Firstsite Explained

Firstsite
Established:2011
Map Type:Essex
Coordinates:51.889°N 0.906°W
Location:Colchester, Essex, England
Director:Sally Shaw

Firstsite is a visual arts organisation based in Colchester, Essex, which opened in 1993 as Colchester and District Visual Arts Trust, changing its name to Firstsite in 1995.[1] Its current building was opened in 2011.[2] It was the national Art Fund's Museum of the Year in 2021.[3] The building Firstsite occupies as a tenant was designed by Rafael Viñoly and the freehold is retained by Colchester Council.[4] The building is situated in Colchester's "Cultural Quarter" near The Minories, Colchester, fifteen Queen Street (a creative business hub), the Norman Colchester Castle, the Natural History Museum, Hollytrees Museum and Colchester's Roman Wall.

Its exhibits are on a rolling six-monthly basis, starting with Camulodunum.[5] It cooperated with Essex University to show South American art until 2013.[6] [7] [8] Firstsite has no permanent art collection of its own.[9]

It was awarded the national Art Fund Museum of the Year prize in 2021.[3] Firstsite is a registered charity under English law.

Exhibitions

Critical appraisal

The gallery's opening received a considerable evaluation in the press. The Guardian criticized the sloping walls and the architect, Viñoly.[38] It also examined it in terms of the economic expectations towards it and in comparison with other regional galleries.[39] However, The Independent praised the inaugural exhibition Camulodunum.[40] The Daily Telegraph has criticized the expense of the project,[41] which cost £25,542,701 to build,[4] and also highlighted concerns that more than half of its 147,000 annual visitors only entered to use the lavatory.[42] In 2015 Firstsite had its status as an Arts Council funded National Portfolio Organisation withdrawn.[43] [44] The Arts Council consequently reduced their annual subsidy to Firstsite by £10 per year from £814,527 to £814,517.[45]

In February 2018 it was announced that Firstsite had returned to Arts Council 'National Portfolio Organisation' status despite having only recorded 131,663 visitors in the previous year and having made a loss of £243,000. The return to 'National Portfolio Organisation' status for Firstsite saw an increase in funding of £5 per year, to £814,512 per year, secured for four years.[46] On 22 March 2018 it was announced Dr Noorzaman Rashid, Robert Surnam and Helen Organ resigned from their roles as trustees at Firstsite.[47] [48] [49]

