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Mission statement “To establish New Art Exchange as a national centre of excellence promoting contemporary arts development within the cultural and creative industries, by delivering a programme of activity to promote, support and advocate contemporary multi-cultural arts development in visual and performing arts, and new media, led by African, African Caribbean and South Asian arts practice, serving an international community with roots firmly embedded in the local area.�
Image credits clockwise from top left:
Cool Rules & Fams, Image courtesy Curtis James Main Gallery, New Art Exchange, Photograph by David Sillitoe Sokari Douglas Camp’s Strength of Feeling, Photograph by Ashok Mistry
New Art Exchange...
...is a ground breaking project of major cultural & architectural significance, which will allow our artistic and support programme to develop and flourish.
...is supported by a strong regional partnership, and it presents the best of contemporary art, to inform, challenge, engage, and entertain our artists and audiences.
...is a catalyst for the regeneration of the Hyson Green area of Nottingham, and is a key player in the growth and aspirations of the wider region.
...brings together African, African Caribbean and South Asian arts in a unique collaboration, challenging discrimination and highlighting positive achievements of all communities.
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Chairman’s Report Edwin Maxwell 2008/09 saw the final stages of the New Art Exchange (NAE) build and launch of our brand new contemporary arts venue, coinciding with the arrival of our new Chief Executive, Skinder Hundal. The concept realised by Apna Arts and EMACA and designed by Hawkins\Brown finally came to fruition in June 2008, as the very distinctive and cutting edge building that is NAE. The launch night was a tremendous affair with over 2000 people attending the weekend’s celebrations. Artists, funders, local residents and visitors came together for the launch, I have to say with an audience fully representative of Nottingham’s culturally diverse communities.
The launch night and exhibition Next We Change Earth set the standard and ambition for all to see and be part of. Since its launch NAE has been firmly establishing itself in laying foundations for the future, reinvigorating old and developing new partnerships, delivering a range of events, projects and exhibitions representing African, African Caribbean and South Asian artistic and cultural expressions, working with artists and organisations locally, nationally and internationally.
Image credits clockwise from top left:
Elshaday Berhane, Next We Change Earth, Photograph by Ashok Mistry New Art Exchange, Photograph by Ashok Mistry Anthony Jadunath’s Red, Photograph by Ashok Mistry Akademi, New Art Exchange Launch Event, Photograph by Ashok Mistry
As an organisation we also started a national recruitment campaign for new board members and were delighted with the response and quality of the applications we received from the wider public. Although our Chief Executive was without a full and senior management team, we managed to keep the momentum and quality of our work going, supporting over 300 artists with 100,000 visitors and audience members experiencing our arts offer and venue spaces. There were many significant successes, including a range of architectural awards, media coverage with Mark Lawson’s Front Row interview of Sokari Douglas Camp CBE, to the European tour of NAE’s first major commission, Zineb Sedira’s Floating Coffins.
The journey for NAE is forever exciting and is gaining pace. The past year’s success has shown the potential and actuality of ideas unfolding in front of us. I am extremely proud of the organisation’s achievements and would like to thank my fellow board members and Skinder Hundal for steering and leading the NAE team of staff and volunteers. Our team has worked so very hard in our launch year, with a passion to help realise its future as an iconic presence in the region and as a leading organisation championing culturally diverse arts. Edwin Maxwell Chairman
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Chief Executive’s Report Skinder Hundal “The East is rising” were the words I chose at the auspicious launch night... and what a night it was! Myriad performances, speeches and a visual feast of complex identities and expressions featured in our opening exhibition, which symbolised our past legacy and future, all in the same breath. New Art Exchange (NAE) is of course one of the five major arts venue capital projects in the East Midlands. It’s physical presence in Hyson Green, Nottingham was and is a statement of hope and ambition – and part of a wider cultural mantra, recognising the role of arts, culture and diversity for Nottingham and the East Midlands. Such ambition has been realised with Nottingham securing events such as the Twenty20 World Cup this year, as well as NAE playing a lead role in hosting the British Art Show in Autumn 2010, alongside partner organisations – Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery and Nottingham Contemporary.
