Brain Fresh: Think differently about the world around us

Listen in to the world around you

Listen in and see what your ears can tell you about the world around you, with a fun sound activity from our sound and music group, CLIP.

Take a virtual visit to Firstsite

Visit Firstsite from home in our kids’ YouTube series, ‘The Art Cave’!

Join artists Iris and Tom as they take you on a visit to our exhibitions, and show you how to make a sketchbook, create some puppet friends and design a massive mosaic.

Tune in to the voice of young people

Explore the pressing issues facing young people today, with members of Firstsite’s young people peer-led group, Young Art Kommunity (YAK).

Last year YAK teamed up with street art organisation flyingleaps to design posters that illustrated their concerns surrounding climate change, politics, rights, capitalism and health.

Listen to their podcast to find out more about the thoughts behind the designs.

Learn how to paint and capture the view from your window

Take inspiration from the view outside your window and learn how to paint with artist Simon Carter.

Our pre-recorded workshop can be followed at a pace that suits all abilities, and is the perfect way to inspire someone to get creative this Christmas.

Explore how new technologies harness our emotions

Watch New York based artist Zoe Beloff in conversation with Esther Leslie, Professor in Political Aesthetics at Birkbeck, University of London, as they discuss how technology is used to turn our feelings into valuable assets – with reference to Zoe’s 2019 exhibition at Firstsite, ‘Emotions Go to Work’.

Think differently about identity and place

Listen to British African-Caribbean artist, producer and activist Elsa James as she discusses ‘Black Girl Essex’ – a project exploring the opinions held towards people of African Caribbean heritage and the stereotyping of Essex women.

Elsa was the first artist to exhibit and work within Firstsite’s ‘Living Room’, where she developed new artwork through a programme of open discussions with the black communities in Colchester and Essex.

Coming soon...

We are busy installing new exhibitions for our reopening which will help us all continue to experience new perspectives about the world around us.

Our next Arts Council Collection National Partners Programme exhibition, ‘My name is not refugee’, explores belief, communication, environment, impermanence and journey – through artworks selected by a group of refugees and asylum seekers living in Colchester.

See Essex from a new perspective in our new exhibition of black and white aerial photographs of the county’s salt marshes by photographer Rachel Spender.

More details to be announced soon!

Above images: Jananne Al-Ani ‘Untitled’ (1998) Arts Council Collection Southbank Centre London © the artist and Rachel Spender, Tributary Tree, silver gelatin print © the artist.

Help us continue to inspire our communities in our building and online

Firstsite is free for everyone to visit, however we rely on donations from people like you to help us show world-class exhibitions, deliver lots of different activities and events, and support our local community.

With your support we can continue to provide a space both in our amazing building and online, where people can be inspired, escape the everyday, discover new viewpoints and ideas and mostly importantly, have fun.