Boxes of Iniva’s Archives relocated to John Islip Street arranged in the Stuart Hall Library Archives Room
Iniva is excited to announce the creation of a new up-to-date listing of the Iniva Archive collection.
In 2018, Iniva was awarded a £4,000 British Archives Council Cataloguing Grant. The grant allowed us to begin cataloguing Iniva’s Archives based in the Stuart Hall Library.
The archival collection documents Iniva’s 26-year history as a pioneering organisation set up to diversity the mainstream of contemporary art. It comprises the organisation’s foundational documents, including key mission, strategy and policy; correspondence with key stakeholders, funders and artists, as well as exhibition and publication files demonstrating years of campaigning for better representation of Black and Asian artists in British art institutions.
Artist file of ephemeral material related to Frank Bowling’s exhibition history preserved in melinax sleeves
The grant was awarded to make the contents of the archives accessible for future artists, curators and the general public to research the rich history on contemporary art on artists of African and Asian descent. Between 2019 and 2020 our Project Archivist worked closely with our Library Manager to review, sort, catalogue and repackage the collections into our new dedicated archive space where a listing of the archival collections is now available here.
Images from Veil exhibition (2003) archive collection
As we revisit Iniva’s founding ideas through this year’s Research Network Programme: Global Re-visions, it is the perfect time for artists, curators and the public to research our past projects and exhibition histories. For example, users will be able to explore Stuart Hall’s legacy through his statements and key speeches at Iniva; research the production of Iniva publications series such as Annotations; view slides and ephemera from significant Caribbean Artists’ Movement artist files such as Aubrey Williams and Frank Bowling; investigate curatorial practices of exhibitions such as Veil (2003) and examine information related to contemporary art and Afro-Asian artists in London.
In the coming year, we hope to significantly advance this archive listing and make it more searchable in a new archive management system. Furthermore, it is an aspiration to make these documents accessible to all when the Stuart Hall Library re-opens. As we begin another lockdown within the UK, join online the Stuart Hall Library and stay tuned for further developments via our newsletter and social media channels.
To read more about the Business Archives Council and Iniva’s award, visit their website.