Firstsite

Firstsite is a contemporary visual arts organisation based in Colchester, Essex, England. It was established in 1993 as the Colchester and District Visual Arts Trust and adopted the name Firstsite in 1995. The organisation operates a public gallery and presents exhibitions, learning activity, community programmes and other forms of cultural engagement. It is a registered charity under English law. Firstsite's current building opened in 2011 in Colchester's Cultural Quarter. The building was designed by architect Rafael Viñoly and is located close to Colchester Castle, the Roman Wall, The Minories, Hollytrees Museum, the Natural History Museum and the creative-business hub at fifteen Queen Street. Firstsite occupies the building as a tenant, while the freehold is retained by Colchester Council. The gallery's architecture, funding model and visitor use attracted substantial public discussion when the building opened. Press commentary ranged from criticism of its sloping walls and construction cost to praise for the quality of its inaugural exhibition. Unlike a conventional museum, Firstsite does not maintain a permanent collection of its own. Its exhibition programme is based on changing displays, generally presented on a rolling basis. The opening exhibition, Camulodunum, brought together modern and contemporary works associated with artists including Ai Weiwei, Subodh Gupta, Barbara Hepworth, Sarah Lucas, Aleksandra Mir, Henry Moore, Grayson Perry, Robert Smithson, J. M. W. Turner, Andy Warhol, Rebecca Warren and Bill Woodrow. Subsequent programming has included solo presentations, historical surveys, regional art projects, open exhibitions and exhibitions developed with partner institutions. The organisation has also worked with the University of Essex on a programme presenting South American art, which continued until 2013. Its exhibition history demonstrates a broad remit: Firstsite has shown contemporary artists such as Steven Claydon, Anthea Hamilton, Lubaina Himid, Reena Saini Kallat and Grayson Perry, alongside projects focused on historical and regional practices, including Hammer Prints, the Benton End and East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing, and the Colchester Art Society. Firstsite's public role extends beyond gallery displays. In 2021 it organised The Great Big Art Exhibition, a virtual UK-wide art project intended to encourage participation beyond the gallery's physical premises. The organisation invited Ai Weiwei to contribute a work, although his proposed piece was not included after Firstsite cited time constraints and a mismatch with the exhibition concept. Firstsite has also been involved in nationally visible discussions about public funding and the role of regional cultural institutions. The gallery's relationship with Arts Council England has changed over time. Its National Portfolio Organisation status was withdrawn in 2015, followed by a substantial reduction in annual subsidy. In 2018, Firstsite was reported to have regained National Portfolio Organisation status for a four-year period. The organisation later received national recognition when it was named the Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2021. Although it is commonly described as a gallery, Firstsite's activities combine exhibition-making, education, civic participation and cultural infrastructure for Colchester and the wider East of England.

Firstsite began in 1993 as the Colchester and District Visual Arts Trust, a local visual-arts initiative established to develop a stronger contemporary art presence in Colchester. In 1995 the organisation changed its name to Firstsite. Its work developed around temporary exhibitions and public access rather than the stewardship of a permanent collection, allowing the programme to bring together loans, partnerships, commissions and touring material. A major institutional turning point came with the construction of a dedicated building in Colchester's Cultural Quarter. Designed by Rafael Viñoly, the building opened in 2011. Colchester Council retained the freehold and Firstsite occupied the premises as a tenant. The opening exhibition, Camulodunum, presented a wide range of modern and contemporary art and established the new venue's ambition. The building and its programme received mixed critical attention: some commentators questioned the architecture, visitor economics and construction expense, while others praised the inaugural exhibition. During its early programme, Firstsite presented solo exhibitions, thematic surveys and partnerships with other organisations. It worked with the University of Essex on exhibitions of South American art until 2013. Its programme included exhibitions devoted to artists such as Steven Claydon, Anthea Hamilton, John Virtue, James Dodds, Gee Vaucher, Lubaina Himid, Grayson Perry, Denis Wirth-Miller and Reena Saini Kallat. It also presented historical and regional projects, including Hammer Prints, exhibitions connected with Colchester Art Society, and a survey of Benton End and the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing. Public funding became a significant part of Firstsite's institutional history. In 2015 Arts Council England withdrew the organisation's National Portfolio Organisation status, and its annual subsidy was reported to have been reduced. In February 2018 Firstsite was reported to have regained National Portfolio Organisation status for four years. The same period included changes to the trustee body, with three trustees reported to have resigned in March 2018. These developments reflected the pressures faced by regional galleries in balancing ambitious programming, visitor figures, public subsidy and financial sustainability. In 2021 Firstsite expanded its public-facing role through The Great Big Art Exhibition, a virtual UK art project intended to encourage participation from people who might not regularly visit a gallery. Ai Weiwei was invited to submit a work, but his proposed contribution, which referred to Julian Assange, was ultimately not included. The episode generated disagreement about the reasons for the decision and the boundaries of the project's theme. In the same year Firstsite received the Art Fund Museum of the Year award, recognising its combination of contemporary exhibitions, community engagement and national cultural reach. Firstsite remains an active visual-arts organisation in Colchester. Its identity is defined by temporary programming, public participation and a regional cultural mission. Because it has no permanent collection of its own, the organisation's public offer changes substantially from one exhibition cycle to the next, while its fixed base in the Cultural Quarter provides continuity for local audiences and visiting artists.

