classes have taken place and there are plans in the future for more once the building is able to reopen.

For further information about the darkroom, please see an interview with John Bythe on the Fusion Arts website.