Arts

Major boost for UECLAA

Development plans for the University's internationally-significant collection of Latin American art have received a major boost with the announcement of a national accreditation award.

The University of Essex Collection of Latin American Art (UECLAA) has been awarded full accreditation by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). This national quality standard confirms that UECLAA has met stringent guidelines on how it is run, how it looks after the Collection, and the services it provides to users and visitors.

UECLAA has more than 600 artworks and is the largest public collection of Latin American art in Europe. The MLA praised UECLAA’s five-year development plan, which seeks to grow and increase access to the Collection.

Assistant Director and Curator of UECLAA, Dr Joanne Harwood, said: 'This is the beginning of a new phase for the Collection. As an accredited museum, we can move ever closer to our aim of increasing public access to Latin American art in the UK, through our partnership with firstsite:newsite and by fundraising for a permanent space on the University's Colchester Campus.'

UECLAA's partnership with Colchester's new contemporary art gallery, firstsite:newsite, will provide opportunities for exhibitions from Latin America, artists' residences and commissions. The Resource Centre at firstsite will provide permanent computer access to UECLAA online, the digital catalogue of the Collection.

While some UECLAA works are currently displayed in the Albert Sloman Library, and around the Colchester Campus, UECLAA is currently exploring opportunities for a fundraising campaign to provide a permanent display space on the Campus.

Arts spring into action

Blockheads member and Essex graduate Gilad Atzmon makes a welcome return to Colchester on Wednesday 30 January for an evening concert as part of the new spring season at the Lakeside Theatre.

Together with the Orient House Ensemble he will perform works from their highly-praised new album, Refuge. Drawing on jazz, electronica, Arabic music and the sounds of the city, the album is a melting pot of twenty-first century sounds.

Basquiat Strings with jazz drummer Seb Rochford follow hot on their heels on Tuesday 26 February. All the members of this Mercury Prize nominated group are classically trained but are using their talents in the world of jazz. Their repertoire includes compositions by leader and cellist Ben Davis as well as material from jazz greats such as Ornette Coleman.

The theatrical season includes Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea on Thursday 14 February. This critically acclaimed work by the 1927 Theatre Company, is a surreal satire combining life music and performance with animation and film.

The dramatic line-up also features The Artisan on Thursday 7 February presented by the Playremains Theatre Company.
The music scene includes a lunchtime piano recital from the Classical Music Society on Tuesday 29 January, and the lunchtime concert on Tuesday 12 February features the Kevin Flanagan Quartet setting the poetry of Pulitzer prize winner Gary Snyder to music.