So here we are reflecting on 2008/09, a year where NAE started to grow and lay its foundation, an ‘infinite portal’ of new exchanges, concepts, hybrid ideas, cross cultural dialogue and experiences for all to benefit. The curatorial vision introduced exhibitions with acclaimed success; with memorable responses from arts world critics and visitors alike. The range of visual art forms explored multi-media, film, steel sculptures, folk tribal paintings and crafts, photography to abstract paintings – commenting on contemporary issues such as migration, religious tensions, gender conflict, capitalism, slavery, tribal celebration, post colonialism, inter and intra-racial dialogue and conceptually so much more. NAE aimed to set a new pace and took a lead role in commissioning and advocating culturally diverse artists within the UK visual arts sector. In our first year the investment in commissioning new work helped raise standards, profile and reach across the UK and secured partnerships in Europe, providing artists with new
Image credits clockwise from top left:
New Art Exchange Launch Event, Photograph by Ashok Mistry Godfried Donkor’s Browning Madonna Rangoli by Ranbir Kaur, Photograph by Ashok Mistry Elshaday Berhane, Next We Change Earth, Photograph by Ashok Mistry
international and vice versa. NAE has started to deliver its mission to become an internationally recognised and important space to showcase the very best in emerging and established regional, national and international artistic talent. opportunities. We have recognised that this will continue to be an important part of our role in the years to come. Our education, learning and youth arts (YARD) programme also started to gather pace, offering numerous high quality workshops in visual and performing arts, with a professional team of specialist artists, touching thousands of individuals and families. We piloted numerous activities in our performance and cafe spaces, including community arts days, talks and seminars, cross-cultural music collaborations, classical and contemporary dance, theatre and comedy to sell out audiences. We also continued to play a lead artistic role in programming Nottingham’s historical and pioneering Mela which was launched by Apna Arts 21 years ago. NAE, Hyson Green’s ‘black diamond’ aims to emanate a new and refreshing vision to individuals, communities, the arts and cultural sector, regenerating aspiration and ambition on many levels, connecting the local with the
Of course none of this would have been possible without the support of the local community, our funders and partners. On behalf of NAE I would like to thank you all and hope you will continue to support us in the months and years to come. I started as a volunteer in the old Art Exchange and know we have come a long way. The route ahead still remains a vast and infinite voyage, but one which will no doubt excite and enthrall all those on board, whilst sustaining NAE’s long term future and legacy in modern Britain as a leading creative hub of ideas and opportunities. I look forward to the challenges ahead. Skinder Hundal
Chief Executive
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Artistic programme in brief
New Art Exchange Official Launch
The official launch of New Art Exchange (NAE) took place in September with the exhibition, Next We Change Earth. Over two evenings guests were invited to experience the exhibition, as well as be treated to improvised dance routines by critically acclaimed South Asian dance impresario’s Akademi. Historical and cultural exploration of identity defined NAE’s debut exhibition – Next We Change Earth, curated by David Schischka Thomas and Michael Forbes, it had a spotlight on artists from Nottingham (past and present) commissioned by NAE. The exhibition reflected on issues faced by Black artists in the UK, inviting exchange around notions of Culture, Identity, Time, Space and Home. Artists featured included Said Adrus, Elshaday Berhane, Michael Forbes, Samson Kambalu, Harjeet Kaur, Hetain Patel, Keith Piper, Gary Stewart, Nazir Tambouli and Andrew Wright.
Key Exhibitions
Strength of Feeling curated by Michael Forbes was a ten-year retrospective of the acclaimed Nigerian-born artist Sokari Douglas Camp CBE. Sokari’s primary material was steel and her work explored her relationship to contemporary Nigeria and Britain. Race, racism, gender issues, exploitation and violence all surface in her practice. New work was produced through funding from the Big Draw, which was situated within the exhibition. A large sculpture ‘Remember Saro-Wiwa’ in the form of a steel bus was situated outside the NAE building. Anthony Jadunath’s Red was another strong exhibition curated by Michael Forbes, which reflected on personal experiences and resonated with larger cultural issues, for example, the murder
of Stephen Lawrence and the effect this has had on the wider Black community. Zineb Sedira showcased Floating Coffins, Middle Sea and Saphir, curated by David Schischka Thomas, a solo exhibition by international, award-winning artist Zineb Sedira. Born to Algerian immigrants,Zineb’s video installations and photography explored notions of displacement and exile. This exhibition takes the sea as a space of movement and a metaphor for cultural exchange. The exhibition included a major 14 screen multimedia commission by NAE - Floating Coffins. This critically-acclaimed exhibition toured to Iniva, London and later has a planned tour in Europe including Finland, Denmark and Sweden.
