Out of the Frame – Now, Then and Forever

Ort Gallery are pleased to invite you to Ranbir Kaur’s new exhibition “Out of the Frame | Now, Then and Forever”.

Ort Gallery are pleased to invite you to Ranbir Kaur’s new exhibition “Out of the Frame | Now, Then and Forever”.

Join us for the opening event on Saturday 11 September, 3-5pm. We will have a new Rangoli laid live by Ranbir, meet the artist, enjoy some local treats & get a special preview of the new exhibition.

Out of The Frame features handcrafted South Asian arts and crafts created by rangoli and textile artist, Ranbir Kaur. It showcases Ranbir Kaur’s expertise in traditional Indian crafting techniques and the knowledge acquired from her extensive research of South Asian craftwork conducted over her 30 year long career. 

Coming from a textile background, Ranbir Kaur has refined her skills in Indian craft making passed down to her from her elders and strived to expand her understanding of South Asian artistry. She has traveled across Asia, researching different forms of creativity and craftwork, including tie dye in Bhuj in Gujarat, India and felt making in Istanbul, enabling her to combine different techniques to create unique and contemporary takes on traditional artforms. 

“Over the past 30+ years, since taking up residency in the UK, I have worked as an artist and teacher. My main aim has been to raise the profile of the arts and crafts of Asian Women, as they are an integral part of daily life for those women throughout the world.” – Ranbir

Find out more here.

This exhibition is curated by Jaleesa Padmore with support from Ort Gallery. The project has been funded by Arts Council England.

Craftspace Job Opportunity: Project Manager

Over the next 12 months Craftspace will be working on an ambitious programme of making and participation across Birmingham leading upto the Commonwealth Games in 2022.  They are seeking an experienced and energetic Project Manager to join us on a freelance basis.

Over the next 12 months Craftspace will be working on an ambitious programme of making and participation across Birmingham leading up to the Commonwealth Games in 2022.  They are seeking an experienced and energetic Project Manager to join us on a freelance basis.

Full details, including more details about the role, the nature of the contract and timescales, in addition to the fee and how to apply can be found here.

The deadline for submissions is 9.00 am on Thursday 16th September.

What’s The Truth? What Have You Heard?

What’s the truth? What have you heard? is a series of short digital pieces for social media and messaging apps, developed from research with women living in Balsall Heath, working in partnership with Moseley Road Baths. They feature Yasmin Jasmine responding to local women’s concerns about different issues relating to Covid-19 and vaccines.

What’s the truth? What have you heard? is a series of short digital pieces for social media and messaging apps, developed from research with women living in Balsall Heath, working in partnership with Moseley Road Baths. They feature Yasmin Jasmine responding to local women’s concerns about different issues relating to Covid-19 and vaccines.

These films were developed from research working with older women who attend the baths weekly Chat & Splash session for women for whom English is a second language. The research sessions were fun, friendly and informal conversations with swimmers and other local people in May 2021.  Each short piece explores a different area of concern regarding public heath guidance relating to COVID-19. They were developed following social distancing guidelines, by Janice Connolly working with freelance writer Rupinder Kaur and community filmmaker Rachel Gillies.

Yasmin Jasmine was created in response to women saying they would like to hear stuff from a woman like them who they felt  had her feet on the ground and listened with her ears Yasmin is played by Rupinder Kaur.

What’s the truthWhat have you heard? debunks myths and explore new ways of community messaging around public health and wellbeing, by using the language and lives of ordinary people. For more information visit: www.birmingham.gov.uk/coronavirus.

You can also get up to date information direct to your phone or inbox by signing up to be a Covid-19 Community Champion. www.birmingham.gov.uk/COVID-19_Community_Champions.

Opportunity for Visual Contemporary Artists to support British Art Show 9 learning programme

Arts Connect are looking for visual contemporary artists who can work in collaboration with educators from early years up to KS3 to create and deliver engaging visual contemporary art workshops designed around the themes and artwork in British Art Show 9.

