top of page

No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960-1990 was a dynamic art and archive project, the centrepiece of which was a stunning six-month exhibition at Guildhall Art Gallery (July 2015 – January 2016). The unique exhibition focused on Black British cultural heritage, explored through the lens of the Black Art Movement of the 1960s to the 1990s, which saw the flowering of popular as well as fine art, music, poetry and literature created by what were then called Black and Third World migrant-settler communities – African-Caribbean, continental African, Asian and Latin American.

No Colour Bar also commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Huntley Archives at the LMA, which are managed by the Friends of the Huntley Archives at LMA (FHALMA). This is significant because the exhibition took its impetus from the life works of Eric and Jessica Huntley and the Bogle L’Ouverture Press, a publishing house as well as a pioneering Black bookshop and cultural hub that they founded in 1969.

Additionally, throughout its tenure, No Colour Bar, played host to a series of scheduled events, enriching the visitor experience through a diverse range of talks, workshops and gallery tours. The extensive public and education programme reached diverse, multi-cultural and intergenerational audiences in the heart of the City of London.

No Colour Bar, given the accolade, the Exhibition of the Year, by Media Diversified, provided visitors with a unique opportunity to explore the significance of Black British culture through a range of different mediums and the importance of its historical contribution to the UK and its wider impact as a political designation.

No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action –1960-1990, the collaborative project between The Friends of the Huntley Archives at the LMA, the City of London: London Metropolitan Archives, and the Guildhall Art Gallery, has been supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). Thanks to National Lottery players, HLF invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife.

www.hlf.org.uk

About

bottom of page