About
Black Curators Collective (BCC) is a national collective and forum for Black women and non-binary curators in the UK. It grew out of the Womxn of Colour Curators Forum and was founded in June 2020, when nine curators first met as BCC on Zoom. BCC was registered as a community interest company in 2021 and is based in Stockton-on-Tees.
The collective is a place for Black curators to support one another and champion Black excellence. Together we combine efforts and develop strategies for systemic change within the creative industries. BCC is an active space of rest, reinforcement and resistance.
Our vision
Through our work, we envision a more vast, interconnected and collaborative ecosystem of Black curators. BCC aims to support the development of grassroots collective organising which prioritises the needs of Black creatives and communities. We want to radically imagine, through practice, nurturing and sustainable structures, models and spaces which don't mimic institutional frameworks of hierarchy, privilege and power.
What we do
BCC convenes, supports and platforms Black curators through a national, access-led collective. We publish critical thought through the journal Voice ≠ Speech and our imprint, Soul Choice Editions. We are working towards funded fellowships, so that leadership in the collective rests on a firm footing.
BCC is nomadic and isn't restricted by regional borders. The collective acts as a network that instigates cross-regional support, dialogue and collaborative projects for curators across the UK, including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. We are committed to moving discussions, research and resources away from centralised locations.
Our programmes have taken place in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the East and West Midlands, Manchester, Yorkshire and London, with partners in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. BCC has ten members and has supported or collaborated with more than forty Black cultural workers. Our work has been supported by Art Fund since 2021.
Programme
2018 to 2020. The Womxn of Colour Curators Forum, the network BCC grew out of.
September 2020, Sheffield. Harsh Light, an online talk at Bloc Projects with Umulkhayr Mohamed on strategies for anti-racist structural change within and against current systems.
2020, Belfast. Moving From Talk into Action, a panel at Golden Thread Gallery in dialogue with the history of the British Black Arts Movement.
May 2021. Rest, Reinforcement, and Resistance, Chloe Austin's essay on BCC's first year, published by a-n The Artists Information Company.
June 2021, Glasgow. Meandering Networks, Mapping Nations, BCC's first public programme, part of Glasgow International 2021. Supported by Art Fund, International Curators Forum, CCA Glasgow and The Hidden Gardens. It included a keynote by Melanie Keen, Director of Wellcome Collection, Collective of Collectives roundtables, and Art Fund bursaries for three curators to attend the festival.
2022 to now. Pace & Flow, a research, bursary and professional development programme funded through the European Regional Development Fund and Art Fund.
July 2024, the Black Country. Assembly Black Country: Black Box, programmed by BCC for a-n The Artists Information Company and developed with Hospital Rooms. Three days on access, online and at Sandwell CAMHS in West Bromwich.
November 2024, Birmingham. Drafts, a set of recitations at the British Art Network Conference at Midlands Arts Centre, drawing on the work of disabled and migrant curators.
2025. A fundraiser after Hurricane Melissa, sending donations to New Local Space in Kingston, Jamaica.
July 2026. Voice ≠ Speech: A Journal of Held Articulation and Critical Method (ISSN 2979-8477) launched through Soul Choice Editions.
2026. BCC joined the Yorkshire Sculpture International 2027 Partner Network.
People
BCC has been coordinated over the years by April Brown, Chloe Austin, Khadea Kuchenmeister, Natasha Ruwona, Nikita Gill, Sabrina Henry, Umulkhayr Mohamed, Ifeanyi Awachie, Yewande YoYo Odunubi and Jade Foster. Haja Fanta and Lisa Kennedy have led programmes. Current members and alumni are listed on the Members page.
How we work
Our values are collective care; joy over trauma; anti-racism and zero tolerance of prejudice; self-determination and fair distribution of labour; transformative justice; access and non-hierarchy; and transparency.
Members decide how much they can contribute, and the work is shared fairly among active members. The collective meets in writing for one hour a month and rests in August and December. Meeting in writing is a deliberate choice: it does not privilege speaking, and it lets disabled, parenting and dispersed members take part on an equal footing.
Governance
Black Curators Collective CIC is a community interest company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (company number 13304774). It is not for profit, and its assets are locked for community benefit. Jade Foster is the founding director. BCC is a member of the Visual Arts Alliance.
Work with us
Black Curators Collective CIC offers bespoke strategy, access and inclusion consultancy, advisory and curatorial services. To ask about our services, or about working with particular members of the collective, email info@blackcuratorscollective.org.