Spectrum Carnival Troupe was started by Philip over ten years ago and was his great joy and passion in life. He encouraged participation in Preston Caribbean Carnival and many other carnivals throughout the north of England, leading his troupe with dedication, commitment and an impish sense of fun.
Sadly, in recent years Philips health has made it impossible for him to continue in his role as Spectrum’s Troupe Leader. His legacy to the troupe has been carried forward by Lisa Hopkins with help from other Spectrum committee members, Shirley, Rhianne and Kirsty. The troupe is going from strength to strength with Philip as their guiding light.
This May the troupe gave Philip and the other residents of Banksfield House an afternoon filled with the fun, colour and music that Philip loves so much. It was a Carnival in miniature on a hot sunny Sunday afternoon.
Phil and Spectrum with the group’s banner
Phil and Nadine boogie to the beat.
Spectrum and Phil dance together.
The Troupe members have been practising their dance routines to perfection and they delighted Philip with their skills and enthusiasm. He joined them and Carnival Costume artist, Nadine Knight in dancing to the infectious tunes the troupe will be sharing at Preston Caribbean Carnival on 25th June 2017.
Don’t miss it – if the ‘Boss Man’ can be there he’ll be dancing with his troupe as always!
PBHG are delighted that our good friend Lubaina has been given this artistic accolade for her work. We have worked with Lubaina a number of times including her appearance at our first ‘Black to the Future’ event in 2014 and a talk she gave about her work for Black History month at Jalgos in the same year. We visited the Making Histories Visible black arts archive where Lubaina shared her passion for encouraging research into the creativity of artists of African heritage.
Our continuing relationship with Lubaina includes her work with UCLan’s Institute for Black Atlantic Research which she leads with Professor Alan Rice. IBAR explores the legacies of the Atlantic Slave Trade from a cultural perspective and has included PBHG in some very interesting seminars and events, making the forefront of current research accessible to all interested members of PBHG and the African Caribbean community in Preston.
Lubaina has organised lectures with artists from African and Caribbean backgrounds which have enriched our understanding of a broad range of cultural experiences and given us much enjoyment.
We will be following Lubaina’s progress throughout this year, her Turner prize exhibition will be on show in Hull in September and the announcement of the Turner Prize winner is to be announced in December. We are all hoping that Lubaina will win.
The Harris will be showing Lubaina’s work in 2018 – if you are interested in getting involved in this exhibition please contact PBHG or Kyra Milnes from the Harris.
On Thursday 27th July 2017 plans are being put in place for a trip to Windermere for a social outing, including a boat trip around lake Windermere. The details of this outing is .
>. Date . Thursday 27th July 2017
>. Depart 10.30 central Preston
>. Free time in Windermere
>. Depart Windermere for Preston 15.30.
The cost for this outing is £ 6.00, which does not include lunch, refreshments, or the cost of the ferry ticket.
To secure your place please contact me directly, my details are at the foot of this email.
Please feel free to circulate this information to your friends and family. Should you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact me.
The visit will leave Preston at 09.00, pick up will be from the now empty betting office opposite the bus station on Tithebarn Street, near the age concern charity shop. On arrival in Hull we will have lunch (not provided ). The programme in Hull is as follow
On the 31st of March an exciting and innovative event is being held at UCLan, as part of Ribble Valley Jazz Festival between March 25th – April 1st.
The festival will involve a variety of musical and academic events including community events, seminars and gigs with an opportunity to get involved in some experimental music.
The IBAR event brings together distinguished international academics and dynamic Northern artistic and musical performers for a truly unique experience. Leading Civil Rights scholar and the author of ‘Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness and Race Relations’, Professor Brian Ward from Northumbria University will give the keynote address on “Freedom Sounds: Music and Civil Rights Movement”.
The other academic speaker will be Dr. María Rocío Cobo Pinero from the University of Cadiz whose paper will look at 1920s Jazz and Spanish flappers.
The performance element will showcase the links cotton establishes in the nineteenth century between enslaved Africans and the Lancashire working class using song and dance. This will be delivered by the ballad singer and clog dancer, Manchester-based Jennifer Reid and the black British performance artist Jade Montserrat from Scarborough.
Preston Jam is a brand new music festival curated by the University of Central Lancashire in partnership with the Ribble Valley Jazz Festival. The festival will be delving into jazz and other improvised music, exploring all its diverse forms from rap to hip-hop to electronica. Whether you are part of a band or just passionate about music, come along and experience the feeling of freedom music can create by exploring the different styles and genres that the 21st century has to offer.
The free event will take place in the Media Innovation Studio between 14:00 – 17:00 BST on the Fri 31st March 2017
Location: Media Innovation Studio, 4th floor the Media Factory, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE – 10:00 – 17:00
‘The artist must take sides. He must elect to fight for freedom or slavery. I have made my choice. I had no alternative.’ (Paul Robeson)
IBAR invites you to a workshop on Thursday 20th April 2017 examining some of the different ways that slavery and its legacies have figured within the art world.
Registration is free and lunch and refreshments will be provided.
Art has a long and tangled history in relation to slavery, abolition, emancipation and cultural resistance. Both pro and anti slavery campaigners used art to make public political statements. Slave-based wealth was used to purchase and preserve cultural treasures – some of which can be found in our national and regional galleries and museums today. The legacies of both slavery and empire include complex and often unequal cultural entanglements. Artists and art institutions have been both complicit in and also resistant to slavery and its legacies. For the Black Arts Movement issues of slavery, colonialism, race and racism were key and they used art practice to challenge, subvert and deconstruct ideas of ‘blackness’. This workshop will explore issues of slavery, resistance, emancipation, identity, race and racism, institutions and collections, curatorial voice and authority. Speakers include established and emerging artists, curators and academics and the emphasis of the day will be on debate and discussion. Please join in the conversation!
Programme – 10:00 – 17:00
10:00-10:30 Registration, tea and coffee
10:30-10:45 Introduction
10:45-11:45 Lubaina Himid – Art and archive session (UCLAN/IBAR)
15:00-16:00 Sarah Thomas, Birkbeck – Slave-owners and art collecting (Birkbeck)
16:00-16:15 Break
16:15-17:00 Open session to discuss past, present and future projects
This event is funded by the British Academy and is a partnership between the Antislavery Usable Past project (University of Nottingham) and the Institute for Black Atlantic Research (University of Central Lancashire). Click here for more information
Community Day, Preston Flag Market, 11am – 3pm
Come along to a FREEFREEFREE Community Day where there will be performances and music from local artists and Stalls housing numerous organisations providing information.
Thursday 16th March, Institute for Black Atlantic Research, UCLan
Keynote Speaker, Professor Gretchen Gerzina – Why Black History Matters: An America Perspective
The aim of the series is to facilitate discussion between researchers, educationalists, artists and writers, archivists and curators, and policy makers.
It seeks to recognise and promote innovative new research into the history of people of African heritage or descent in the UK, and enable a discussion of the latest developments in the dissemination of Black British history in a wide variety of settings including the media, the classroom and lecture hall, and museums and galleries.
Preston Montserrat & Friends Association present Drama, Poems, Dance, MMG, Masquerades, Raffle
A night of laughter and fun
Sunday 30 October 2016. 6 pm
Jalgos – Sports Club,
All are invited and there is no entrance fee.
The Manchester Montserrat Group masquerades will be performing. It would be a great opportunity for those who have never seen masquerades in action before to see them dancing several unique pieces. It’s amazing! Long time you don’t laugh like this!
