The Black Art Hub CIC

An overview of the concept/ design of a new Black-led creative community organisation located in Medway.

The Black Art Hub CIC is a community-driven organisation dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black British artists, with a focus on intersectionality, identity, and cultural representation. It provides a platform for showcasing creative works, facilitating workshops, and engaging in public discourse around art, history, and social justice.

As a case study, the Black Art Hub CIC is a living example of how Black cultural contributions can critique and reshape institutional narratives while fostering community engagement.

The Black Art Hub (TBAH) explores intersectionality theory (Crenshaw, 1991), focusing on how race, gender, and culture intersect in the narratives of Black British artists.

The Black Art Hub CIC reflects this by curating projects that highlight diverse identities within the Black community

As a practice-based researcher, I engage directly with the Black Art Hub CIC as the founder/director to document and reflect on how art facilitates social change.

Through autoethnography, I explore my positionality as an artist and researcher, drawing insights from my personal experiences to connect with the organisation’s ethos and initiative.

The Hub provides a space for visual storytelling, enabling artists to use photography, visual arts, poetry and digital media to communicate lived experiences. Serving as a tool for both identity formation and social critique.

The Black Art Hub CIC emphasises the role of art in addressing institutional racism, intersectional inequality, and social justice issues, mirroring my research’s emphasis on the transformative power of art.

As a Pilot project, I created and developed a 7-week Medway Black Visual Arts & Poetry event, consisting of 6 Exhibition venues, and over 22 Free community workshops and events. 40 Forty-plus artists from across the UK participated in the very first project of TBAH. Funded by Arts Council England.

I designed and created everything from logos to leaflets, posters, banners, the website and reels, including large format printing, all to highlight that Black organisations are capable of being innovative, using technology to develop and group creative environments that educate and celebrate to a professional standard. Challenging stereotyped narratives.