Mission statement“To establish New Art Exchange as a national centre of excellence promoting contemporary arts development within the cultural and creative industries, by delivering a programme of activity to promote, support and advocate contemporary multi-cultural arts development in visual and performing arts, and new media, led by African, African Caribbean and South Asian arts practice, serving an international community with roots firmly embedded in the local area.”

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New Art Exchange... ...is a ground breaking project of major cultural & architectural significance, which will allow our artistic and support programme to develop and flourish.

...is supported by a strong regional partnership, and it presents the best of contemporary art, to inform, challenge, engage, and entertain our artists and audiences.

...is a catalyst for the regeneration of the Hyson Green area of Nottingham, and is a key player in the growth and aspirations of the wider region.

...brings together African, African Caribbean and South Asian arts in a unique collaboration, challenging discrimination and highlighting positive achievements of all communities.

Image credits clockwise from top left:Cool Rules & Fams, Image courtesy Curtis JamesMain Gallery, New Art Exchange, Photograph by David SillitoeSokari Douglas Camp’s Strength of Feeling, Photograph by Ashok Mistry

2008/09 saw the final stages of the New Art Exchange (NAE) build and launch of our brand new contemporary arts venue, coinciding with the arrival of our new Chief Executive, Skinder Hundal.

The concept realised by Apna Arts and EMACA and designed byHawkins\Brown finally came tofruition in June 2008, as the verydistinctive and cutting edge buildingthat is NAE. The launch night was a tremendous affair with over 2000 people attending the weekend’s celebrations. Artists, funders, local residents and visitors came together for the launch, I have to say with an audience fully representative of Nottingham’sculturally diverse communities.

The launch night and exhibition NextWe Change Earth set the standardand ambition for all to see and bepart of.

Since its launch NAE has beenfirmly establishing itself in layingfoundations for the future,reinvigorating old and developing new partnerships, delivering a rangeof events, projects and exhibitionsrepresenting African, AfricanCaribbean and South Asian artisticand cultural expressions, workingwith artists and organisations locally,nationally and internationally.

Chairman’s Report Edwin Maxwell

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The journey for NAE is foreverexciting and is gaining pace. The past year’s success has shown the potential and actuality of ideas unfolding in front of us. I am extremely proud of the organisation’s achievements and would like to thank my fellow board members and Skinder Hundal for steering and leading the NAE team ofstaff and volunteers. Our team hasworked so very hard in our launchyear, with a passion to help realise itsfuture as an iconic presence in theregion and as a leading organisationchampioning culturally diverse arts.

Edwin MaxwellChairman

As an organisation we also starteda national recruitment campaignfor new board members and weredelighted with the response andquality of the applications wereceived from the wider public.Although our Chief Executive waswithout a full and senior managementteam, we managed to keep themomentum and quality of our workgoing, supporting over 300 artists with 100,000 visitors and audiencemembers experiencing our arts offerand venue spaces. There were manysignificant successes, including arange of architectural awards, mediacoverage with Mark Lawson’s FrontRow interview of Sokari DouglasCamp CBE, to the European tour ofNAE’s first major commission, ZinebSedira’s Floating Coffins.

Image credits clockwise from top left:Elshaday Berhane, Next We Change Earth, Photograph by Ashok MistryNew Art Exchange, Photograph by Ashok MistryAnthony Jadunath’s Red, Photograph by Ashok MistryAkademi, New Art Exchange Launch Event, Photograph by Ashok Mistry

Chief Executive’s ReportSkinder Hundal

“The East is rising” were the words Ichose at the auspicious launch night...and what a night it was! Myriadperformances, speeches and a visualfeast of complex identities andexpressions featured in our openingexhibition, which symbolised our pastlegacy and future, all in the samebreath. New Art Exchange (NAE)is of course one of the five majorarts venue capital projects in theEast Midlands. It’s physical presencein Hyson Green, Nottingham was andis a statement of hope and ambition– and part of a wider cultural mantra,recognising the role of arts, cultureand diversity for Nottingham and the East Midlands. Such ambition has been realised with Nottingham securing events such as the Twenty20 World Cup this year, as well as NAE playing a lead role in hosting the British Art Show in Autumn 2010, alongsidepartner organisations – Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery and Nottingham Contemporary.

So here we are reflecting on 2008/09,a year where NAE started to grow andlay its foundation, an ‘infinite portal’ ofnew exchanges, concepts, hybrid ideas, cross cultural dialogue and experiences for all to benefit. The curatorial vision introduced exhibitions with acclaimed success; with memorable responsesfrom arts world critics and visitors alike. The range of visual art forms explored multi-media, film, steel sculptures, folk tribal paintings and crafts, photography to abstract paintings – commenting on contemporary issues such as migration, religious tensions, gender conflict,capitalism, slavery, tribal celebration, post colonialism, inter and intra-racial dialogue and conceptually so much more. NAE aimed to set a new pace and took a lead role in commissioning and advocating culturally diverse artists within the UK visual arts sector. In our first year the investment in commissioning new work helped raise standards, profile and reach across the UK and secured partnerships in Europe, providing artists with new

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opportunities. We have recognised that this will continue to be an important part of our role in the years to come.

