As part of Arts Council Collection National Partner exhibitions, Firstsite is staging Super Black – an exhibition that asks, ‘What does it mean to be black in England today?’.

Led by people from Essex’s black community, the exhibition presents artworks from the Arts Council Collection, alongside new work by Southend-based artist, Elsa James, and objects from the Vanley Burke Archive.

In creating the exhibition, Elsa has been joined by Lawrence Walker, Chair of Black History Month Colchester, Rachel Walton, co-founder of African Families in the UK (AFiUK), and Simone McLean and Yasmin Carr, of Colchester-based S&S Caribbean Café.

The artworks they have chosen for the exhibition reflect the group’s discussions, consisting of pieces that they feel give an expression of black consciousness, and the representation of black artists in galleries across the UK.

The exhibition is open now until 12th January 2020.

For more information visit the website

Photo Credit: Donald Rodney, In the house of my Father, 1997, Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre, London © the Estate of Donald G Rodney.

The National Partners Programme was launched in 2016 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Arts Council Collection by creating a network of regional galleries and museums to present and curate exhibitions drawn from the Arts Council Collection.

The first four National Partner museums and galleries were: Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne; the Birmingham Museums Trust; the Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool; and the Collection’s existing partner, Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

The second round of National Partners for 2019-22 are Firstsite in Essex; Sunderland Culture in Tyne and Wear and The Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange in Cornwall.

Funded by the National Lottery, the programme aims to build a deeper relationship with regional audiences by building a UK-wide network across regional partners, connecting local visitors to their national collection.

Arts Council England has awarded each partner £550,000 over three years, from April 2019 – March 2022. The grants will support the organisations to present exhibitions that showcase and are inspired by work from the Arts Council Collection, raising the Collection’s profile with the public.

Through a sustained presence at each venue across the three year programme, the Arts Council Collection aims to build a deeper relationship with regional audiences. Building a UK-wide network across regional partners and connecting local visitors to their national collection.

Sign up to the Arts Council Collection newsletter for regular updates on the programme.