Bernie Grant MP (1944–2000)

Bernie Grant was one of the UK’s first black politicians. He was a councillor in the late 1970s and rose to the position of leader of the council in the mid 1980s and MP for Tottenham in 1987. In 1989 he established the Parliamentary Black Caucus, dedicated to the advancement of opportunities for the UK’s ethnic minority communities.

History of the Centre

The Centre, designed by David Adjaye OBE and opened in 2007, was set up to showcase the best of local, national and international artistic talents.

Bernie first proposed the idea of creating a flagship venue to promote BAME arts, for arts related training and enterprise in 1994, his aim being to help with the social, economic and physical regeneration of Tottenham. The idea was for the centre to be accessible to all, to provide hi-tech facilities for emerging creative businesses and for the local community to participate and take pride in the centre.

The centre was one of the Mayor of London’s “Mayoral Projects” and was pinpointed by Haringey Council as using culture to celebrate diversity, to improve the quality of life for communities and to transform Tottenham.

OUR VISION

The BGAC aims to be a nationally and internationally recognised centre for the development of diverse cultural and creative practitioners, which has a demonstrably positive impact on the quality of life of local communities.

The vision of the centre is to make a substantial contribution to the social and economic regeneration of Tottenham.