Our education, learning and youtharts (YARD) programme also startedto gather pace, offering numeroushigh quality workshops in visual andperforming arts, with a professionalteam of specialist artists, touchingthousands of individuals and families.We piloted numerous activities inour performance and cafe spaces,including community arts days, talks and seminars, cross-cultural music collaborations, classical andcontemporary dance, theatre andcomedy to sell out audiences. We alsocontinued to play a lead artistic role inprogramming Nottingham’s historicaland pioneering Mela which waslaunched by Apna Arts 21 years ago.

NAE, Hyson Green’s ‘black diamond’aims to emanate a new and refreshingvision to individuals, communities, thearts and cultural sector, regeneratingaspiration and ambition on manylevels, connecting the local with the

international and vice versa. NAE has started to deliver its mission to become an internationally recognised and important space to showcase the very best in emerging and established regional, national and international artistic talent.

Of course none of this would havebeen possible without the support ofthe local community, our funders andpartners. On behalf of NAE I wouldlike to thank you all and hope youwill continue to support us in themonths and years to come. I started as a volunteer in the old Art Exchange and know we have come a long way. The route ahead still remains a vast and infinite voyage, but one which will no doubt excite and enthrall all those on board, whilst sustaining NAE’s long term future and legacy in modern Britain as a leading creative hub of ideas and opportunities. I look forward to the challenges ahead.

Skinder HundalChief Executive

Image credits clockwise from top left:New Art Exchange Launch Event, Photograph by Ashok MistryGodfried Donkor’s Browning MadonnaRangoli by Ranbir Kaur, Photograph by Ashok MistryElshaday Berhane, Next We Change Earth, Photograph by Ashok Mistry

The official launch of New Art Exchange (NAE) took place in September with the exhibition, Next We Change Earth. Over two evenings guests were invited to experience the exhibition, as well as be treated to improvised dance routines by critically acclaimed South Asian dance impresario’s Akademi.

Historical and cultural exploration of identity defined NAE’s debut exhibition – Next We Change Earth, curated by David Schischka Thomas and Michael Forbes, it had a spotlight on artists from Nottingham (past and present) commissioned by NAE. The exhibition reflected on issues faced by Black artists in the UK, inviting exchange around notions of Culture, Identity, Time, Space and Home. Artists featured included Said Adrus, Elshaday Berhane, Michael Forbes, Samson Kambalu, Harjeet Kaur, Hetain Patel, Keith Piper, Gary Stewart, Nazir Tambouli and Andrew Wright.

Key ExhibitionsStrength of Feeling curated by MichaelForbes was a ten-year retrospective ofthe acclaimed Nigerian-born artist SokariDouglas Camp CBE. Sokari’s primarymaterial was steel and her work exploredher relationship to contemporary Nigeriaand Britain. Race, racism, gender issues,exploitation and violence all surface inher practice. New work was producedthrough funding from the Big Draw, whichwas situated within the exhibition. A largesculpture ‘Remember Saro-Wiwa’ in theform of a steel bus was situated outsidethe NAE building.

Anthony Jadunath’s Red was anotherstrong exhibition curated by MichaelForbes, which reflected on personalexperiences and resonated with largercultural issues, for example, the murder

of Stephen Lawrence and the effect thishas had on the wider Black community.

Zineb Sedira showcased Floating Coffins,Middle Sea and Saphir, curated by DavidSchischka Thomas, a solo exhibition byinternational, award-winning artist ZinebSedira. Born to Algerian immigrants,Zineb’svideo installations and photographyexplored notions of displacement and exile.This exhibition takes the sea as a spaceof movement and a metaphor for culturalexchange. The exhibition included a major14 screen multimedia commission by NAE - Floating Coffins. This critically-acclaimed exhibition toured to Iniva, London and later has a planned tour in Europe including Finland, Denmark and Sweden.

Special Community Projects

Rangoli NAE opened in June with an exhibition of contemporary Rangoli’s. This is a traditional art form from India often created on the doorsteps of homes in fine coloured powder, as a symbol of welcoming. Chila Burman and Ranbir Kaur where bothcommissioned by NAE to reinterpret Rangoli into a contemporary context. Alongside these commissions, banners produced by Samia Haleem and a local Muslim school where exhibited. This exhibition was launched at the NAE Community Open Day, and helped attract a large local South Asian family audience.

