Women in Jazz exhibition

Women in Jazz: A Celebration of Past, Present and Future

Barbican Music Library

16 October - 31 December 2018

Come to our exhibition celebrating ‘Women in Jazz’ at the Barbican Music Library in London. The exhibition forms part of the Barbican’s current theme ‘The Art of Change’ and is one of the events being held during 2018 to celebrate our 30th anniversary.

The exhibition presents a musical and social survey of the rich contribution women have made to jazz over the last 100 years and of the talented upcoming generation who herald an exciting new era. The free exhibition will focus on women instrumentalists, drawing on the rich resources of the National Jazz Archive and with photos, posters, journals, video and memorabilia.

National Jazz Archive chair Paul Kaufman said: “Singers such as Ella, Billie, Nina and Cleo are household names, but many star women players and pioneers have been sadly neglected and deserve to be rediscovered. So the exhibition will pay particular attention to instrumentalists, such as Valaida Snow, Marian McPartland, Kathy Stobart and Deidre Cartwright. The Archive is as much about the future as it is about the past, so it is important to us that the current crop of trail- blazing female artists is also featured. ”

Barbican Music Librarian Richard Jones said: “I’m delighted to welcome the National Jazz Archive to the Barbican again – this exhibition will be the third that the Archive has presented here. I’m sure it will be of great interest, not only to jazz enthusiasts, but also to people interested in exploring the changing role of women in the arts.”

There are too many contributors to the exhibition to thank them all here. However, particular thanks go to Deirdre Cartwright and Graham Langley for the loan of material, and to the National Youth Jazz Orchestra who collaborated in the production of some of the panels used in the exhibition.

The Barbican Music Library is on Level 2, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS.

It is within walking distance of a number of London Underground stations, the closest being Barbican, St Paul’s and Moorgate. The nearest train stations are Liverpool Street and Farringdon. Bus route 153 runs directly past the Barbican. Free bicycle spaces and paid car parking spaces are available.

Opening times are: Monday and Wednesday 9.30am–5.30pm, Tuesday and Thursday 9.30am–7.30pm, Friday 9.30am–2pm, and Saturday 9.30am–4pm.

Entry to the exhibition is free.