Imperial Artworks Group

Who we are

The Artwork Group was commissioned in late 2020 to better reflect Imperial’s diverse current and former staff and students through its art. We consult with the College community to identify individuals and groups whose images might be portrayed, help organise the creation of new works, including portraits, and advise on where these should be displayed. We coordinate with several College initiatives that address racial and other inequalities, including the History Working Group. Our Group reports to the University Management Board on our progress in better representing our vibrant community and its commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. 

What we do

Our Group has focussed on visual arts, organising events including an RCA student project to portray diverse Imperial staff and students, a hackathon sculpture competition for our students, assisting the Grantham Institute mural project and the current Black People of Imperial College exhibition. We have commissioned new portraits and relocated others to 170 Queens Gate to better display our diverse history of academic excellence and worldwide impact (Rectors and other portraits 170 Council Room). We also launched, in October 2022, the digital Culture Channel, which displays images on public screens College-wide.

Recent highlight: The winners of this year's Grantham Climate Art Prize have been announced. The prize, sponsored by Octopus Energy, invited young people, who will be most affected by climate change, to create bold designs for outdoor public murals focused on the solutions needed to tackle the climate crisis. The three winning designs will become public murals across the UK, painted by professional artists.