Empowering Migrant Women's Voices Through Art: PhD Research Project
Who I Am
Hello, I'm Mara Marxt Lewis, an artist and researcher living in a small fishing village on Scotland's Aberdeenshire coast. My artistic journey has taken me from my homeland in Austria to Canada's Banff Centre, the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and now to Scotland, where I've fallen in love with the vibrant coastal communities and rich maritime heritage.
With an MA in Art and Social Practice from the University of the Highlands and Islands, I've dedicated my work to creating community-centered, environmentally-focused art that brings people together. From wool-dyeing workshops to innovative explorations of our relationship with nature, I believe in the power of creative practice to foster dialogue and connection.
My Research Project
I'm raising funds to support my practice-based PhD research (University of Aberdeen) investigating how socially engaged art can amplify the placemaking efforts of women migrant workers in Scottish coastal communities - specifically Lerwick, Peterhead, and Wick.
My project draws from the history of the "herring lassies" of the 19th and 20th centuries - a migratory workforce of 14,000 women who traveled Scotland's coastlines, challenging gender norms through their independent work. Despite facing stigmatisation, these women achieved financial independence and formed strong communities. Their story resonates with how migrant women continue to actively shape their environments today.
Why This Matters
The experiences of women migrants in coastal areas affected by economic shifts and climate change remain understudied. My research innovatively combines ecofeminist and multispecies approaches to examine migration, belonging, and community transformation during increasing global mobility and environmental challenges.
Through creative methodologies including pinhole photography, cyanotype workshops, and participatory performances, I aim to capture and share the stories of how these women contribute to the sustainability and cultural richness of fishing communities, while also exploring our interconnectedness with the more-than-human world.
Key questions driving my research include:
How do human migration experiences intersect with broader patterns of movement in coastal environments?
How can we contextualise human migration narratives within wider ecological movements, like the seasonal journeys of arctic terns, the climate-driven northward shift of kelp forests, and the patterns of marine species?
How do women's networks help communities adapt to climate challenges while preserving maritime heritage?
This work captures my lived experience navigating the tensions between creative practice, geographical movement, and emotional connections to physical spaces. Having relocated across continents multiple times, I've developed an understanding of what it means to create belonging while honoring one's origins. Living in a Scottish fishing village has immersed me in the rhythms of coastal life, where human communities and marine ecosystems exist in delicate interdependence—relationships now threatened by climate disruption and economic uncertainty.
How Your Support Will Help
While I have some funding already in place from the Scottish Fishermen's Trust (https://www.sff.co.uk/who-we-are/our-charity), a private donation, and more funding applications in progress, I need additional support to fully realise this project's potential.
Your generous contributions will fund:
Research trips to Lerwick, Peterhead, and Wick (July-August 2025 & 2026)
- Creative community workshops using techniques like cyanotype printing and pinhole photography
- Walking interviews and storytelling circles with women migrant workers
- Partnerships with local wildlife monitoring programs to connect human and non-human migration stories
- Materials for collaborative art installations exploring multispecies connections
- Documentation and archiving of participants' stories and traditions
- A touring exhibition
The Impact
This project will:
- Empower migrant women workers by amplifying their voices and experiences
- Foster cultural exchange within coastal communities
- Innovate approaches to arts engagement and placemaking
- Create a publicly accessible digital archive preserving these important stories
- Provide evidence-based insights for more inclusive policy development
As a PhD student researcher, I fall into a unique space between arts funding and academic research, making community support especially valuable. Any amount you can contribute will help bring this important work to life and ensure these vital stories of human and more-than-human interconnection are preserved for future generations.
Thank you for supporting efforts to create more inclusive coastal communities that honor cultural diversity, strengthen community bonds, and recognise our place within the wider ecology of our changing planet!
Organizer