Special Community Projects Rangoli NAE opened in June with an exhibition of contemporary Rangoli’s. This is a traditional art form from India often created on the doorsteps of homes in fine coloured powder, as a symbol of welcoming. Chila Burman and Ranbir Kaur where both commissioned by NAE to reinterpret Rangoli into a contemporary context. Alongside these commissions, banners produced by Samia Haleem and a local Muslim school where exhibited. This exhibition was launched at the NAE Community Open Day, and helped attract a large local South Asian family audience. Nottingham Trent University MA Final Show NAE took the opportunity to use its galleries prior to launch by hosting the Nottingham Trent University’s MA Final Show. This introduced the space to Nottingham’s Fine Art student community, as well as giving NAE’s Curators and Technical Team the opportunity to experience the space
in context to artwork, prior to the launch exhibition - ‘Next We Change Earth’. To compliment the inaugural exhibition, a number of ambitious projects were commissioned: Music Collaboration: A training and development project through which local musicians and singers of varying levels of skill, and from various cultural backgrounds, worked together to create new songs which were performed at the NAE and subsequently recorded at a local studio. Performers included: Percy Dread; Khalid Mahmood; Hetain Patel; Ling Peng; Royal Roots Band; San2 Singh. Manning School Performance: Students from Manning school worked with dancer, Jay Pollit and visual / movement artist Usha Mehanthralingham to interpret the themes in the exhibition ‘Next We Change Earth’ through dance, drama and multimedia. The resulting production was performed at NAE.
Events, Festivals and Partnerships
Our first year has been experimental and innovative with music, dance, comedy, spoken word performances, seminars, talks and film screenings as well as the exhibitions.
Image credits clockwise from left:
NAE Music Collaboration, Photograph by Ashok Mistry Harjeet Kaur’s French Fancies Image courtesy Rukus
Curtis James, Rachael Young and Matt Davenport, delivering and providing the young participants with a range of skills in performing and visual arts, technical skills in sound and lighting, marketing and events programming. Trips to see and experience art were organised and opportunities to showcase devised work of the young participants to paying audiences were arranged. YARD also worked with regional festivals like Bass and Radiator; partaking in specialist activities and programmes in graffiti art, urban music and digital technologies. Some of the key highlights included comedy from Nottingham Playhouse’s ‘Pieces’ showcasing new and emerging black comedians in a double-bill weekend with ‘Lady Garden’, fresh from a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe. We also hosted the national Darbar Festival with one of India’s leading flautists Rupak Kulkarni and local music promoters Chill in the Park with their Global Weekend of world music, extending from Russia, Afghanistan, China, and Ireland to the Caribbean. We were also delighted to host the Radiator Festival which offered electronic and digital age music and live performances. NAE played a lead role with Nottingham Asian Arts Council in promoting and producing the 20th Nottingham Mela in Old Market Square, programming over 100 artists, and benefitting 8,000 people. Various partnerships with our sister arts & cultural venues and organisations were consolidated to lay future foundations including: East Midlands Visual Arts Forum, Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery, Galleries of Justice, Broadway Media Centre, Royal Centre, Nottingham Carnival, City Arts, Black Drop to name a few.
Nottingham Castle Open
In partnership with Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery, NAE promoted and supported the Nottingham Castle Open in order to unearth and celebrate the creativity of East Midlands’ artists and makers. For many years the Open has thrown a spotlight on some of the talented artists that live and work in our
community. NAE offered a cash prize and exhibition space for one of the talented winners. Nadeem Chaudury, from Nottingham and will exhibit his work in NAE’s Mezzanine Gallery in Spring 2010.
Community Open Day at NAE
NAE’s Community Open Day was introduced in June prior to the official launch event, in the spirit of reaching out to the local community, openness, and introducing local residents to the venue. NAE programmed a vibrant and bustling programme of arts and cultural treats for the day, including dance and music performances, participatory visual arts workshops, world cuisine and much more. Artists included the likes of Pratap Pawar and the Triveni Dance Company performing a fusion of Flamenco and Kathak dance traditions, Chila Burman delivering visual arts workshops, as well as a feast of local artists and musicians. There were audiences representing diverse cultures and identities from throughout Nottinghamshire. Children and families, all enjoyed a hot summer’s day of activities and performances in NAE spaces, appreciating culturally diverse artforms from all parts of the world.
Youth Arts Research & Development (YARD), Young People’s Panel & Learning Programme
The YARD group met regularly and formed NAE’s Young People’s Panel - an advisory group to inform NAE’s youth engagement strategy and programme. YARD met regularly over the year receiving over 300 sessions from a team of freelance artists such as
The learning programme provided students of schools, FE Colleges and Universities with bespoke learning opportunities, gallery tours and talks, all complementing the subject matter of the exhibitions and curriculum subjects. In our first year we provided 272 workshop sessions and with an ever increasing number of participations, creating specialist relationships with local learning providers including Djanogly School, Manning School and Nottingham Trent University.
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Performance data 2008/09 New Audiences (Estimated) Audiences to Events & Exhibitions
109,845 14,447
Number of Events
57
Number of Exhibitions
31
Number of Workshop Sessions
272
Partnership Events/Exhibitions
37
Artists Supported/Employed
432
We would like to thank all of our partners and artists who helped to create and deliver the exciting programme of exhibitions, performances and workshops.
