SOMA, meaning 'read' in Swahili, is a purpose-built mobile collection of books, journals, ephemera, archival materials, niche publications, exhibition catalogues, rare texts, and films that centre on Black art and artists.
More broadly, it centres on making space for creative forms of public engagement with literature, artworks, and archival materials. SOMA is interested in prioritising focused and intentional public programming consisting of curated talks, workshops, screenings, residencies and both formal and informal discussions and conversations. The materials and public programming available at SOMA provide socio-political, cultural, and artistic insights into the history of Black arts practice in the West Midlands, Britain, and its contributions to the British arts canon and beyond.
SOMA aims to be a public space that fosters broader dialogue about Black artistic and curatorial practices in the UK and the diaspora. It places particular emphasis on highlighting Black cultural heritage and social value in the West Midlands and surrounding areas, particularly as the region gave birth to what is now known as the 1980s British Black Arts Movement.
SOMA is supported by the ConjuncturesNOW strand of the Stuart Hall Archive Project, University of Birmingham.
SOMA is supported by the ConjuncturesNOW strand of the Stuart Hall Archive Project, University of Birmingham.