Arts Connect are looking for visual contemporary artists who can work in collaboration with educators from early years up to KS3 to create and deliver engaging visual contemporary art workshops designed around the themes and artwork in British Art Show 9.

The commission includes working with educators to plan practical workshops and delivering 3 half-day in school/setting sessions.

Find out more and access the full brief here: https://www.artsconnect.co.uk/commission-british-art-show-9-visual-contemporary-art-workshops/

Come along to our online information session on Thursday 5th August, book on here: https://bit.ly/3qioHtk

For more about British Art Show 9 visit the website: https://britishartshow9.co.uk/

Full Analogue Photography Course with Darkroom Birmingham

This course is a comprehensive introduction to traditional analogue black and white photography, designed to equip participants to work in a darkroom to produce high quality negatives and prints.

This course is a comprehensive introduction to traditional analogue black and white photography, designed to equip participants to work in a darkroom to produce high quality negatives and prints.

It is suitable for novices, those with digital photographic experience, and photographers wanting to consolidate or refresh their knowledge or practice. With 20 years experience leading photographic workshops your tutor will cover all the fundamental technical and practical aspects of traditional silver based darkroom practice.

Dates: 3rd July, 24th July, 4th September, 25th September (more dates TBC)

Venue: Darkroom Birmingham, The Old Print Works, Moseley Road, Balsall Heath, B12 9AH

Cost: £95 (£75 concs) see website for details

Suitable for: Complete novice photographers, those with some previous photographic knowledge to professional digital practitioners who want to expand their traditional process knowledge. A 35mm or medium format camera (loan cameras available subject to availability)

Website: https://darkroombirmingham.co.uk/full-analogue/

Contact: info@darkroombirmingham.co.uk

Open Call – Birmingham Weekender 2021

Submissions are now being invited from Birmingham and West Midlands associated performers and artists. Festival producers want to programme a range of work that reflects and appeals to the cultural diversity and communities of the city and wider region.

Birmingham Weekender is back!  This year’s free biennial event, produced by Birmingham Hippodrome Festivals and funded by Bullring & Grand Central, Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England, will take place within the iconic labyrinth that makes up Bullring & Grand Central, kick-starting a month of major festivals and the cultural reawakening of the city. 

During the August Bank Holiday weekend, the footprint of Bullring & Grand Central will play host to a range of unexpected ‘pop-up’ and roaming performances, interactive experiences, art installations, film, exhibitions, workshops, and talks, occupying both traditional and unusual indoor and outdoor spaces. 

This major event for the city will bring together residents and visitors to experience Bullring & Grand Central in a unique and unforgettable way. 

Submissions are now being invited from Birmingham and West Midlands associated performers and artists. Festival producers want to programme a range of work that reflects and appeals to the cultural diversity and communities of the city and wider region. This may be an existing piece of work, adapted work or new work that was ready to be premiered just before the pandemic. All work must be COVID compliant. 

Types of work that will be considered:

●    Roaming
●    Visual Arts installations 
●    Street Performance / Circus 
●    Comedy 
●    Puppetry 
●    Dance 
●    Live Music 
●    DJs 
●    Spoken Word
●    Storytelling 

Commissions from £1000 to £7,500 are being offered – deadline for applications 2nd July. For full details please visit the Birmingham Hippodrome website.

Splash and Scream at Moseley Road Baths – 27th June 2021

Come and help _underscore as they develop the musical soundscape of a new site-specific opera at the Moseley Road Baths…

Come and help _underscore as they develop the musical soundscape of a new site-specific opera at the Moseley Road Baths…

In this entirely free event we are opening the doors of the Gala Pool for private sessions of up to 6 members of the public to explore how this unique space behaves when it is animated through sound, which we’ll make using our hands, feet and voices.

Discover space through sound in these 30 minutes sessions as we explore the intimacy of its corners, dialogue with its echoes, murmur with its reverberations.

Through acoustics we unite… our distance may be socially separate but our sounds can come together.