Image credits clockwise from left:
Zineb Sedira’s Floating Coffins, Photograph by UrBen Media YARD Youth Theatre, Photograph by Ashok Mistry Sokari Douglas Camp’s Strength of Feeling, Photograph by Ashok Mistry
Capital Build New Art Exchange (NAE) was allocated capital funding from the Arts Lottery Fund (Arts Council England – £2.7m), The Greater Nottingham Partnership (£800,000), Radford and Hyson Green New Deal for Communities (£1.2m), European Regional Development Fund (£300,000) to create a new dedicated centre for contemporary arts on the site of the old Art Exchange building, based in the centre of Hyson Green. Situated in the NG7 area of the city, this was delivered to time and within budget. The Facility contains three dedicated exhibition galleries, a performance and rehearsal space, artist-in-residence studio, arts education & work space, meeting rooms, hot desk facilities and a cafe.
Core revenue funding from Arts Council England and Nottingham City Council has provided a secure financial footing for the organisation. The NAE building is foremost a dedicated arts facility, but is also fundamental in supporting the economic and social regeneration of the area. Its location on the main Gregory Boulevard, just off the central crossroads in Hyson Green, provides the area with a new landmark facility celebrating the area’s cultural richness and diversity and placing contemporary arts practice at the heart of a multicultural community.
A key aim for NAE is to bring the local community through its doors, to be inclusive and for a range of other purposes, including social and commercial events, informal meetings and conferences, seminars and other activities, and it has been successful in achieving this with continued support and patronage from residents of NG7. The organisation has also supported numerous artists and creative business developments through the provision of hot desk facilities and other forms of arts business advice and support.
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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES 2008/09 INCOME
Voluntary Income Arts Council England East Midlands Nottingham City Council Investment Income Incoming Resources from Generating funds Mela Education & Community Partners Exhibition Partners Earned Income
Other incoming resources
TOTAL INCOME
443,169 40,280 7,198
7,500 4,000 7,868 35,948
168
546,131
Image credits clockwise from left:
Hetain Patel’s A(r)t Home 3, Next We Change Earth Hew Locke Suite Installation
EXPENDITURE Costs of Generating Funds Advertising and Marketing
54,332
Charitable Activities Project Expenditure 98,274 Staff Costs 324,863 Running Costs 186,564 Governance Costs Audit Fee 4,392 Other Resources Expended TOTAL EXPENDITURE Net Movement in Funds Total funds brought forward
0 668,425 (122,294) 102,088
Gross transfer between funds
103,197
Total Funds Carried Forward
82,991
Auditor: Rogers Spencer
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THE BOARD Chair
Director
Managing Director EAM Building Ltd
Artist & Teacher with extensive knowledge of the South Asian Communities of Nottingham
Vice Chair
Director Mohan Khera
Chair – Apna Arts, Board Member of East Midlands Tourism & founding Member of Cultivate, Member of Regional Assembly Secretary
Retired HM Customs and Excise Officer & former Chair of Nottingham Race Equality Council
Secretary
Director Devendra Sharma
Executive Director of Product Development Consortium Ltd – training & consultancy company
Professional Architect with several years experience
Edwin Maxwell
Sukhbinder Johal MBE
Patricia Hunter
Sardul Gill
FUNDERS & PARTNERS
THE TEAM Chief Executive
Deputy Director
Senior Curator
Curator
Marketing & Communications Manager
Communications & Development Manager
Projects & Education Manager
Facilities & Technical Manager
Steve Barnett
Emma Chadwick
Duty Manager
Duty Manager
Youth Arts & Education Coordinator
YARD Youth Arts Coordinator
Catering Coordinator
Catering Assistant
Receptionist
Receptionist
Receptionist
Skinder Hundal
Michael Forbes
Rosie Fyffe
Anita Kumari
Rachael Young
Elaine Carthy
Receptionist
Anushree Prabhune
Jim Robertson
Raam Tarat
Pam Ramsay
Nick Dunleavy
Wei Hou
David Schischka Thomas
Jennifer Bartle
Office Manager
Natasha Foster-Wilson
Kyla Landon
Priyanka Khade
Mezzanine Gallery, New Art Exchange Photograph by Bartosz Kali
39 – 41 Gregory Boulevard Nottingham NG7 6BE T: 0115 924 8630 F: 0115 970 1102 E: info@nae.org.uk W: www.nae.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1121755 Company No. 04899768 Registered in England & Wales VAT No. 859 7277 60