Activities celebrating Windrush, exhibitions from emerging artists and a performing arts summer camp are on the agenda

Bernie Grant Arts Centre has announced its summer programme including activities marking Windrush, a new exhibition of work from emerging and established artists, and its annual performing arts summer camp.

The season will kick off with Windrush, The Journey from Pegasus Opera Company from 4th June. Featuring works by three distinguished black composers Chevalier de Saint George, Richard Thompson and Des Oliver, the show will honour the legacy of the Windrush generation with a fusion of classical music, steel pan, jazz, and blues. Accompanying the concert is an exhibition celebrating the work of many black British composers through music, photographs and local Windrush testimony.

BGAC will mark Windrush Day on Saturday, 22nd June with a block party at the centre. Now in its sixth year, this packed one-day open air celebration includes live-music, DJs, spoken word, a family party, arts and crafts, pop up stalls and workshops. Delicious Caribbean and African food will also be on sale from local vendors.

Opening the centre’s newly refurbished mezzanine gallery from 13th June is a group show curated by multidisciplinary artist Ronan Mckenzie, which forms part of ‘Black Art Matters’, a new three-year visual arts project at the centre, exploring the black experience.

What I Thought I Knew is the first of two exhibitions from Mckenzie, whose previous work includes curated exhibitions and events for The V&A Museum, The Royal Academy and the Tate Modern where she founded Home: a ground-breaking black-owned, artist led gallery-meets-community-space. Her debut at Bernie Grant features 6-12 emerging and established artists showcasing Mckenzie’s signature themes of sensuality and intimacy. The works will reflect on familial archives, oral histories and stories from ‘back home’ examining how these histories informed what she had thought was possible for the future. There will also be artist- led discussions alongside

Bernie Grant Arts Centre’s annual two-week Performing Arts Summer Camp for 7-11 year olds will open its doors again on 29th July – 9th August. The sessions explore new styles and techniques in music, dance and drama and are perfect for learning new skills and making new friends.

Just in time for a busy summer, the centre’s café has been refurbished and will serve a range of snacks and hot and cold drinks with outdoor seating for sunnier days. There are also working spaces for those working away from an office.

Azieb Pool, artistic director and CEO of Bernie Grant Arts Centre, said: “At Bernie Grant Arts Centre we believe we need bold and brilliant arts and culture now more than ever, and this summer we have just that. Whether it’s our thrilling exhibition series curated by the incredible multidisciplinary artist Ronan Mckenzie, our joyous Windrush Block Party, or our performing arts summer camp giving local children a chance to develop their talents, our upcoming programme has something for everyone.”

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