You are invited to join us for Standing in this place: Diversity & Public Art hosted by BAME Staff Network & Women Staff Network.

In a city with a reputation of an abundance of women, where can we find them in our public art?

The proposed new statue represents two groups of women central to the city’s historical textile industry: enslaved women of African descent who grew the vital raw cotton supplies in the Americas and white female cotton mill workers who spun the thread.

Both these groups of women have been neglected in our public commemorative landscape. It’s time they were ‘Standing in This Place’.

Join us for a stimulating evening of learning, conversation and connection:

• Hear from Dr Susanne Seymour (and Lisa Robinson) about the development of the Global Cotton Connections collaborative work.
• Watch the story of Rachel Carter’s sculpture, which has highlighted the connections of the East Midlands cotton textile industry to colonialism and enslavement.
• Meet members of the Legacy Makers – the Black community group working to inform residents and visitors of the contribution of enslaved people to the prosperity of the textile industries in the East Midlands.
• Discover the opportunity to join with the National Justice Museum, the Museum of Making, independent philanthropists and interested citizens, to erect this nationally important statue in the heart of Nottingham.
• Enjoy some refreshments whilst networking with others helping to shape the city and challenging the under-representation of women and people of colour in public art.

This event is free and open to all.