Black Joy Day: Windrush Stories at the V&A

26 Oct 2023 10.30am-4pm

Overview

Enjoy five uniquely designed presentations for Black Joy Day, to celebrate three remarkable women in the collection, and two thought-provoking displays to mark the V&A’s Windrush 75 Season.

Immerse yourself in the accomplishments of three pioneering and enterprising women of the Windrush Generation within the collection, musician and entertainer Winifred Atwell, headteacher and author Dr Beryl Gilroy, and activist and journalist Claudia Jones, who each travelled to the UK as a place to follow their dreams, create change, and through their work and passions inspired and empowered future generations.

Our final two presentations take the form of curatorial tours within our key Windrush displays by Thomas J Price and his super-sized contemporary sculptures whose “purpose is to challenge sculptural traditions, that speak to issues of visibility, identity and objectification of Black people in visual culture, and instead celebrate our human connections,” and Between Two Worlds: that highlight the lives of two Caribbean gentlemen almost 300 years apart, photographer Vanley Burke and scholar Francis Williams.

A light lunch will be served.

Please note, that you will be walking and standing for extended periods of time on the tours – a limited number of museum chairs will be available on the day.

'joy is an act of resistance' Poet Toi Derricotte.

'Black joy inspires us, keeps us uplifted through the toughest of times, and is radical in its simplicity to make us happy and confident in finding one’s collective voice. In Black joy we celebrate the Black experience, history, culture, and community cohesion, to share, listen and support others in our need to connect and be together.' Janet Browne

This event is in collaboration with the Black Gallery Visitor Network (UK)

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