Category: News

The GAP is looking for an excellent arts/culture professional, passionate about quality arts and young people’s creativity, to realise the new post of Executive Director and fulfil a linchpin role in the next exciting chapter of The GAP’s unique story.

The Executive Director will collaborate with the Artistic Director and Director of Programming and work closely with the Board of Trustees, setting the strategic direction of the charity and steering it through its continuing transition from grassroots organisation to Arts Council of England NPO. You will work to ensure the delivery of The GAP’s business objectives, oversee day-to-day operations and manage human resources, sharing responsibility for creating a collaborative culture, and a team inspired by and committed to realising our mission and core values. This is a senior position responsible for the financial stability of the organisation and leading on all fundraising, securing The GAP’s transformative work
with under-represented young people now and well into the future.

For full details and Job Pack, please go to: https://www.thegapartsproject.co.uk/. Deadline 30th June.

Kinmos have been bringing sunshine vibes and flowers to Moseley as part of their ongoing work with Art Works and the National Trust’s blossom project.

The story goes that Birmingham was described as ‘a town ringed by blossom’ back in the 19th Century when allotments were rented out to citizens for a guinea. This has inspired a city-wide programme of events and activities to celebrate the annual appearance of blooms and encourage others to plant fruiting trees around the Brum.

Kinmos – a South Birmingham based organisation committed to the social inclusion of those with a history of mental health issues – have embraced the floral fun. They initially took part in the ’10 to 11′ project around the Number 11 bus route in 2022. For their latest project, they set up in Moseley Park to craft bunting and blossoms whilst sharing information about their work.

The event is part of a series of events that Kinmos have been involved in at Moseley Park. March saw them bring Alice in Wonderland vibes to the park with a magical lantern trail spearheaded by Gary Jones of Off Our Trolley Arts. That event saw music, crafts and storytelling amidst large, colourful paper lanterns created by Kinmos’ members, staff and supporters in weekly workshops at Moseley Hive.

Kinmos believe that fun and creative community events which are inclusive and welcoming are an opportunity for those who may struggle in social spaces to mingle with others. They are also a chance for the wider public to recognise and celebrate the talent and creativity of those with mental health issues.

Look out for more Kinmos creativity this Summer as Moseley Festival celebrates its 50th Anniversary!

Art Works is governed by a steering group of people concerned with developing arts and community within Hall Green, Sparkbrook, Springfield, Balsall Heath, Moseley and Kings Heath. Here are the people who sit on the steering group, which meets approximately every six weeks.

Ted Ryan, Chair of Art Works and freelance project manager: Having studied Art and Design, I’ve has always been a keen participant in arts activity. I’ve had a number of exhibitions over the years and I’m currently working as a textile artist. I’ve also been involved other arts activities, such as being a stage manager and associate producer for a number of theatrical performances and as a production manager and executive producer for a feature film, made in Birmingham. For the past 15 years, I’ve provided support to community organisations’ through my freelance work. I have worked in debt advice, advocacy and skills development and I’ve developed community programmes through co-design with partners.

Hannah Greenwood, Team Lead, The Old Print Works, Balsall Heath: We believe everyone is creative, everyone has something to add and everyone has something to learn, and we seek to make this possible, affordable and enriching for all who come into The Old Print Works through an open, inclusive, sharing and empowering community.

Rachel Gillies, Engagement and Learning Co-ordinator, Birmingham Botanical Gardens: I aim to connect and nurture curious citizens, confident in their heritage, rooted in their communities, through developing and delivering creative participatory film, arts and heritage projects.  Following a period developing and delivering creative pilot projects at Moseley Road Baths, I am now working at the beautiful Botanical Gardens to invite people to connect and shape programming ahead of a £14m capital investment programme.

Sara Hadi, Arts Producer, Mimar Collective CIC: I’ve worked in community engagement in numerous settings including arts and museums, education, charities, interfaith and community development.  I’m also a mother of three and a holistic therapist with a deep interest in people’s life journeys.  Mimar Collective is a community arts organisation serving diverse, marginalised audiences in and around Birmingham.

Sarah Robbins, Chief Executive Officer, The Springfield Project: We are based in the heart of Sparkhill, providing a range of services to combat poverty and isolation and support children and families to lead happy and healthy lives. We believe creativity is an integral part of that and look to ways in which we can use the arts to support our mission. I chair the Birmingham Early Years Music Consortium, working with early years partners and music organisations to benefit Birmingham’s youngest children.

Suzanne Hemming, Service Manager at Kinmos: We are committed to the social inclusion of those with a history of mental health issues. We use singing and poetry and craft to enjoy ourselves and express ourselves creatively.

