29 June, 1 July and 2 July 2026
Venue: Quad (pati) of the Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Girona
As part of the 23rd IMISCOE Annual Conference, and in connection with the conference theme “Strengthening Migration Studies through Community Engagement”, we propose the creation of a participatory mural led by the urban artist Rice during the conference days.
The initiative aims to create a collective artistic space where conference participants, local community members, and people with lived experience of migration can contribute reflections, messages, words, and ideas related to migration, belonging, participation, and community engagement. Through this process, the mural will become a shared visual narrative reflecting the diversity of voices surrounding migration.
This proposal is inspired by a simple but important question: whose voices are present in migration studies, and whose voices remain unheard? While migration research increasingly seeks to engage with communities, many people directly affected by migration processes often remain at the margins of academic spaces and conferences. Symbolically, this artistic intervention seeks to bring some of these voices into the heart of the conference.
The mural is conceived not only as an artistic production but also as a space for collective reflection. It aims to encourage participants to consider the role of community engagement in migration studies, the importance of listening to lived experiences, and the need to strengthen forms of research that are accountable to people and communities. Throughout the conference, participants will be invited to contribute to the artwork through various forms of interaction. The final mural will serve as a visual testimony of the collective reflections generated during the event.
The completed mural will be officially presented during the Closing Plenary Session as a symbolic legacy of the conference and as a reminder of the ongoing commitment to building migration studies that are more participatory, inclusive, and connected to the realities of the communities with whom we work.
More information about the urban artist here.