Nottingham Trent University MA Final ShowNAE took the opportunity to use its galleriesprior to launch by hosting the NottinghamTrent University’s MA Final Show.This introduced the space to Nottingham’sFine Art student community, as well asgiving NAE’s Curators and Technical Teamthe opportunity to experience the space

in context to artwork, prior to the launchexhibition - ‘Next We Change Earth’.

To compliment the inaugural exhibition,a number of ambitious projects werecommissioned:

Music Collaboration: A training anddevelopment project through which localmusicians and singers of varying levels ofskill, and from various cultural backgrounds,worked together to create new songswhich were performed at the NAE andsubsequently recorded at a local studio.Performers included: Percy Dread; KhalidMahmood; Hetain Patel; Ling Peng; RoyalRoots Band; San2 Singh.

Manning School Performance: Studentsfrom Manning school worked with dancer,Jay Pollit and visual / movement artist UshaMehanthralingham to interpret the themesin the exhibition ‘Next We Change Earth’through dance, drama and multimedia.The resulting production was performedat NAE.

Events, Festivals and PartnershipsOur first year has been experimental andinnovative with music, dance, comedy, spoken word performances, seminars, talks and film screenings as well as the exhibitions.

Artistic programme in briefNew Art ExchangeOfficial Launch

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community. NAE offered a cash prize and exhibition space for one of the talented winners. Nadeem Chaudury, from Nottingham and will exhibit his work in NAE’s Mezzanine Gallery in Spring 2010.

Community Open Day at NAENAE’s Community Open Day wasintroduced in June prior to the officiallaunch event, in the spirit of reaching outto the local community, openness, andintroducing local residents to the venue. NAE programmed a vibrant and bustling programme of arts and cultural treats for the day, including dance and music performances, participatory visual arts workshops, world cuisine and much more. Artists included the likes of Pratap Pawar and the Triveni Dance Company performing a fusion of Flamenco and Kathak dance traditions, Chila Burman delivering visual arts workshops, as well as a feast of local artists and musicians.

There were audiences representing diversecultures and identities from throughoutNottinghamshire. Children and families, all enjoyed a hot summer’s day of activitiesand performances in NAE spaces,appreciating culturally diverse artformsfrom all parts of the world.

Youth Arts Research & Development (YARD), Young People’s Panel & Learning ProgrammeThe YARD group met regularly and formedNAE’s Young People’s Panel - an advisorygroup to inform NAE’s youth engagementstrategy and programme. YARD met regularly over the year receiving over 300 sessions from a team of freelance artists such as

Some of the key highlights included comedy from Nottingham Playhouse’s ‘Pieces’ showcasing new and emerging black comedians in a double-bill weekend with ‘Lady Garden’, fresh from a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe. We also hosted the national Darbar Festival with one of India’s leading flautists Rupak Kulkarni and local music promoters Chill in the Park with their Global Weekend of world music, extending from Russia, Afghanistan, China, and Ireland to the Caribbean. We were also delighted to host the Radiator Festival which offeredelectronic and digital age music and liveperformances. NAE played a lead role withNottingham Asian Arts Council in promotingand producing the 20th Nottingham Melain Old Market Square, programming over100 artists, and benefitting 8,000 people.

Various partnerships with our sister arts& cultural venues and organisations wereconsolidated to lay future foundationsincluding: East Midlands Visual Arts Forum,Lakeside Arts Centre, NottinghamPlayhouse, Nottingham Contemporary,Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery, Galleries of Justice, Broadway Media Centre, Royal Centre, Nottingham Carnival, City Arts, Black Drop to name a few.

Nottingham Castle OpenIn partnership with Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery, NAE promoted and supported the Nottingham Castle Open in order to unearth and celebrate the creativity of East Midlands’ artists and makers. For many years the Open has thrown a spotlight on some of thetalented artists that live and work in our

Curtis James, Rachael Young and Matt Davenport, delivering and providing the young participants with a range of skills in performing and visual arts, technical skills in sound and lighting, marketing and events programming. Trips to see and experience art were organised and opportunities to showcase devised work of the young participants to payingaudiences were arranged. YARD alsoworked with regional festivals like Bassand Radiator; partaking in specialistactivities and programmes in graffiti art,urban music and digital technologies.

The learning programme provided students of schools, FE Colleges and Universities with bespoke learning opportunities, gallery tours and talks, all complementing the subject matter of the exhibitions and curriculum subjects. In our first year we provided 272 workshop sessions and with an ever increasing number of participations, creating specialist relationships with local learning providers including Djanogly School, Manning School and Nottingham Trent University.