In addition to the steering group, Jo Ind is the co-ordinator of Art Works.

Jo Ind, Writer and Arts Producer: I am fascinated by the power of stories. I like working in communities to craft stories together and experience their power of transformation.

We hope to create a programme to develop artists in wellbeing, business and community skills during the spring and summer.

To date Art Works has been funded by the City Council. However, when councillors approved a Section 114 notice in September, we developed out plans to find ways of continuing our work without City Council support.

Earlier this year, we surveyed 57 creatives from many different backgrounds across South Birmingham. We discovered that 30 of you wanted help with basic business skills, 30 wanted to know how to work with community groups, 40 wanted help with marketing, 47 wanted to know how to apply for funding and 46 wanted to know how to be connected to the wider sector.

As a result we have devised a programme to meet this need and are pitching for Inclusive Communities funding to make it happen.  If we aren’t successful with that particular bid, we have other ideas of where to go for support.

We have every reason to be hopeful that during 2024, the neighbourhoods of Balsall Heath, Moseley, Kings Heath, Sparkbrook, Springfield, Sparkhill and Hall Green will be abuzz with the chatter of creatives learning new skills and growing in community.

Art is there every morning, a passport to unknown places, feel good and relaxing therapy leaving you feeling accomplished and liberated…

Those were some of the things written by participants at the annual general meeting of Art Works Hall Green, held in Highfield Hall on Friday 21 July.

Together we wrote a poem about what art means to us

Art is

There every morning

A passport to unknown places

A feel good and relaxing therapy leaving you feeling accomplished and liberated

Art is an innate expression of one’s true self

A passport to unknown places

Art expresses meaning, gives meaning

An innate expression of one’s true self

A liberation of the senses

A feel good and relaxing therapy leaving you feeling accomplished and liberated

Soul to soul

A liberation of the senses

Art expresses meaning, gives meaning

Soul to soul

There every morning

We also looked at how we can support artists in pursuing meaningful creative careers and how we can make our neighbourhoods viable places to make art.

At the next Art Works Hall Green steering group, we will explore how to turn the numerous excellent ideas into our strategy for the coming years.

Watch this space.

What does mental health look like? “There is no way that it looks in particular,” says Leah Anderson, volunteer coordinator with Kinmos. In July 2022, it looked like people making blossom in the sunshine and sticking it to a giant heart in Kings Heath Village Square.

Kinmos is a charity, based in Kings Heath, Birmingham, for people with lived experience of mental health. During the summer it worked with its members to create handmade blossoms. This process, which had been enjoyed by all, was then shared in the square with singing and face-painting too.

The event was part of the 10-11 project, in which a bus travelled the number 11 bus routes, stopping off at events hosted by each of Birmingham’s ten local arts forums.

Art Works Hall Green is one of those ten forums, which connects artists, community groups and people who are passionate about the arts in neighbourhoods of Hall Green, Sparkbrook, Springfield, Sparkhill, Balsall Heath, Moseley and Kings Heath.

• The video was made by filmmaker Telma Luis

Moseley Road Baths is looking for six young people to work with them on a steering group, for which they will be paid £200 per day.

Are you: 

• Aged 18-30
• Local to Balsall Heath (within a 15 minute radius on bus, bike or foot)
• Have a desire to discover and tell the stories of Balsall Heath and Moseley Road Baths
• Eager to build a network in Birmingham
• Curious!

Then the Young Curators Steering Group Opportunity could be for you.

What is the Young Curators Steering Group?

It’s a paid opportunity for six young people aged 18-30 in Balsall Heath to form a Steering Group. As part of the Steering Group, you will have the chance to discover new and/or respond to already collected stories related to the Baths and Balsall Heath. With support from a mix of our staff team and experts from our wider network you will be provided with the skills, resources and agency to decide how you want to explore each story with your chosen audiences and communities. 

The aim is to ensure that young people are represented and feel ownership of Moseley Road Baths’ and their own future by exploring the past and present.

This is a 6-month commitment in which participants will be paid £1200 for 6 days of work (approx 1 day per month). The group will decide when they work, including when they have skill-based sessions. 

Find out more: Young Curators of Moseley Road Baths

We’re looking to fill this linchpin role, to work alongside The GAP team on the exciting developments ahead as a new NPO.

Working as a senior member of the team, you’ll be helping to steer the organisation through a crucial period of growth and transition. You will be a successful fundraiser, a strategic thinker, a passionate enabler and a highly organised operations manager, supporting our creative team to deliver high-quality projects and arts programming for marginalised young people. Applications close 3 April.

Secret City Arts is seeking a creative individual with an interest in using social media creatively to share content  from our new project Well Being Brew! 

