Many Threads – One Fabric: Reweaving the story of Black Britons

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery will host a touring exhibition of Tapestry of Black Britons this autumn. 

The exhibition, created by Jamaican/Haitian/British artist and cultural producer Paula Ogun Hector, explores the question of what Britain’s history would look like if the stories of its Black and diasporic communities were woven into the national story from the beginning. 

Tapestry of Black Britons brings together five large-scale woven artworks that trace almost 2,000 years of African and Caribbean presence in Britain. The exhibition features the Hastings Bayeux developed with Tapestry of Black Britons by Hastings Academy. 

The exhibition will be on display at HMAG from Saturday 10 October to Sunday 8 November as part of a nationwide tour. 

Paula Ogun Hector said: “Co-creating inclusive history tapestries around the country is an empowering tool for healing, understanding, belonging and exploring the connections in our shared histories. 

“Once a medium of power and prestige, tapestry becomes here a site of intervention: a place where history is transmitted through hands, memory and collective labour; where woven threads carry stories long marginalised in Britain’s official record. Weaving, a metaphor for the interconnectedness of human experiences, remains a dynamic medium that bridges tradition and innovation.” 

Cllr Julia Hilton, deputy leader of Hastings Borough Council and lead councillor for shaping place, regeneration and community wealth building, said: “This is a really exciting and thought-provoking addition to the numerous ways we are re-examining the story of our country since the historic events of 1066. It coincides with the arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum as well as the exhibiting of our own Hastings Embroidery to continue our story once again. This exhibition celebrates the involvement of our Black communities on the last 2,000 years which is summed up in the motto ‘Many threads – one fabric.” 

You can see Tapestry of Black Britons at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery during usual opening hours from Saturday 10 October to Sunday 9 November. Visit the HMAG website to find out more.