The East Midlands has a wealth of talent in the number of African-Caribbean artists living and working in the region - painters, sculptors, photographers, textile artists and craftspeople. It is a rich resource and one whcih EMACA Visual Arts has been supporting and promoting since its launch in October 1992. Our objective is to create awareness of these artists and to promote a positive, cultural and historical image of the Black Visual Arts on a local, regional and national level.

EMACA is a charitable organisation and a company limited by guarantee, which provides opportunities for artists and performers to exhibit their work - in galleries, in community centres, in public spaces and on tour. We encourage new artists, helping them to find new outlets for their talent, and hold workshops with a whole variety of different organisations, including schools, colleges and community groups. We try to make the Black Visual Arts accesible to a wider public as part of the general cultural heritage, whilst at the same time affirming and celebrating the distinctive cultural identity that links people of African/Caribbean descent.

EMACA looks at history from a contemporary perspective and seeks to encourage community involvement in the arts by being a focus and an access point both for the artists themselves and for interested individuals and organisations.