Image credits clockwise from left:NAE Music Collaboration, Photograph by Ashok MistryHarjeet Kaur’s French FanciesImage courtesy Rukus

New Audiences (Estimated) 109,845

Audiences to Events & Exhibitions 14,447

Number of Events 57

Number of Exhibitions 31

Number of Workshop Sessions 272

Partnership Events/Exhibitions 37

Artists Supported/Employed 432

We would like to thank all of our partners and artists who helped to create and deliver the exciting programme of exhibitions, performances and workshops.

Performance data 2008/09

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Capital BuildNew Art Exchange (NAE) was allocated capital funding from the Arts Lottery Fund (Arts Council England – £2.7m), The Greater Nottingham Partnership (£800,000), Radford and Hyson Green New Deal for Communities (£1.2m), European Regional Development Fund (£300,000) to create a new dedicated centre for contemporary arts on the site of the old Art Exchange building, based in the centre of Hyson Green. Situated in the NG7 area of the city, this was delivered to time and within budget.

The Facility contains three dedicated exhibition galleries, a performance and rehearsal space, artist-in-residence studio, arts education & work space, meeting rooms, hot desk facilities and a cafe.

Core revenue funding from Arts Council England and Nottingham City Council has provided a secure financial footing for the organisation. The NAE building is foremost a dedicated arts facility, but is also fundamental in supporting the economic and social regeneration of the area. Its location on the main Gregory Boulevard, just off the central crossroads in Hyson Green, provides the area with a new landmark facility celebrating the area’s cultural richness and diversity and placing contemporary arts practice at the heart of a multicultural community.

A key aim for NAE is to bring the local community through its doors, to be inclusive and for a range of other purposes, including social and commercial events, informal meetings and conferences, seminars and other activities, and it has been successful in achieving this with continued support and patronage from residents of NG7. The organisation has also supported numerous artists and creative business developments through the provision of hot desk facilities and other forms of arts business advice and support.

Image credits clockwise from left:Zineb Sedira’s Floating Coffins, Photograph by UrBen MediaYARD Youth Theatre, Photograph by Ashok MistrySokari Douglas Camp’s Strength of Feeling, Photograph by Ashok Mistry

STATEMENT OF FINANCIALACTIVITIES 2008/09INCOME

Voluntary Income Arts Council England East Midlands 443,169Nottingham City Council 40,280

Investment Income 7,198

Incoming Resources from Generating funds Mela 7,500Education & Community Partners 4,000Exhibition Partners 7,868Earned Income 35,948

Other incoming resources 168

TOTAL INCOME 546,131

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EXPENDITURE

Costs of Generating FundsAdvertising and Marketing 54,332

Charitable Activities Project Expenditure 98,274Staff Costs 324,863Running Costs 186,564

Governance Costs Audit Fee 4,392

Other Resources Expended 0

TOTAL EXPENDITURE 668,425

Net Movement in Funds (122,294)

Total funds brought forward 102,088

Gross transfer between funds 103,197

Total Funds Carried Forward 82,991

Auditor: Rogers Spencer

Image credits clockwise from left:Hetain Patel’s A(r)t Home 3, Next We Change EarthHew Locke Suite Installation

FUNDERS & PARTNERS

THE BOARD

Vice ChairSukhbinder Johal MBEChair – Apna Arts, Board Member of East Midlands Tourism & founding Member of Cultivate, Memberof Regional Assembly Secretary

ChairEdwin MaxwellManaging Director EAM Building Ltd

DirectorDevendra SharmaProfessional Architect with several years experience

DirectorMohan Khera Retired HM Customs and Excise Officer & former Chair of Nottingham Race Equality Council

DirectorSardul GillArtist & Teacher with extensive knowledge of the South Asian Communities of Nottingham

Secretary Patricia HunterExecutive Director of Product Development Consortium Ltd – training & consultancy company

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THE TEAMChief ExecutiveSkinder Hundal

Curator Michael Forbes

Facilities & Technical ManagerSteve Barnett

ReceptionistElaine Carthy

Office ManagerEmma Chadwick

ReceptionistWei Hou

Duty ManagerAnita Kumari

Duty ManagerPam Ramsay

ReceptionistAnushree Prabhune

Catering Coordinator Nick Dunleavy

Youth Arts & Education CoordinatorNatasha Foster-Wilson

YARD Youth Arts Coordinator Rachael Young

Marketing & Communications ManagerRaam Tarat

Communications & Development ManagerJennifer Bartle

Projects & Education ManagerRosie Fyffe

Deputy DirectorJim Robertson

Senior CuratorDavid Schischka Thomas

ReceptionistPriyanka Khade

Catering Assistant Kyla Landon

39 – 41 Gregory BoulevardNottingham NG7 6BE

T: 0115 924 8630F: 0115 970 1102

E: info@nae.org.ukW: www.nae.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1121755Company No. 04899768Registered in England & WalesVAT No. 859 7277 60

Mezzanine Gallery, New Art ExchangePhotograph by Bartosz Kali