The Ipswich Caribbean Association (ICA) is set to take centre stage this month at the SPILL Think Tank.
The exhibition and three events will delve into the cultural and social influence of the ICA.
The association, which was based in Woodbridge Road, started as a community centre and social club in the early 1970s.
It hosted fitness and martial arts classes, dominoes clubs, dance nights, elder luncheon clubs, and more.
The ICA also served traditional Caribbean cuisine, became the home of the Suffolk Samba Band and provided supplementary education to children and young people.
SPILL's ICA project revisits the demolished 2012 building through specially commissioned photography, oral histories, and previously unseen archival materials.
This aims to gather and preserve the memories associated with the ICA.
Robin Deacon, artistic director and CEO of SPILL, said: “Variously known as the Caribbean Centre or the Caribbean Club to its users, the ICA building is a much-missed resource that was used by many differing communities.
"The ICA Project reflects a desire for SPILL Festival to focus on the histories of our town, giving voice to those best placed to tell their own stories.
"It is important to understand that this does not aim to be some definitive history of the ICA, but to provide a snapshot of its huge significance.
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"As several people interviewed for the project have pointed out – you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”
The project is funded by the Annie Tranmer Charitable Trust and Historic England’s Everyday Heritage grant programme.
SPILL is keen to hear more stories from those who attended the Caribbean Club to add to their public archives.
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