2001 to 2002

Professor Stuart Hall

Chairman's Statement

We were delighted to be admitted to the second round of the Arts Council's Capital Programme 2. In June last year, the Arts Council of England announced that they had earmarked £5 million from lottery funds for Autograph and inIVA's joint building project. The project was described in the Arts Council's press release as ‘a top priority for the Arts Capital Programme, the Arts Council and London Arts'.

Four years ago, Autograph (Association of Black Photographers) and inIVA forged a strategic alliance to address the lack of a sense of place for both agencies and their constituencies. Over the past four years, we identified the need for a permanent building base to house both organisations as autonomous agencies with shared facilities. Our vision is to create a secure foundation for the sustainable growth and development of these two agencies and to develop a programme space that provides our own platform for international and culturally diverse artists. Currently, no permanent building provides continuously for the needs of culturally diverse visual arts agencies, artists and audiences. We wish to build on our achievements, experiences and networks, both local and global, and address the significant growth in demand for culturally-diverse and international production both in the UK and abroad.

The project represents an important stage in the development of two innovative, ground-breaking organisations whose activities and constituencies reflect the changing profile of international artistic practice. Inevitably it will have a significant impact on the organisation both in the short and long term. However, we are confident that a combination of a clear artistic vision, considerable staff commitment and sound organisational management and financial planning places us in an excellent position to deliver what we believe will be a significant intervention in the cultural life of London, nationally and internationally.