New Art Exchange celebrates community stories and local talent in Hyson Green

In the heart of Hyson Green, New Art Exchange has spent nearly two decades proving that world-class contemporary art belongs in the neighbourhood. The gallery showcases contemporary art from the Global Ethnic Majority and culturally diverse communities, and 2026 has been a particularly lively year.

The organisation was formed in 2003 through a merger of two grassroots groups, APNA Arts and East Midlands African Caribbean Arts. Its current building, designed by Hawkins\Brown, was officially opened on 5 September 2008 by representatives of Arts Council England and Nottingham City Council and the artist Hew Locke. In 2009 and 2010 it won five design and architecture awards, including a RIBA National Award.

In spring 2026 the gallery hosted Our Yard: Foundations, a multimedia exhibition curated by Nottingham music promoter and community organiser Nate Coltrane, founder of Mimm. The project explores the positive impact of immigration on the UK through sound system and Caribbean culture, and the Windrush Generation's influence on British music.

Our Yard has included interviews with figures such as Lloyd Coxsone, Don Letts and Dennis Bovell, and the exhibition gave a strong nod to Nottingham, with live recordings from the Marcus Garvey Centre and V Rocket and hours of shows from Heat Wave Radio, which LeftLion described as the first Black pirate radio station in Nottingham. "I love working in that 'community way'," Nate said.

The summer brought the NAE Open, where local and national artists showed side by side. Among them was Marcus Rowlands, whose intricate wooden mandala White Falcon I, 1.2 metres across and cut from birch plywood, was on display in August. "It's a real pleasure to be chosen to exhibit at NAE Open alongside local and national artists," he said.

The building is a creative hub in other ways too. Illustrator Kim Thompson has run budget-friendly Sip and Paint workshops in its Corner Café, designed to boost creative confidence for all abilities.

For anyone looking for art rooted in community, New Art Exchange is a must on any Nottingham gallery trail.

Current exhibitions and events are listed on the New Art Exchange website.