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Firstsite
Firstsite art gallery in Colchester
Firstsite is located in Essex
Firstsite
Location within Essex
Established2011
LocationColchester, Essex, England
Coordinates51°53′20″N 0°54′22″E / 51.889°N 0.906°E / 51.889; 0.906
DirectorSally Shaw
Websitefirstsite.uk

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.[10]

Exhibitions

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Critical appraisal

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The gallery's opening received a considerable evaluation in the press. The Guardian criticized the sloping walls and the architect, Viñoly.[39] It also examined it in terms of the economic expectations towards it and in comparison with other regional galleries.[40] However, The Independent praised the inaugural exhibition Camulodunum.[41] The Daily Telegraph has criticized the expense of the project,[42] 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to use the lavatory.[43] In 2015 Firstsite had its status as an Arts Council funded National Portfolio Organisation withdrawn.[44][45] The Arts Council consequently reduced their annual subsidy to Firstsite by £10 per year from £814,527 to £814,517.[46]

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,[clarification needed] to £814,512 per year, secured for four years.[47] On 22 March 2018 it was announced Dr Noorzaman Rashid, Robert Surnam and Helen Organ resigned from their roles as trustees at Firstsite.[48][49][50]

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".[51]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Our History". Firstsite. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  2. ^ "firstsite". Firstsite. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 24 October 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Firstsite in Colchester wins the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2021 award". BBC. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b "firstsite". Colchester Borough Council. 1 January 2018. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  5. ^ "firstsite". Firstsite. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  6. ^ "University of Essex to rehouse its Latin American collection". artinternet.net. 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Works on Display". ESCALA University of Essex. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  8. ^ "firstsite". Firstsite. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  9. ^ "firstsite". Art Fund. 1 January 2018. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Firstsite Limited, registered charity no. 1031800". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  11. ^ "Camulodunum". Cornerhouse Publications. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Aleksandra Mir - Camulodunum, Firstsite, Colchester". www.aleksandramir.info. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Steven Claydon : Culpable Earth". www.newexhibitions.com. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  14. ^ "News from Nowhere - Exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester". ArtRabbit. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Anthea Hamilton: Sorry I'm Late - Exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester". ArtRabbit. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  16. ^ "Humphrey Jennings: Painting, Collage, Film - Exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester". ArtRabbit. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Nigel Henderson and Eduardo Paolozzi: Hammer Prints Limited 1954- 75 - Exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester". ArtRabbit. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  18. ^ "John Virtue: The Sea". Art Rabbit. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  19. ^ "Chris Seaber – Assembled Paintings and Drawings". Keep Colchester Cool. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  20. ^ "Chris Seaber – Assembled Paintings and Drawings". Art Rabbit. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  21. ^ "First Open Art Exhibition". Colchester Gazette. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  22. ^ "Firstsite Open Exhibition". ENAS. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  23. ^ "Wivenhoe artist James Dodds back at Firstsite Art Gallery". Colchester Gazette. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  24. ^ "James Dodds - Wood to Water - Exhibition at Firstsite in Colchester". ArtRabbit. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  25. ^ "70 Years of Colchester Art Society". Art Rabbit. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  26. ^ "Simon Carter CV". Simon Carter website. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  27. ^ "Colchester Art Society, an Exhibition Celebrating 70 Years of Discovery". Line Up. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  28. ^ "Gee Vaucher: Introspective", Firstsite. Accessed 22 July 2017
  29. ^ Gosling, Emily (19 June 2017). "Ed Gold's fascinating and beautifully shot depictions of rural Essex life". Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  30. ^ "Photographs reveal quirky world of Country Folk". BBC.co.uk. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  31. ^ "Lubaina Himid: Warp and Weft | What's On". Firstsite. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  32. ^ "Grayson Perry: The Life of Julie Cope". Firstsite. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  33. ^ Mark Edwards "Tapestry of Essex Everywoman’s life caught at Grayson Perry’s Firstsite show Archived 9 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine", Ipswich Star, 12 December 2017. Accessed 9 January 2018
  34. ^ "Rose Finn-Kelcey: Power for the People". Visit Colchester. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  35. ^ "Life with Art: Benton End and the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing". Firstsite. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  36. ^ "Life with Art". Colchester Art Society. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  37. ^ "Denis Wirth-Miller: Landscapes and Beasts". Firstsite. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  38. ^ "Reena Saini Kallat: Leaking Lines". Firstsite. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  39. ^ Rowan Moore (18 September 2011). "Firstsite – review | Art and design". London: The Observer. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  40. ^ Maev Kennedy (22 September 2011). "Colchester's Firstsite for sore eyes | Art and design". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  41. ^ McLean, Laura (21 October 2011). "Camulodunum, Firstsite, Colchester - Reviews - Art". London: The Independent. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  42. ^ Art (14 October 2011). "firstsite gallery, Colchester: £25 million well-spent?". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  43. ^ "Firstsite gallery only used by people to spend a penny". www.telegraph.co.uk. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  44. ^ "Firstsite in Funding Crisis". Colchester Gazette. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  45. ^ "Firstsite to Lose Arts Council England NPO Status". Artists Newsletter. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  46. ^ "Firstsite Gallery Lose National Portfolio Status". www.artsprofessional.co.uk. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  47. ^ "Firstsite has finally turned the corner... despite £243k loss last year". www.gazette-news.co.uk. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  48. ^ "Firstsite boss 'had to go' as questions continue to linger over £100k payments". Chelmsford and Mid Essex Times. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  49. ^ "Questions over £100k payments to HR firm". Colchester Gazette. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  50. ^ "Firstsite trustees resign as company instructs auditors". Jumbo News. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  51. ^ Batty, David (2 June 2021). "Ai Weiwei accuses curators of rejecting artwork over Julian Assange content". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
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