As we reflect on a century of Black history commemorations, it is vital to celebrate the individuals who ensure these stories are permanently woven into our cultural fabric.
Through her profound work exploring the psychology of migration, identity, and survival, Bristol-based multidisciplinary artist and writer Valda Jackson MBE has spent her career making Black history visible, undeniable, and permanent.
From Jamaica to Bristol: A Story of Resilience
Valda’s journey is a powerful testament to the resilience that has shaped the Black British experience. Born in St. Thomas, Jamaica, she travelled to Birmingham in 1964 with her two older sisters to join their parents, members of the Windrush Generation, invited to help rebuild Britain. She remembers her early school years in the 1960s and 1970s as a frightening environment where she faced racism and isolation, as many teachers were unused to having Black children in their classes. In stark contrast, she found a deep sense of belonging and safety within her local Pentecostal Church, which helped her cope with the exclusion she felt at school.
Centring Black Stories and Taking Control.
Although she had a lifelong love for the arts, Valda did not formally study it until attending evening classes after leaving school. In 1986, she moved to Bristol to study Fine Art at Bower Ashton College (now UWE Bristol), living her first year in Hartcliffe.
It was during her studies that Valda took firm control of her own narrative. She was dismayed that Black people in art, painting, and film were typically depicted in serving or entertaining roles. Understanding the immense power visual images have to influence lives, she decided she needed to create real and honest representations of herself and other Black men, women, and children. Refusing to only draw the white models provided, she successfully fought the college to hire and pay a young Black model, paving the way for the authentic work that would define her career.
Minting History and Building Monuments
Valda’s art has literally cemented Black history into the physical landscape of the nation, celebrating generations of brilliance. In 2023, she was commissioned by the Royal Mint to design the 50p coin commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Windrush Generation. Reflecting on this legacy, Valda explained, “My design is more than a celebration of one moment. It is an acknowledgement of the real, lived experience of generations of ordinary working people… The coin honours our parents and their legacy; and celebrates our presence, achievements, and contributions that continue to enrich our society”.
Her monumental public contributions also saw her shortlisted to design the National Windrush Monument at London Waterloo station in 2021. In Bristol, her 2002 permanent brick relief sculpture, All Our Tomorrows, stands proudly on the outside wall of the St. Paul’s Family and Learning Centre—a beautiful tribute to education and the diverse cultures of the city. Furthermore, her collaborative public art practice with sculptor Rodney Harris has won the prestigious PMSA Marsh Award for excellence in public sculpture for their low-relief brick artworks seamlessly integrated into London’s Peabody St Johns Hill Estate.
A Legacy of Innovation in Art and Literature
Valda’s innovation extends far beyond public sculpture. Her 2024 solo exhibition at the Royal West of England Academy (RWA), Miss Polly, sensitively explored the emotional complexities of children from the Caribbean who were separated from their parents during the migration process before eventually being “sent for”. Beyond the visual arts, she is a Hawthornden Literary Fellow and a published author whose short stories have appeared in anthologies like Closure: Contemporary Black British Short Stories, and she is currently developing her first novel.
In January 2024, Valda was awarded an MBE for her services to Art. Her work powerfully honors the triumphs and truths of the past while inspiring future generations. Perhaps her impact is best summarised by a visitor to her very first solo exhibition in St. Paul’s, who wrote in the comments book:
“I feel that the portrayal of the women on the canvas has captured the whole history and feeling of our race… I found it deeply moving”.
