Stuart
Hall Library

About

N.B. The library will be closed from 15 August until 29 August 2022.

Open to drop-in every Tuesday – Friday, 10am – 5pm

Stuart Hall Library is a specialist research collection on international contemporary visual art and culture open to the public since 2007. Named after cultural theorist Stuart Hall, the library serves as the intellectual and social hub of iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts).

The library provides the opportunity to study art from Indigenous, African, Caribbean, Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern and UK artists of diverse cultural backgrounds. It is a reference only collection of 10,000 publications such as artist books, artist monographs, exhibition catalogues, zines as well as archival material of iniva’s legacy preserving and promoting the work of Black and Asian artists such as those from the UK Black Arts Movement.

We run programme of tours, talks, workshops, exhibitions and events including the Research Network and opportunities such as the Stuart Hall Library Artist in Residency.

Join Online

Library membership is free and everyone is welcome! Join today by registering online to use our resources and pick up your limited edition membership card on your first visit. Find out more

Search the Library Catalogue

Explore our collections of books, journals, zines and audio-visual material. You can search by author, title, keyword, curator, artist or individual contributor.

Search iniva’s Archive

Explore the survey of iniva’s history in art education, exhibition-making, publications, and previous projects centred around Black British art history.

Book a Study Space

Do you have a list of books or archival material you wish to research? Book a dedicated study space for a morning, afternoon or whole day slot by filling in our study space request form 3 days in advance of your visit. Please do not use this form if you plan to visit to browse the collection.

Group visits and tours

We provide short introductory tours of the library and archive collection during our opening hours to a group size of up to 10 people per visit. To arrange a group visit, email library@iniva.org including information on the theme of the tour.