Hastings-based artist Dorcas at last year’s Playing the Race Card exhibition

Playing the Race Card 2024 – open call for submissions

Playing the Race Card, a trailblazing collective in Hastings championing the work of Black artists, is thrilled to announce an open call for artwork submissions for their highly anticipated exhibition at the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, scheduled to run from 3 May to 25 August 2024. Erica Smith shares the exciting news.

Inspired by the overwhelming success of their ground-breaking 2022 exhibition in St Leonards, this new exhibition will explore the theme of ‘Black Joy’ and will be accompanied by a dynamic program of talks, performances, and workshops throughout Hastings. The event aims to celebrate local Black artists while shining a spotlight on the positive aspects of Black culture, resistance and happiness.

Exclusively open to artists who identify as Black and are based in East Sussex, West Sussex, or Kent, artists are invited to submit their creative expressions of Black Joy. The organisers believe that this term encompasses a myriad of experiences, from cultural celebrations and festivals to healing and well-being practices, community building and activism.

Hastings councillor Maya Evans expressed her support for Playing the Race Card, highlighting the significance of initiatives that use arts and creativity to foster dialogue on racial inequality and injustice. She stated, “We take immense pride in welcoming back this exhibition and to see the artist call-out across the South East, ensuring a platform for the extraordinary talents of Black artists in our region is provided.”

Founder of Playing the Race Card, Claudine Ecclestone, shared her excitement about the upcoming exhibition. She said, “After the massive success of our 2022 exhibition in St Leonards, we can’t wait to create an extraordinary experience in the heart of Hastings. We want to showcase artworks that beautifully capture the spirit and inherent beauty found within Black experiences.”

Renowned textile artist and co-organiser, Lorna Hamilton-Brown MBE, echoes her enthusiasm for this project and emphasises the significance of this call-out, saying, “I am thrilled to be part of this important project. The South East is home to countless incredible Black artists, and we are eager to bring them together and showcase their exceptional work.”

Playing the Race Card is a community-led programme that launched in 2020 with an exhibition in St Leonards. This powerful showcase brought together the works of 25 contemporary Black artists, presenting their captivating responses to the complex implications of the term ‘playing the race card.’

Driven by a firm commitment to championing the exceptional work of Black artists, Playing the Race Card recognises the transformative power of art as a catalyst for social change and is currently producing a series of workshops in local schools alongside promoting an open call for an upcoming exhibition at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery in 2024.

For more information and to submit your artwork, visit the exhibition’s website. The deadline for submissions is 29 September.

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