Back Back

Students find a place to reflect at cultural black art history exhibition

11/04/2017

Students at the University of Wolverhampton visited an art exhibition in Nottingham recently to explore themes of cultural identity.

‘The Place is Here’ exhibition is being held at Nottingham Contemporary until 30th April 2017 and brings together a wide range of works by black artists from the 1980s including painting, sculpture, photography, film and archives which pose questions about identity, representation and culture. 

Media and Cultural Studies second year degree students from the Faculty of Arts, together with Master’s Degree students studying Fine Art, visited the exhibition as part of a joint interdisciplinary research field trip.

As part of their British Cultural Experiences module, Media and Cultural Studies students explored themes raised by the artists in the context of the first National Black Art Convention being held in Wolverhampton in 1982.

Dr Stephen Jacobs, Course Leader in Media and Cultural Studies at the Wolverhampton School of Art, said: “The exhibition focuses on race and racism as well as multiculturalism and gender which are the central themes of the course module.

“The exhibition enabled us to extend our discussion on these critical themes and raise students’ awareness that, while the works were mainly produced in the 1980s, these issues are still very much current. Taking students out of the classroom enriches their understanding of these topics and enhances the student learning experience.”

L’Micha Hill, Media and Cultural Studies student, said: “This was a brilliant learning experience.  The exhibition acted as a visual representation of the themes raised in the module – in particular, multiculturalism, diversity and racism.  The trip also gave us the opportunity to interact with students from other courses, allowing us to share our different thoughts and opinions.

Students studying the Master’s Degree course in Fine Art explored how the exhibition was curated to enhance their own practice. Claire Buckerfield, Fine Art student, said: “I thought the exhibition was a very powerful show and what struck me the most was how the same issues from 30 years ago are still prevalent in today’s society. The montage-style curation added strength to the artists’ voices that seemed to emanate from the works, giving it a real presence.”

ENDS

For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 32 2736 or 01902 518647.

Date Issued: 16th April 2017

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

Share this release

Related Stories