Black Joy! Up Close and Personal Exhibition
When: Saturday 4th May - Sunday 25th August 2024
Where: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, Bohemia Road, TN34 1ET
Opening Times: 10am - 5pm (Tuesday to Saturday) 11am - 4.30pm (Sundays)
FREE entry and parking
A thought-provoking exhibition paying tribute to Black culture, resistance and happiness with joy as its central theme.
Curated by Lorna Hamilton-Brown, the 'Black Joy! Up Close and Personal' exhibition showcases the creativity of over 40 talented Black artists from the South East of England.
Artists were invited to explore the theme of Black Joy, resulting in a vibrant collection of artworks spanning a range of mediums, from painting and fashion to textiles, sculpture, collage, photography and video.
In an era where Blackness remains under siege, the concept of Black Joy serves as both an act of radical (self-)care and a crucial element in the ongoing struggle for equality.
“Black people are not a monolith, so we all experience or express Black Joy in different ways. For me, Black Joy is the deliberate act of finding pleasure and happiness in whatever you do despite your situation.”
-Lorna Hamilton-Brown RCA MBE, curator
Selected artworks will be available for purchase at the museum.
Make sure to catch our Black Joy performance programme at our Knotty festival of performance in June.
-
Kaia Allen-Bevan, Rahim Amartey, Gabrielle Anderson, Karen Arthur, Julie Ann Atwal, James Bell, Sarah Buller, Claudia Burnett, Josef Cabey, Nacheal Catnott, Hannah Collisson, Takyiwa Danso, Michael Kelvin Davis, Femi Dawkins, Kate Dressekie, Claudine Eccleston & Claudette Eccleston, Mo El Kadey, Fatima Esayli, Joan Glasgow-Ashton, Yemii Haastrup, Berthram Hall, Lorna Hamilton-Brown, Paul Hope, Imhonigie Imoesi, Mary Joak, James Johnson, Yeside Linney, Dorcas Magbadelo, Margaret's Daughter, Michi Masumi, Anita J McKenzie, Anna Maria Nabirye, Venetta Nicole, Rianne Octave, Holly Oluwo, Kwabs Owoahene, Sade Popoola, Euan Roberts, Margaret Scott, Carl Sexton, Noon Sharif Ali Gigir, Gilda Silva, Nalo Solo, Charlotte Stainton, and Wishartworks.
-
There is flat access throughout the building for wheelchair users and for people with limited mobility. There are passenger lifts and an accessible toilet.
The Hastings Museum Art Gallery Website Access Page has full access information including visual story of the building and a sensory map.
-
Black Joy! Up Close and Personal is is a new exhibition from arts and social justice organisation Playing The Race Card, who programme activities and events in Hastings to create a space for a town-wide conversation on race. The project was created by local resident Claudine Eccleston in response to her own experiences.
It is led by the local Black community who have formed a voluntary-run Working Group to help shape the vision of the project. The project is supported and part-funded by Home Live Art.
-
Black Joy! Up Close and Personal is part of Playing The Race Card, an arts and social justice organisation led by local Hastings resident Claudine Eccleston in response to her own experiences.
It is funded by Home Live Art, Necessitate and Hastings Museum and Art Gallery.
Playing the Race Card Team
Curator: Lorna Hamilton-Brown
Project Manager: Katrina Man
Founder and lead: Claudine Eccleston
Producer : Katy Baird (Home Live Art)
-
Press Release link coming soon. If you would like further information please email Katrina Man
