Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage is delighted to announce 100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark, a project that focuses on changing the gaze of mainstream visual arts by centring the creativity and stories of Black women with a connection to the British Isles.
100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark will launch on Tuesday 1 October 2024 and run until Saturday 4 January 2025 at Leicester Gallery with a collective exhibition featuring the portraits of 100 Black women, created by five visual artists. 100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark seeks to make the hidden histories of Black women visible and to celebrate Black women, past and present and their contribution to life in Britain and Ireland.
Following an open call for nominations, 100 Black women and five visual artists were shortlisted by a selection panel of Sandra Pollock OBE, founder of the Women’s Awards, which recognises women’s achievements across industry sectors, of photographer, media artist and scholar, Roshini Kempadoo, and of Pawlet Brookes MBE, CEO and Artistic Director of Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage.
Those selected for 100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark offer a reflection of women across a range of professions and occupations who are deserving of recognition, whether they are a familiar face on stage or screen, a pioneer in research breakthroughs, or have worked quietly behind the scenes to make a positive change to their community. There is a particular focus on Black women with a connection to the UK and include household names alongside quiet leaders including sporting trailblazers, artistic directors, school principals, legal experts, politicians, community champions, medical practitioners, artists, actors, educators and entrepreneurs. The names of all 100 Black women will be announced throughout the year, but the first 15 names to be announced are:
- Pauline Black, music
- Carmen Beckford, community activism
- Rosina Bonsu, dance
- Christine Buckley, community activism
- Betty Campbell, education
- Evelyn Dove, performing arts and radio
- Bernardine Evaristo, literature
- Mona Hammond, television and theatre
- Claudia Jones, community activism
- Kath Locke, community activism
- Una Marson, radio and television
- Elvy Morton, healthcare and community activism
- Bertha Ochieng, health and social care
- SuAndi, performance poetry
- Gina Yashere, comedy
Talking about the project, Pawlet Brookes MBE, CEO and Artistic Director of Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage said:
“Imagine walking into a gallery, filled with the portraits of 100 Black women, greeted by the gaze of 100 pairs of Black women’s eyes. 100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark is a project that centres the voices and visions of Black women. There is something really powerful with being able to put Black British women centre stage, too often we look to the U.S. for inspiration but there is a rich history right here. It is not often that you get to work on a project that is about Black women, with portraits created and curated by Black women.”
The visual artists represent a range of artforms, from traditional portraiture and photography to textile design and collage. The artists are:
- Valerie Asiimwe Amani
- Yvadney Davis
- Gayle Ebose
- Grace Lee
- Lauryn Pinard
Grace Lee, visual artist for 100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark said:
“Having the supportive network of the fellow artists and also of Serendipity has highlighted how much that I lacked that and how grateful I am for it… This has been a big undertaking, an opportunity that doesn’t come around often, it is something that I have dreamed of.”
Valerie Asiimwe Amani, visual artist for 100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark said:
“No one else is going to capture our stories and I think it is so important that we are capturing our own stories and our own histories. It is a beautiful thing and I do think it is a big responsibility that needs to be taken with care and love.”
The portraits will offer a rich and varied interpretation of the 100 Black women and their impact. Speaking on this, Lauryn Pinard, visual artist for the project said:
“I think portraiture is a power mechanism to tell their stories. Women have been “framed” outside of themselves, by the male gaze mainly. I think having Black women telling stories and making portraits of Black women subverts that.”
Gayle Ebose, visual artist for 100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark said:
“Black women’s stories are so deep… we have our oral histories that we share but things are not always documented visually or written, things like portraiture document women in history. It shows that we are here… It is a privilege to be a Black woman and depict Black women at such a time as this.”
Accompanying the exhibition is a series of podcasts, each day focusing on a different woman’s story. The portraits will also be available to view as part of a coffee table book and at Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage’s Living Archive.
Yvadney Davis, visual artist for 100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark said:
“There are lots of Black women in the UK who have done incredible things. So I hope then this means that our children and as a society we will put some respect on what Black women have contributed.”
100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark is possible with the support of the Freelands Foundation’s Space to Dream Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and Leicester City Council.
100 Black Women Who Have Made A Mark will run from 1 October 2024 – 4 January 2024 at Leicester Gallery, De Montfort University.