The Minories
One of the best curated and most variegated galleries in the East of England, the Minories' shows featuring regional artists are among the best of their kind. (Almost exclusively reliant on private funding and philanthropy, the gallery is also a venue for hire. While we cannot vouch for those third party shows, the Minories' own exhibitions are carefully and thoughtfully curated and we recommend them highly.)
A historic Georgian house turned contemporary art gallery on Colchester's High Street, the Minories is actually the city's oldest art gallery. The Minories has presented exhibitions of regional and national artists since the 1950s and is a notable platform for emerging practice in north Essex. The gallery is also the permanent home of the Victor Batte-Lay Foundation, which periodically shows a rotating selection of artworks from its venerable collection -- a collection that includes works by John Constable, Camille Pissaro, Eduardo Paolozzi, Paul Nash and John Nash, and Maggi Hambling.