• 2021

  Named Art Fund Museum of the Year

  [1]Firstsiteen.wikipedia.org

  Firstsite won the national Art Fund Museum of the Year award.

• 2018

  National Portfolio Organisation status restored

  [1]Firstsiteen.wikipedia.org

  Firstsite returned to the Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation programme for a reported four-year period.

• 2015

  National Portfolio Organisation status withdrawn

  [1]Firstsiteen.wikipedia.org

  Arts Council England withdrew Firstsite's National Portfolio Organisation status.

• 2011

  Current building opened

  [1]Firstsiteen.wikipedia.org

  Firstsite opened its Rafael Viñoly-designed building in Colchester's Cultural Quarter.

• 1995

  Name changed to Firstsite

  [1]Firstsiteen.wikipedia.org

  The Colchester and District Visual Arts Trust adopted the Firstsite name.

• 1993

  Organisation established

  [1]Firstsiteen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation was founded as the Colchester and District Visual Arts Trust.

A publicly oriented contemporary visual arts organisation that combines changing exhibitions with education, participation and regional cultural development. Firstsite is positioned as an accessible cultural venue rather than a museum built around a permanent collection.

• Exhibition programme · 2011

  Changing contemporary art exhibitions

  Firstsite's core offer is a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions rather than a permanent collection. The programme combines contemporary art, historical surveys, thematic exhibitions and projects involving artists from the United Kingdom and internationally. Examples include Camulodunum, News from Nowhere, Lubaina Himid: Warp and Weft, Grayson Perry: The Life of Julie Cope and Reena Saini Kallat: Leaking Lines.

• Arts participation

  Public and community programmes

  Firstsite supplements exhibitions with learning, participation and community-facing activity. These programmes extend the organisation's role beyond displaying art and are intended to connect visual culture with local audiences and wider public participation.

• Digital art campaign · 2021

  The Great Big Art Exhibition

  The Great Big Art Exhibition was a virtual UK art initiative organised by Firstsite in 2021. It was designed to encourage people across the country to make and share art, extending the gallery's public mission into a digital and distributed format.

• 2021The Great Big Art Exhibition

  United Kingdom

  Firstsite organised a virtual art exhibition intended to encourage UK-wide participation in art-making and to bring an arts experience to audiences beyond the physical gallery.

  Outcome. The project became one of Firstsite's nationally visible public-engagement initiatives and was associated with a dispute over the non-inclusion of Ai Weiwei's proposed contribution.

  Source

• 2021

  Decision not to include Ai Weiwei's proposed workOther

  Background

  Ai Weiwei was invited to contribute to The Great Big Art Exhibition and proposed a work incorporating an image connected with Julian Assange.

  Action taken

  Firstsite did not include the proposed project, explaining that time constraints and the work's lack of fit with the exhibition concept were the reasons.

  Aftermath

  Ai Weiwei disputed that explanation and suggested that the exhibition did not want to address the Assange subject. The disagreement became a matter of public commentary about artistic scope and institutional decision-making.

  Source

• 2011

  Opening of the current galleryProduct launch

  Background

  Firstsite developed a dedicated building in Colchester's Cultural Quarter, designed by Rafael Viñoly.

  Action taken

  The organisation opened the building and inaugurated it with the Camulodunum exhibition.

  Aftermath

  The building became Firstsite's principal public venue and generated both critical praise for its programme and criticism concerning its architecture and economics.

  Source

• 1995

  Adoption of the Firstsite nameStrategy

  Background

  The organisation had operated since 1993 as the Colchester and District Visual Arts Trust.

  Action taken

  It changed its name to Firstsite, establishing the identity used for its subsequent gallery and public programmes.

  Aftermath

  The Firstsite name continued through the development and opening of the organisation's dedicated Colchester building.

  Source

1. 1Firstsiteen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Firstsite official websitefirstsite.uk