You don’t need swimming costumes, but you may want to take off your shoes and socks for an optional splash!

Details

Date: Sunday 27th June

Session timings:

Sessions run throughout the day but please note, our first session is for families who swim with us only

  • 12.00-12.45 – Family session only (following the morning family swim session)
  • 14.00-14.30 workshop 1
  • 14.40-15.10 workshop 2
  • 15.20-15.50 workshop 3
  • 16.00-16.30 workshop 4
  • 16.40-17.10 workshop 5
  • 17.20-17.50 workshop 6
  • 18.00-18.30 workshop 7
  • It is 1 ticket per person (not family or household) although baby in arms do not need a ticket, everyone else will for Covid restrictions.
  • You must have booked a ticket to enter the event.
  • We only have 6 spaces per session, first come first served! (2 households are allowed to book, just email the address below to organise this)
  • Please get in touch if you have any additional requirements on emily.butler@moseleyroadbaths.org.uk.

Tickets available via Eventbrite 
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/splash-n-scream-tickets-158608966689

Please note that by booking this ticket and attending the session you automatically consent to granting full rights to use the images and sounds resulting from the photography/video filming, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for fundraising and publicity. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity, social media, press releases, funding applications and short promo videos. Takt will be filming on behalf of Outdoor Places for Unusual Spaces and Moseley Road Baths.

Gallery 37, 2021 Artists Residency Programme

Punch Records have officially launched their Gallery 37, 2021 Artists Residency Programme!

Punch Records have officially launched their Gallery 37, 2021 Artists Residency Programme!

Applications are now open for Birmingham’s flagship creative development programme which returns this August for a two-week intensive artist development experience. Up to 100 young creatives (16-25) will be given the opportunity to develop skills and make art across 9 creative camps with nationally recognised specialist mentors.

Our FREE programme invests in the city’s next generation of artists, and offers young creatives an opportunity to boost their career in the creative industries; and boasts an alumni of over 200 artists.

This year’s 9 Creative Camps are:

Music Production | Photography | Vocal Performance | Lyric Writing | Dance | Film | Visual Arts | Digital Arts *New* | Theatre Performance *New*

…With artists & tutors to be announced over the coming weeks on our social media.

The Gallery37 Residency will take place from Monday 23rd August to Friday 3rd September at Aston University Student Union & Centrala. FREE Travel will be available! Lunch will be provided too!

Participants must be available for the entire 2 week programme.

Applications close on Sunday 11th July 2021.

Open Studios – one month to sign up

There is now one month left to sign for this year’s event…

There is now one month left to sign for this year’s event. So far there are 40 artists that have fully completed their application, and another 12-15 that just need to finalise a couple of details to complete. I am confident on the final number being at least 50, which isn’t bad with so much caution in the air this year.

The community spaces are pretty much all accounted for now, so if you need one please contact me as soon as you can. There may still be 1 or 2 more community spaces that could potentially join, but they are being very slow at confirming, so they are not a guarantee at this late stage.

We do ask that if you need a space, and you have not already requested one, your priority should now be to ask a friend/family member to help you exhibit from their space within the catchment area. Or perhaps you know a cafe owner for example that could help you out. 

If you have any questions, please do ask me as soon as possible.

Best wishes

Owen – studios@artsbrum.com

Half Term Activities at The Gap Arts

A week of creative activities and workshops for young people and families, all taking place at The GAP every week day between 2.30 until 4.30.

A week of creative activities and workshops for young people and families, all taking place at The GAP every week day between 2.30 until 4.30.

For full event descriptions please follow the Eventbrite link below which is also where you can book your space!

Book your place via Eventbrite

Programme:

Monday 31st May: Celebrating Sunflowers – A family workshop making, drawing, collaging and planting all things sunflower – a symbol of strength and happiness.

Tuesday 1st June: Me, Here, Now – A creative and reflective selfie workshop using photography, collage and drawing.

Wednesday 2nd June: Banking With Who? – Learn how you can make a change with this ethical banking workshop led by Students Organising For Sustainability.

