Phenomenal Women
Do you know how many Black female professors there are at UK universities? Our exhibition of portraits by Bill Knight, commissioned by Dr Nicola Rollock, highlights the achievements and careers of these scholars.
There are more than 19,000 professors in UK universities, but the latest official statistics showed that just 35 of them were Black women.
White women were around three times as likely to be a professor compared to Black women, while Black men were more than twice as likely.
The first exhibition of its kind, Phenomenal Women: Portraits of UK Black Female Professors highlights the intersectionality of race and gender and showcases the achievements of Black female scholars.
Phenomenal Women: Portraits of UK Black Female Professors builds on research carried out by academic Dr Nicola Rollock on the career experiences of Black female professors.
Published in early 2019, Rollock’s study reveals the barriers faced by Black women as they work to navigate their way through higher education and the strategies they use to help them reach professorship.
Rollock went on to commission photographer Bill Knight to take portraits of Black female scholars who had been professors at a UK higher education institution between 2016 and 2019.
Dr Nicola Rollock is an academic, consultant and public speaker specialising in racial justice in education and the workplace.
Bill Knight is a photographer who specialises in portraits, opera, theatre and dance. He is twice winner in the Portrait of Britain competition.
Watch this video
Need to know
Related events
Hear more about this exhibition on Thursday 15 October in a free online talk from Dr Nicola Rollock, in conversation with journalist Liv Little.
Find out more
Dates & times
Until 8 Nov 2021
Daily, all day
Price
- Standard entryFree
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Venue
Outdoor spaces
As we welcome you back, our number one priority is the health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff, so we’ve introduced a number of measures to help everyone stay safe.
Check our event pages for opening dates and times.
Our address is: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX.
- The nearest tube and train stations within 5-7 minutes walk are Waterloo (Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Waterloo & City lines) and Embankment (District & Circle lines).
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Toilets
Toilets, including accessible toilets, are open on Level 2 of the Royal Festival Hall for ticket holders and those attending Riverside Terrace events.
Cloakroom
The Royal Festival Hall cloakroom is in the Green Side Foyer, Level 4. It’s £1 per item, card only. The cloakroom opens about an hour before ticketed events, and closes around 15 minutes after the performance ends. It can be accessed via Lifts 2 & 3, Green Side, Royal Festival Hall. The Queen Elizabeth Hall cloakroom is closed.
Any sized item can be left in our cloakroom, including fold-away bicycles. We don’t accept non-folding bicycles. Items must be collected on the same day they are stored. From time to time, the cloakroom may not be available. You won’t be able to bring any bags over 40 x 25 x 25cm into the auditorium of the Royal Festival Hall or the Queen Elizabeth Hall, or into the Hayward Gallery, so please leave large bags at home.
Items are left in our cloakrooms at the owner’s risk, and we cannot accept any responsibility for loss or damage, from any cause, to these items.
Entering the hall
There may be short queues to enter the building and the auditorium. If you are not able to queue or need further assistance, our Visitor Assistants are here to help you.
For level access to the Royal Festival Hall, please use the external lift near the Artists' Entrance on Southbank Centre Square, Belvedere Road, to Level 2, and enter via Riverside Terrace. All floors are accessible from the main foyer.
We welcome wheelchair users and guide companion dogs.
More about Access & facilities
Parking
Blue Badge holders and those with access requirements can be dropped off on the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road (the road between the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery).
There are four Blue Badge parking spaces available for visitors located on the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road. Spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and are free to use. You must display your Blue Badge as you enter the site. Vehicles that do not display a Blue Badge are refused entry.
Blue Badge parking at National Theatre
Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can be found at the National Theatre car park (330 metres). If you are visiting the Hayward Gallery, just take your badge and car park ticket to the Ticket Desk in the gallery foyer for validation before you leave.
Please note: on Sunday when the National Theatre building is closed there is no step-free access from the car park.
Alternative parking is available nearby at the APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park (490 metres), subject to charges.
Blue Badge parking at APCOA Cornwall Road
Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can also be found at the South Bank Car Park – APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park. Just take your badge and car park ticket to the parking attendant office at the entrance to the car park for validation before you leave.
A drop-off point at the Royal Festival Hall (30 metres) has been created for visitors who are unable to walk from alternative car parks.
Our Access Scheme
If you have any access requirements, please sign up to our Access Scheme for discounts, wheelchair spaces, dedicated seats and free companion tickets. You can also join our mailing list to get news about accessible events and exhibitions.
There are a wide variety of restaurants and cafes to enjoy around our site, as well as the Southbank Centre Food Market.