firstsite partnership: a multi-million pound project to develop a stunning purpose-built venue for the contemporary visual arts in Essex. art, centre, arts, firstsite, university of essex, essex university, essex, colchester

firstsite partnership: a new approach to the contemporary arts

The University of Essex is a key partner in the multi-million pound project to develop a stunning purpose-built venue for the contemporary visual arts in Essex.

firstsite:newsite in Colchester is designed to be a new kind of cultural building, creating a social space with contemporary art at its heart. Designed by renowned architect Rafael Viñoly, the innovative building includes retail, eating and social areas, alongside spaces for artists, exhibitions and education facilities, including a 200 seat auditorium.

It will create a UK hub for the study of Latin American art, working closely with the University of Essex Collection of Latin American Art (UECLAA), which comprises some 700 works. At present UECLAA's only permanent display space is in the University's Albert Sloman Library, but the partnership with firstsite will significantly enrich the range of art from Latin America on public display in the UK.

Each year one exhibition at firstsite will focus on Latin American artists, and works from UECLAA will be integrated into other exhibitions or used to contextualise other works on display using the building's Museum Space.

In conjunction with UECLAA, Latin American artists will also have opportunities to inhabit the building's Artist Space and create installations for the entrance foyer. firstsite:newsite's Resource Centre will enable the study and appreciation of Latin American art, providing a seminar room and computer access to UECLAA Online, the digital catalogue of the collection. UECLAA will also work with firstsite on education projects.

The collaboration with UECLAA represents only part of the University's wider partnership with firstsite, which will also provide a town-centre base for a range of University activities across a number of disciplines. These will include new postgraduate courses, seminars, conferences, educational outreach and the development of cultural research.

firstsite:newsite is one of only three projects nationally to have attracted £5 million funding from Arts Council England in the current round of lottery-funded projects. The University is one of five stakeholders in the project, along with Arts Council England, Colchester Borough Council, East of England Development Agency and Essex County Council.

This partnership recognises the regional, national and international significance of the project. It will contribute to the regeneration of the St Botolph's area as a cultural quarter for Colchester, while supporting and stimulating artists and growing the cultural economy across the East of England. Nationally it will support a more diverse and innovative arts sector, enabling greater public participation, while stimulating international interest through its focus on contemporary practice, Latin American art, and new directions in curatorial practice.