Thursday 3rd June: Spice Lab -A tasty and fragrant creative worksop for families. Blind taste herbs and spices, make flavour profiles and create your own blends.

Friday 4th June: Community Group Open Day: We’re making friendly, safe and free space available for pre-booked grassroots groups to hold self-led activities. See the space and chat to us to see if it suits your needs.

Location: The GAP, 498 Moseley Road, Balsall Heath, B12 9AH

Contact: The GAP / arron@thegapartsproject.co.uk / 07761307675

Time to take our city back – 4 week creative visual art workshops

A free arts programme led by Birmingham Centre for Arts Therapies supporting Public Health Birmingham in delivering COVID related messaging​.

A free arts programme led by Birmingham Centre for Arts Therapies supporting Public Health Birmingham in delivering COVID related messaging​.

​Join us and book your free workshops to expresssharereflect and create as part of this city wide project to deliver safe messaging around COVID 19 in a creative way. 

What is available?
free 4 week courses plus materials
in subjects including Painting/Printmaking/Sculpture/Ceramics/Photography/Video/Design/Craft 

BOOK YOUR FREE WORKSHOP NOW
Simply email us on the above link to complete your booking form and risk assessment and we will do the rest! 

​All produced visuals will be displayed as part of the BCAT and Birmingham Libraries Creative COVID Recovery Event to take place in South Yardley and Handsworth and other selected local libraries in February 2022.

Specular Reflecular 2

Moseley Road Baths CIO are so excited to be bringing back Specular Reflecular after having to close in March last year due to Covid. This time the exhibition, created by Juneau Projects, will be held in the slipper baths.

Moseley Road Baths CIO are so excited to be bringing back Specular Reflecular after having to close in March last year due to Covid. This time the exhibition, created by Juneau Projects, will be held in the slipper baths. The exhibition will run from:12-4pm Monday 31st May- Friday 4th June.

Artists Juneau Projects have worked with hundreds of local people to create a beautiful hand-painted animation that celebrates Moseley Road Baths and the community that surrounds it. People of all backgrounds and ages attended workshops and made individual frames for the animation by painting over live-action footage of local swimmers. Each frame reflects the memories, personality and style of its local creator. Combined, they create an ever-changing collage of colours, light and water; which also reflects the vibrancy and eclectic nature of Balsall Heath.

Viewers are invited to relax on specially created wave furniture and soak up the atmosphere of this unique heritage space, while watching the light from the projected film and newly uncovered windows refracted through multi-coloured translucent decorations.

Specular Reflecular was funded part of Trust New Art, the National Trust’s programme of contemporary arts and is funded by Arts Council England. We have brought it back post-Covid thanks to the DCMS Cultural Recovery Fund.

Booking is essential and to keep everyone Covid-safe there will be one slot per hour where you and your group (either up to 6 people, or 2 households) get exclusive access for 20 minutes to enjoy the animation.

What have you heard about Covid?

Women and Theatre is working in partnership with Moseley Road Baths and local women in Balsall Heath, to create a series of short videos which share information about Covid-19 and promote positive wellbeing messages.

Women and Theatre is working in partnership with Moseley Road Baths and local women in Balsall Heath, to create a series of short videos which share information about Covid-19 and promote positive wellbeing messages.

Janice Connolly of Women & Theatre, poet, writer and performer Rupinder Kaur and film maker Rachel Gillies will be talking to women of all ages and backgrounds about concerns, anxieties and misinformation about Covid-19 guidelines and vaccines. Join them for a swim and a chat and then get creative with some fun workshops to develop the short films.

Sessions take place on Mondays (17th and 24th) and Thursdays (20th and 27th), 11:15am-1:15pm over the next few weeks. For more information, call Matt Smith on 07849 214 799 or e-mail mattsmith@womenandtheatre.co.uk.

Join The GAP’s Volunteer Team!

Become a part of our friendly volunteer team working together to support our mission of engaging young people and the local community through creative and cultural action!

