Keith Piper and Donald Rodney setting up for first ever for a London arts college black artists only exhibition – The Devils Feast Exhibition in 1987 at Chelsea College of Art
A reading group focusing on the African-Caribbean, Asian & African Art in Britain Archive, part of the Special Collections at Chelsea College of Arts Library, has been relaunched for 2017/18, following a successful pilot series of three meetings held last year.
The Reading Group is led by Rahul Patel, Associate Lecturer, and supported by Gustavo Grandal Montero, Academic Support Librarian, in collaboration with UAL Academic Support.
There will be 5 sessions in 2017/18; all the readings are taken from the Archive, and so give students a greater understanding of the reasons for the establishment of the archive, its content, and the significance of primary documentation and its curation in relation to the representation of potentially marginalised groups.
The readings represent critical arguments, and relate to important exhibitions, publications and other interventions in Black British art in the 1980s. You will get a chance to learn more about the role of primary source materials and the range of possibilities of research into Black British art in the 1980s.
What can you expect of the reading group? Open to all UAL students and staff, you will need to read short texts/documents provided in advance, and be prepared to join in short readings and group discussions. The reading group welcomes students of any course and any academic level, and is bookable through Academic Support Online.
BOOK via Academic Support Online Here
Session One
Recordings: a select bibliography of contemporary African, Afro-Caribbean and Asian British art
Date: 8th November 2017, 5pm to 7pm
Venue: Room E201, Chelsea College of Arts, 16 John Islip St, London SW1P 4JU,
Texts/ Documents:
- Keen, M. and Ward, E. (eds.) Recordings: a select bibliography of contemporary African, Afro-Caribbean and Asian British art. London: INIVA and Chelsea College of Art & Design, 1996. “Recordings: an introduction, Melanie Keen” (p. 1-7)
Session Two
The First National Black Art Convention, 1982
Date: 17th January 2018
Venue: Central Saint Martins (Room tbc)
Texts/ Documents:
- Selection of documents from the conference held at Wolverhampton Polytechnic in Oct. 1982 (poster, open call, programme).
Session Three
The Thin Black Line, ICA, 1985
Date: 14th March 2018
Venue: London College of Communication (Room tbc)
Text/ Documents:
- The Thin Black Line exhibition catalogue. Texts by Lubaina Himid and Chila Burman.
Session Four
The Devils Feast, Chelsea School of Art Gallery, 1987
Date: 16th May 2018
Venue: London College of Fashion (Room tbc)
Text/ Documents:
- The Devils Feast exhibition catalogue. Introduction text by Zarina Bhimji, Chila Burman, Jennifer Comrie, Allan de Souza, Keith Piper and Donald Rodney.
Session Five
Gavin Jantjes at Visual art documentation for a multi-cultural society, 1983
Date: 4th July 2018
Venue: The Green Room, Chelsea College of Arts
Text/ Documents:
- Jantjes, G. “The words about us”, Arts Libraries Journal, v. 8, n. 4 (Winter 1983), p. 14-22. Revised version of a paper delivered at the ARLIS/UK event ‘Visual art documentation for a multi-cultural society’, Commonwealth Institute, London, in Nov. 1983.
BOOK via Academic Support Online Here
Download the PDF 2017-2018 Programme:
Reading Collections Nov 8th onwards(1)
UAL Special Collections and Archives
University of the Arts London is home to a wide range of archives and special collections.
Here you will find costumes from Kubrick films, medieval manuscripts, rare fanzines and garments by famous fashion designers, as well as work from UAL alumni.
Selected collections listed here are publicly accessible and details of how you can arrange a visit can be found in the links below.
It is advisable to make an appointment before you visit to give staff time to find the items you want to see.
Further collections are available for students of UAL; contact your library or course to find out more.