Future Collect: first acquisition to broaden UK art collections will be for Manchester Art Gallery 6 Mar 2020

Jade Monserrat has been named as the first artist commissioned as part of the Future Collect programme, aimed at broadening collections to better represent British society. The Future Collect programme is run by the Institute of International Visual Art (Iniva) over the next three years, funded by ACE and the Art Fund, in partnership with national and regional museums. It will commission artists of African and/or Asian descent who are either British born or based in the country. Monserrat, who is based in Scarborough works in a variety of media to produce pieces about the interplay of art and activism. Her new commission will be acquired by Manchester Art Gallery and show alongside a public programme and a major conference. Alistair Hudson, Director of the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery said “our collections have always reflected the complexities of Manchester’s involvement in industrialisation, modernisation, colonialism and capital. At the same time our story is also one of people striving for equality and human rights locally and globally, through diplomacy and protest alike. It is with this history in mind that we want to continue to interrogate our inherited culture with artists, and propose positive action for the future.” Museums Journal, Iniva