Become a part of our friendly volunteer team working together to support our mission of engaging young people and the local community through creative and cultural action!

The running of our venue and its important day-to-day operations is reliant upon a small team of committed volunteers. We’re now looking to expand the team as we re-open our space to the world once again and welcome back our community. We want people who share our vision, have initiative and ideas to share, and who want to get involved in a longer-term journey with us. In the spirit of mutual exchange, we’ll work together to design a range of volunteer benefits in return for your time, energy and commitment, which will include opportunities to get involved in a whole host of other ways.

We’ve outlined below the details of the current roles and how your involvement would support our vision.

To express your interest, fill in your details on our Volunteer Form by the 28th April. Link to form – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xot3p0Uy6EZKvQgImJMicennt1x-iuVCgmgB_nY45r8/viewform?edit_requested=true

We’ll then invite you to come along to an informal group session at The GAP where you can meet the team, see the space, share the vision and find out more details!

COMMUNITY HOSTS

This role is all about making sure our venue is welcoming, accessible and engaging for all our community.

You’ll be the first person our visitors come into contact with, making people feel comfortable, ensuring they’re informed about our work and what’s going on, and encouraging different types of engagement and participation. Responsibilities will include (but are not limited to) welcoming and chatting with visitors, engaging them in the exhibitions, answering enquiries, signposting to our upcoming events or projects, collecting feedback, addressing accessibility needs, taking donations, signing people up to our mailing list, etc.

We want individuals who love to connect with and care about people of all ages and backgrounds, are confident and friendly, great communicators, have an understanding of accessibility needs, with a genuine enthusiasm for our work and a desire to get others involved. Ideally you’ll live in or around Balsall Heath.

CAFE CREW

By assisting us with the smooth running of our community cafe, you’ll be helping us to raise the vital funds needed to sustain our work.

Our cafe is a really important way of introducing audiences into our creative and cultural work, whilst also acting as a cosy hub for conversation and community exchange. As well as serving delicious food and drinks, our Café Crew play a very important role in creating a welcoming environment and ensuring our customers have positive experiences that make them want to come back. Responsibilities include greeting and seating, waiting on tables, serving drinks and snacks, and keeping things clean and tidy.

We want individuals who enjoy and are confident in customer service, who can commit to following COVID-secure hygiene procedures, and who are friendly and hospitable towards all different types of people. Ideally you’ll live in or around Balsall Heath.

Theatre Mix @ Home

Theatre Mix @ Home is a live-streamed, cross-artform performance night for West Midlands artists. It features performances from a range of West Mids-based artists and creatives, all live-streaming from their own homes.

Theatre Mix @ Home is a live-streamed, cross-artform performance night for West Midlands artists. It features performances from a range of West Mids-based artists and creatives, all live-streaming from their own homes.

It’s completely free via YouTube Live, and there will be a donation link on the night for anyone who wishes to donate, with all donations going towards the running of future nights like this.

ACTS TO BE ANNOUNCED

Date: 15/04/2021
Time: 8pm (running time approx 1hr)

Our YouTube channel where you will find us on the night: https://bit.ly/3gztK3S
Facebook event for info & updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/254562116322070/

Grab yourself a treat, pull up a couch cushion and enjoy some local creative talents.

This event has been made possible by funding from The Society for Theatre Research, Arts Council England Project Grants and support from The GAP Arts Project.

Audience: Sometimes there is strong language, so aimed at 14+

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A background textured like crumpled paper with text that reads “THEATRE MIX @ home. West Midlands artists streaming live from their homes to yours. Acts to be announced… Thursday 15th April, 8pm, YouTube Live (see link in description)” At the sides are social handles for Twitter: @gushtheatre, @theatre_mix and Facebook: @gustheatre. At the bottom are logos for The Mix cafe, Arts Council England and the Society for Theatre Research.]

Birmingham Open Studios 2021

Birmingham Open Studios returns bigger than ever before, now covering even more of the city. Dozens of artists exhibiting and selling their work from their own homes and studios. Meet creators at work and buy direct. Free to visit and family friendly.

