Centre for Contemporary Art

http://www.makinghistoriesvisible.com

The Centre for Contemporary Art is based in the School of Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Central Lancashire and is the home base for a large group of research projects initiated by the Fine Art team led by Lubaina Himid, Professor of Contemporary Art.

We aim to create an environment in which practice based dialogue and theoretical discussion around visual histories combines with strategies for creative intervention which can then impact upon the everyday.
Through a series of collaborative events, cross disciplinary projects, print and paperwork displays, screenings, illustrated talks and work in progress exhibitions by invited artists we aim to generate and exchange knowledge while being accessible to the widest possible range of scholars.

The distinct strands of enquiry include those around neglected creative histories, art in the public realm, art of the black diaspora, artists’ collaborations and the history and practice of electronic and digital art.
Our links with and on going projects for, Tate, the V&A, FACT, the British Library, Lancashire Museums and the cities of Preston, Liverpool, Manchester, London and Cologne continue to develop and inform the interaction between students, the research team and the wider public both local and international.

We aim to make a difference to how the dialogue between the contemporary every day experience and historical evidence can contribute to the cultural activity of both the region and the international arena in which we work.
We explore the city as a place of change and innovation, use technology to link the tension between the object, space, history and the site and employ paint as a tool for an engagement with memorial, celebration and longing.

Making Histories Visible is an interdisciplinary visual art research project  based in the Centre for Contemporary Art  (School of Creative and Performing Arts)  at the University of Central Lancashire.

We are building on the success of our distinct areas of international excellence in contemporary art research. The project is led by Lubaina Himid Professor of Contemporary Art and is supported by Susan Walsh Research Fellow.

Collaborating with museums to interrogate collections in innovative ways.
 
Excavating and preserving evidence of artists’ practice.
 
Exploring  hidden social histories through creative visual practice.
 
Sharing  information with larger partnership organisations and smaller groups committed to the development of new ways of writing about, making and showing contemporary art internationally.
 
Encouraging an exploration of the contribution of black visual art to the cultural landscape.
 
Working with students both undergraduate and postgraduate, to encourage new ways to develop their own practice based research.
 
Investigating   British newspapers and their representation of black people.
 
Collecting drawings and prints by artists of the black diaspora.
 
Staging  small events, work- in- progress projects, international residences and exhibitions to ensure meaningful encounters between audiences and artwork.
 
Devising occasional conferences and symposia to encourage close readings, sustainable collaborations  and vital discussions for students, scholars, project managers and artists. 

 http://www.makinghistoriesvisible.com