This year is an important year for both Bradford and Nottingham Melas as they celebrate the final stages of the 21st Anniversary project. In recognition of this important milestone the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £48,600 for a special project to capture the history of the two melas through oral history and archives. The project has resulted in a touring photographic exhibition, an educational resource project, together with a ‘coffee table’ book which will provide a retrospective look at the last 21 years of the mela and its roots and progress in the UK.
The exhibition and book will be launched at the New Art Exchange, 39 -41 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham, NG7 6BE on Friday 28th May at 6pm. The exhibition will carry on at the NAE until 24 July, and then tour to Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford from 7th August to 7th November.
The exhibition will give the local communities of Bradford and Nottingham an opportunity to further engage with the project through exploring the history of the mela through photographs, text and archive material. Audiences can further participate in the project through using the dedicated educational resource space, take part in workshops exploring the history of melas, and participate in a website ‘blog’ that will allow interested community members to submit photos and write about their past experiences of melas.