Birmingham Open Studios returns bigger than ever before, now covering even more of the city. Dozens of artists exhibiting and selling their work from their own homes and studios. Meet creators at work and buy direct. Free to visit and family friendly.

Weekends of 18/19th and 25/26th September 2021, all 11am-5pm

Pick up a guide book from various locations across the city, or visit website to use interactive map. Artists can sign up until 15th July online.

Dates: 11am-5pm on 18/19th and 25/26th September

Website: http://www.birminghamopenstudios.com

Cost: £42 to participate. Free to visit.

Contact: Owen de Visser at studios@artsbrum.com

General Public

General Public is the collaborative platform of artists Elizabeth Rowe and Chris Poolman. Broadly speaking, they devise large scale public art projects that incorporate elements of fiction, myth-making, local history re-invention and heritage rebooting.

General Public is the collaborative platform of artists Elizabeth Rowe and Chris Poolman. Broadly speaking, they devise large scale public art projects that incorporate elements of fiction, myth-making, local history re-invention and heritage rebooting.

Often this process involves re-working or inverting an established model or institutional structure. Their approach is interdisciplinary and collaborative: they produce artworks (writing, film, print), devise collaborative frameworks, organise events, curate / commission other artists.

Previous projects have included:

  • a re-interpretation of the biennale concept in inner-city Birmingham (Balsall Heath Biennale 2011 – 2013),
  • a science fiction themed light festival exploring the politics of regeneration (Longbridge Light Festival, 2014),
  • a community competition resulting in 4000 new coins for an inner city area of Birmingham (Handsworth Currency Competition 2014 -15)
  • an 18-month strategic touring exhibition that uses the migratory movements of hop-pickers as the conceptual basis for a tour (The Hop Project 2016-17).
  • In 2017/18, they conceived & produced The Endless Village, an apocalyptic sitcom that investigates life in an imagined post-Brexit Britain of the future. This was presented as exhibitions at Eastside Projects and Aspex Portsmouth.
  • Over the 2018 summer holidays they delivered the ‘Heathland Festival, a ‘children’s festival of ideas’ that occurred at Birmingham Community libraries.
  • During 2019/20, they were artists in residence at the University of Birmingham where they developed ‘The Pomology Project’ (a reimagining of British orchard traditions in an urban context).
  • Their current project Let Us Play explores the history of the Adventure Playground movement in Birmingham. The oral histories and archive material generated through the project will be presented in 2021 as part of a series of exhibitions, events and a publication.

Website: www.generalpublic.org.uk

Address: 69 Station Road, Kings Heath, B14 7SS

E-mail: generalpublicprojects@gmail.com

Phone: 07769 530 557

Maddalena Women’s Crafting Project

A women only, crafting safe space. We teach knitting, crochet and sewing with the view to empowering women through skill sharing and breaking down social barriers.

A women only, crafting safe space. We teach knitting, crochet and sewing with the view to empowering women through skill sharing and breaking down social barriers.

We understand the issues faced by women and the forms of abuse and trauma they experience. We donate our makes to charitable causes also. Women coming together from all different backgrounds to help one another and their community; local and global.

Facebook: (Private group) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1281740178856033

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddalena_project_moseley

Address: Pachahouse Kitchen Garden at The Friends Institute, 220 Moseley Rd B12 0DG

Hall Green Art Society

A local society whose members meet to paint, discuss art and develop their skills through a varied programme of demonstrations, workshops and exhibitions. Artists of all abilities very welcome.

A local society whose members meet to paint, discuss art and develop their skills through a varied programme of demonstrations, workshops and exhibitions. Artists of all abilities very welcome.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hallgreenart

Address: Meetings at Chatterton Hall, 93b School Road, Hall Green, B28 8JQ. Exhibitions usually in Moseley, Kings Heath or Hall Green.

E-mail: mandywearing@btinternet.com

Phone: 0121 778 3811