As well as documenting our collections, the online catalogue contains descriptions of all our known public events up to 2016. You can search for information on our events using the quick search box or you can look through all our events on our Browse page.
Digitized versions of our programme booklets are also available on the catalogue.
Chinese View '86 logo (GB3451/OC/A/8/1/2)
In November 1986, Manchester based artist and radio producer Amy Lai arranged the Chinese View Arts Festival. The event aimed to address the lack of awareness of Chinese culture in Manchester and to reconnect the local Chinese community with traditional Chinese arts and crafts.
Due to the success of the Festival, the Chinese View Arts Association (CVAA) was incorporated on 4th June 1987. The mission of the CVAA was to advance the education of the public in all forms of Chinese culture, through organising and promoting Chinese cultural events, and providing a bridge between local organisations and Chinese arts and cultural groups.
The CVAA also organised the 2nd Chinese View Arts festival in February 1988.
Back to top of pagePhoto of kites, c.1990 (GB3451/OC/A/6/9)
Poster: Film Posters of Hong Kong, 1991 (GB3451/OC/A/1/15)
Origami workshop, Oct 1992,(GB3451/OC/A/7/1)
In October 1989, the CVAA opened the Chinese Arts Centre (CAC) in Charlotte Street at the edge of Manchester's China Town. The Centre aimed promote an appreciation of Chinese life, culture, philosophy, and values by providing cultural activities to reintroduce Chinese skills and culture to the local Chinese community as well as raise awareness in the wider population.
The Centre also arranged exhibitions featuring traditional and contemporary art forms
Dragon boat festivals workshops poster, 1994 (GB3451/OC/A/6/10/11)
Chinese Arts Centre programme, Spring 1996 (GB3451/OC/A/6/16)
Despite an optimistic start, the Centre had struggled to make an impact. The Centre's programme was paused while the CVAA reviewed its operations. The Chinese Arts Centre was relaunched in October 1993 with a revised mission and values. The Centre's programme was largely based off site, and did not regularly programme exhibitions on site until September 1995.
Scenery in the Zero (1997), Adam Hongshan Wei. © Chinese Arts Centre. (GB3451/OC/6/2/1/3)
Poster: 'Retrospectre', 1997, (GB3451/OC/6/2/5/15)
Chinese Arts Centre programme Spring/Summer 1998 (GB3451/OC/6/2/7/2/3)
Representing the People catalogue (1999) (S4.011)
In March 1997, the Chinese Arts Centre moved to new premises on Edge Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter. The Centre's programme was mostly centred on UK-based contemporary artists, but it also began to show works by international artists. The Centre also worked towards become a UK agency for Chinese arts and crafts, acting as a bridge between artists and other organisations.
In August 1998, the new venue was closed after it had been damaged by a fire. Planned exhibitions were moved elsewhere and the organisation concentrated upon its external activities until the venue was refurbished. During this period the Centre organised the exhibition Representing the People, which toured the UK in 1999, and was one of the first large scale exhibitions in the UK to feature works by contemporary artist from China.
Sauce (1999), Anthony Key. © Chinese Arts Centre, (GB3451/OC/6/2/11/5).
Seeing: Out of Time (2000), Suki Chan. © Adam Green, (GB3451/OC/6/2/17/3/44).
Heart Sutra (2001) Chun-Chao Chiu. © Chinese Arts Centre, (GB3451/OC/6/2/22/8).
New Sharawadgi (2002) Yu-Cheng Chuang. © Chinese Arts Centre, (GB3451/OC/D/2101/81).
The venue was reopened in February 1999 with a new purpose-built gallery space. Initially the Centre continued to programme shows featuring existing works, but it was felt that the new space should be used in a different way. Between 2000-2002, the Centre commissioned eleven site specific works by emerging UK-based artists as part of its New Commissions scheme. The works would use the Centre’s space to the full whilst helping developing the careers and artistic inspection of the artists involved.
The scheme also lead to the development of other projects which offered career support to artists, including the Creative Diversity : Greater Manchester (CD:GM) project and the Artist's Database.
The Centre also further developed its links with east Asia, including a second national touring exhibition, Made in China, featuring works by contemporary designers from China. The Centre also began to develop exchange programmes with arts organisations in east Asia.
Living World 2 (2003) Xu Bing. © Tim McConville, (GB3451/OC/D/1708/19/49).
Long Life (2004) Denise Kum. © David Hancock/Chinese Arts Centre, (GB3451/OC/D/2101/459).
Objects of Demonstration (2004) Community Museum Project. © Tim McConville, (GB3451/OC/D/1708/16/6).
Another City? (2005), Panni Poh Yoke Loh. © David Hancock/Chinese Arts Centre, (GB3451/OC/D/2102/332).
Horizon (2005) Maria Chen Pascual © David Hancock/Chinese Arts Centre, (GB3451/OC/D/2101/600).
Years (2006) susan pui san lok © Tim McConville, (GB3451/OC/D/1708/4/3).
In 2001, the Centre secured £2.2 million from Arts Council, England, Lottery Fund to outfit a new building and support operational and marketing development of the organisation for three years of the venue.
The new venue was opened in November 2003 and featured a large gallery space, a resident artist studio and living space, an education suite and a shop with a tea shop. The new space gave the Centre the room to expand their activities acting as an agency for Chinese arts in Britain and inviting collaborations with other organisations.
The Centre also began to host resident artists: ‘Breathe’ 3 month residencies aimed at more established artists from UK and elsewhere, and ‘Whisper’ short residencies aimed at UK-based emerging artists.
The Centre also continued to support the career development of artists through its Professional Artist Development (PAD) (2005-2008) and East Asian Strategic Training (EAST) (2005-2007) schemes. The 'First Step' exhibition space was also created in 2004 s an alternative space for new artists to show their work.
Chinese Arts Centre advert, Dec 2006, (GB3451/OC/D/1801/269).
In late 2006, the Centre began to look for alternative sources of funding and many aspects of its programme were developed in collaboration with other art organisations.
In 2007 most Breathe residencies were commissioned by other organisations or held by self-funded artists. The Centre also began facilitate more external exhibitions by acting as an agency for art organisations looking to work with east Asian artists.
The Centre also held a series of events to mark the 10th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong as well as its own 21st anniversary in 2007
During the period the Centre began to fully concentrate upon promoting Chinese contemporary art. In 2012 the former teashop was transformed into a new gallery space named 'Project Space'.
In October 2013 the Centre was renamed the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art (CFCCA) and developed a commissioning partnership with the University of Salford. In 2014, the First Step commissioning scheme came to an end as the Project space (renamed Gallery 2) became the location for presenting work by emerging artists.
In 2016 the Centre celebrated its 30th anniversary. For the first 6 months of the year, a timeline of the Centre's programme history was presented alongside new works by notable artists who had previously worked at the Centre.
In July-December the Centre also held a season of exhibitions to mark Manchester's status as the European City of Science for 2016.