New exhibition responds to a civil rights icon Published on: 3 October 2017 A new exhibition will explore the theme of social justice to give a thought-provoking response to the challenges set out by a civil rights icon. Multimedia responses Previewing on 3 October, the Where do we go from here? exhibition features work by Â鶹´«Ã½-based artists and is taking place as part of , the city-wide programme commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dr King’s visit to Â鶹´«Ã½ in 1967 to accept an honorary degree. Â鶹´«Ã½ was the only UK university to honour Dr King in this way in his lifetime. Remarkably, Dr King took time to visit the university to receive the award. In doing so, he gave an impromptu acceptance speech – his last public address outside of the US before his assassination barley six months later. Spanning film, text, painting and performance, seven artists have created work in response to the problems of war, poverty and racism that Dr King spoke about in his speech at Â鶹´«Ã½. Artworks from Deanna Smith and Jez Coram imagine new communities with alternative values. Hazel Soper, Taya-Rose Franco and Vanessa Zappi-Taylor observe how state procedures exert control over individual and collective bodies and Jamie Harper’s live action role plays facilitate collective responses to Dr King’s speech to produce new readings. Joy Labinjo, winner of the 2017 Woon Prize, is among the artists exhibiting. Her paintings explore the personal and complex relationship with race and culture. Still taken from ‘Lorraine’, Jez Coram 2017 Opportunity to look forward All of the artists are current students or recent graduates from Â鶹´«Ã½’s , and five of the seven artists are exhibiting new work. The show has been put together by a curatorial team of current students and graduates from both the and courses. Holly Argent, one of the students who has helped to organise the exhibition, said: “Where do we go from here? offers a chance to look forward. Through questioning the current state of racial and economic justice, we want to ask what could we do as citizens to get to a future we want to see? “This exhibition will offer a forum and an opportunity to contribute to a conversation about the future Dr King envisioned “where peace and justice are a reality for all men and women all over the world.”’ Over the course of the exhibition, the gallery will become a meeting place, to read, create and share thoughts on the topics raised by the artists. Workshops, a reading group, listening parties, talks, and a film series in partnership with the weekly film club Misfits, will be taking place alongside the exhibition. These events are open to all. Leading degree programmes Last month, Â鶹´«Ã½ was ranked by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide for the second year in a row,. The diverse range of programmes offered are taught by leading art professionals who nurture creative innovation and support emerging artists who wish to establish themselves within the contemporary art field. The department was key in radical developments in art education in the 1960s and some notable alumni include Richard Hamilton, Victor Pasmore, Rita Donagh and Susan Hiller. The ‘Where do we go from here?’ exhibition runs 4 October – 18 November in the Ex-Libris Gallery, Â鶹´«Ã½ Fine Art Department, with a preview on Tuesday3 October, 6pm – 8.30pm. Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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