In 2021, Ai Weiwei was invited to submit a piece for the virtual UK art exhibition The Great Big Art Exhibition, which was organised by Firstsite. Ai's piece, called Postcard for Political Prisoners, incorporated a photograph of the running machine used by Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy. After initially accepting Ai's idea, Firstsite's director said that it could not include his project "due to time constraints, and because it did not fit with the concept of the exhibition". Ai said he thought the reason for the rejection was that the exhibition did not "want to touch on a topic like Assange".[50]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Our History . 2023-03-10 . Firstsite . en-GB.
  2. Web site: firstsite . Firstsite . 2011-12-09 . 2011-12-15 . 24 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111024034635/http://www.firstsite.uk.net/page/3035/New+building . dead .
  3. Web site: Firstsite in Colchester wins the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2021 award. BBC. 2021-09-21. 2021-09-21.
  4. Web site: firstsite . Colchester Borough Council . 2018-01-01 . 2018-01-26 . 27 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180127084521/http://www.colchester.gov.uk/article/17564/Firstsite . dead .
  5. Web site: firstsite . Firstsite . 2011-12-09 . 2011-12-15 . 1 December 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111201052340/http://www.firstsite.uk.net/page/144/Camulodunum/262 . dead .
  6. Web site: University of Essex to rehouse its Latin American collection . artinternet.net . 2014 . 2016-06-11.
  7. Web site: Works on Display. ESCALA University of Essex. 2016-06-11. 23 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160623135344/http://www.escala.org.uk/collection/works-on-display. dead.
  8. Web site: firstsite . Firstsite . 2011-12-09 . 2011-12-15 . 26 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111026054951/http://firstsite.uk.net/page/144/Southern%20Press/324 . dead .
  9. Web site: firstsite . Art Fund . 2018-01-01 . 2018-01-26 . 27 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180127143204/https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/museums-and-galleries/firstsite-colchester . dead .
  10. Web site: Camulodunum . 2023-01-04 . Cornerhouse Publications . en-GB.
  11. Web site: Aleksandra Mir - Camulodunum, Firstsite, Colchester . 2023-01-04 . www.aleksandramir.info.
  12. Web site: Steven Claydon : Culpable Earth . 2023-01-05 . www.newexhibitions.com.
  13. Web site: News from Nowhere - Exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester . 2023-01-05 . ArtRabbit . en.
  14. Web site: Anthea Hamilton: Sorry I'm Late - Exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester . 2023-01-05 . ArtRabbit . en.
  15. Web site: Humphrey Jennings: Painting, Collage, Film - Exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester . 2023-01-04 . ArtRabbit . en.
  16. Web site: Nigel Henderson and Eduardo Paolozzi: Hammer Prints Limited 1954- 75 - Exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester . 2023-01-04 . ArtRabbit . en.
  17. Web site: John Virtue: The Sea. Art Rabbit . 2015-06-09 . 2018-01-29.
  18. Web site: Chris Seaber – Assembled Paintings and Drawings. Keep Colchester Cool . 2015-09-06 . 2018-01-29.
  19. Web site: Chris Seaber – Assembled Paintings and Drawings. Art Rabbit . 2015-09-01 . 2018-01-29.
  20. Web site: First Open Art Exhibition. Colchester Gazette . 2015-09-25 . 2018-01-29.
  21. Web site: Firstsite Open Exhibition. ENAS. 2015-07-23. 2018-01-29.
  22. Web site: Wivenhoe artist James Dodds back at Firstsite Art Gallery. Colchester Gazette . 2015-12-10 . 2018-01-27.
  23. Web site: James Dodds - Wood to Water - Exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester . 2023-01-05 . ArtRabbit . en.
  24. Web site: 70 Years of Colchester Art Society. Art Rabbit . 2016-06-28 . 2018-01-27.
  25. Web site: Simon Carter CV. Simon Carter website. 2016-06-28. 2018-01-28.
  26. Web site: Colchester Art Society, an Exhibition Celebrating 70 Years of Discovery. Line Up. 2016-06-28. 2018-01-28. 29 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180129004304/https://lineupnow.com/event/colchester-art-society-an-exhibition-celebrating-70-years-of-discovery. dead.
  27. "Gee Vaucher: Introspective", Firstsite. Accessed 22 July 2017
  28. Web site: Ed Gold's fascinating and beautifully shot depictions of rural Essex life . Gosling. Emily. 2017-06-19. 2020-10-09.
  29. Web site: Photographs reveal quirky world of Country Folk. BBC.co.uk. 2020-10-09 . 2017-06-16 .
  30. Web site: Lubaina Himid: Warp and Weft What's On . 2023-01-04 . Firstsite . en-GB.
  31. Web site: Grayson Perry: The Life of Julie Cope . 2023-01-06 . Firstsite . en-GB.
  32. Mark Edwards "Tapestry of Essex Everywoman’s life caught at Grayson Perry’s Firstsite show ", Ipswich Star, 12 December 2017. Accessed 9 January 2018
  33. Web site: Rose Finn-Kelcey: Power for the People. Visit Colchester. 2017-12-02 . 2018-02-14.
  34. Web site: Life with Art: Benton End and the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing. 2022-02-16. Firstsite. en-GB.
  35. Web site: Life with Art. 2022-02-16. Colchester Art Society. en-GB.
  36. Web site: Denis Wirth-Miller: Landscapes and Beasts . 2023-01-04 . Firstsite . en-GB.
  37. Web site: Reena Saini Kallat: Leaking Lines . 2023-01-05 . Firstsite . en-GB.
  38. News: Rowan Moore . Firstsite – review | Art and design . . 2011-09-18. 2011-12-15 . London.
  39. News: Maev Kennedy . Colchester's Firstsite for sore eyes | Art and design . . 2011-09-22. 2011-12-15 . London.
  40. News: McLean . Laura . Camulodunum, Firstsite, Colchester - Reviews - Art . . 2011-10-21 . 2011-12-15 . London.
  41. News: Art . firstsite gallery, Colchester: £25 million well-spent? . . 2011-10-14. 2011-12-15 . London.
  42. Web site: Firstsite gallery only used by people to spend a penny. www.telegraph.co.uk. 2014-02-14 . 2018-01-27.
  43. Web site: Firstsite in Funding Crisis. Colchester Gazette. 2015-02-15 . 2018-01-27.
  44. Web site: Firstsite to Lose Arts Council England NPO Status. Artists Newsletter. 2015-02-16 . 2018-01-27.
  45. Web site: Firstsite Gallery Lose National Portfolio Status. www.artsprofessional.co.uk. 2015-02-15 . 2018-01-27.
  46. Web site: Firstsite has finally turned the corner... despite £243k loss last year . www.gazette-news.co.uk . 2018-02-09 . 2018-02-13.
  47. Web site: Firstsite boss 'had to go' as questions continue to linger over £100k payments. Chelmsford and Mid Essex Times. 2018-03-22 . 2018-03-27.
  48. Web site: Questions over £100k payments to HR firm. Colchester Gazette. 2018-03-23 . 2018-03-27.
  49. Web site: Firstsite trustees resign as company instructs auditors. Jumbo News. 2018-03-22 . 2018-03-27.
  50. News: Batty . David . Ai Weiwei accuses curators of rejecting artwork over Julian Assange content . 3 June 2021 . The Guardian . 2 June 2021 . en.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Firstsite".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.