 Your task will be to capture moments and snippets from a series of participatory workshops creating micro films/reels (each around 1 minute long) to communicate and share via Instagram and other social media platforms.  These micro films will widen the reach of the project, communicating its processes and outcomes.

You’ll need to attend six half-day workshops with adult participants, where we will be sharing storytelling activities, brewing teas from different herbal materials, doing creative journalling and other activities for wellbeing, indoors and outdoors. 

Workshops will be held mostly afternoons 2-4pm April-July in and around Balsall Heath, Birmingham B12. 

Specific dates will be 
Mon 24th April 2-4pm
and Mon 10th July 2-4pm

plus four other dates tbc from this list: 
Tues 25th April
Tues 9th May
Mon 15th May
Mon 22nd May
Tues 23rd May
Mon 12 June
Mon 19th June
Mon 26th June
Mon 3rd July

You will use a phone, talblet or camera to document activities, offering a close focus, and capturing an informal sense of immediacy in the moment.  

You will need to work sensitively with participants who may not wish to be identified in the films (ie showing hands, materials etc, rather than faces etc).

There may be opportunities to encourage participants to use their phones to create their own micro-films too, sharing skills and building confidence. 

Your work will be shared via Instagram and other social media, and will be credited within the project’s details, and your micro-films will contribute to the overall project outcome.

This is a supporting artist role so the fee for attending 6x 2hour workshops and creating a series of micro-films/reels is £300. 

Please email your brief CV or statement about why you would be suitable for the role and a sample of short digital films or social media postings you have created, to give us a sense of your work. 

Deadline for applications is 12pm Wednesday 5th April.

Interviews will be held on Monday 17th April via Zoom. 

The GAP Arts Project are in an exciting new phase of their work and are looking to build their team! Read on for information about two exciting job opportunities and to download their Job Packs.

The GAP Arts Project – Development & Operations Manager

We’re looking to fill this linchpin role, to work alongside The GAP team on the exciting developments ahead as a new NPO. Working as a senior member of the team, you’ll be helping to steer the organisation through a crucial period of growth and transition. You will be a successful fundraiser, a strategic thinker, a passionate enabler and a highly organised operations manager, supporting our creative team to deliver high quality projects and arts programming for marginalised young people.

For more details please see Development & Operations Manager Job Pack available at https://www.thegapartsproject.co.uk/werehiring

The GAP Arts Project – Community Café Manager 

The GAP has an exciting opening for someone with imagination and a joint passion for catering and community. Our Community Café Manager is a key role in our organisation, being the primary interface with local people in our day-to-day operations. You will offer excellent coffee, food and service to all visitors to the venue, work with the rest of The GAP team to create a welcoming, inclusive space, and take an innovative approach to developing a café service that aligns with our arts programming and mission.

For more details please see Community Cafe Manager Job Pack available at https://www.thegapartsproject.co.uk/werehiring

Art Works Hall Green is looking for a ‘people person’ with experience in the arts or community sectors and knowledge of the Hall Green constituency, to coordinate our network and drive its work supporting grassroots participation in arts and culture.

You will have the capacity, drive and curiosity to co-ordinate the Local Arts Forum from Spring 2023.  You will join an evolving organisation, constantly learning to practice and advocate for participatory, community arts.

Fee: A fixed fee of £6,000 per annum, equating to 40 days at £150 per day, to be worked flexibly.  You will be required to pay your own National Insurance and tax contributions (where applicable) and provide your own computer and telephone.  This fee is inclusive of expenses and travel unless otherwise agreed.

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Person Specification

This is a freelance role which could complement any existing work or study in the arts, culture or community sector.  The Steering Group seeks to work with the Co-ordinator to fulfil our contract with Birmingham City Council with a flexible and creative approach, enabling the successful candidate to make the role their own.  We encourage a conversation with the successful candidate as to how we may support their professional development through mentoring and training opportunities.

We encourage applications from anyone looking to develop key skills or pursue projects which fall within our remit.  We are not looking for specific degrees or years of formal experience but for people with a commitment to taking ownership of the role and to their own professional development.  We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and intersectional team to reflect the vision we have for our sector. We therefore strongly encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in the sector.  This contract also demands a degree of flexibility and would include some evening and weekend work.

We are looking for an individual who has:

• Experience within or good understanding of the arts, cultural, heritage sectors and / or community sectors in Birmingham.
• A ‘people person’, interested in the stories, history and talents of Hall Green residents.
• Good, demonstrable knowledge of the area and its communities is of real benefit.
• Competence in the listed roles and tasks (see below), with a willingness to ask for help and identify areas for learning and development.

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About Art Works

Birmingham’s arts forum network consists of ten individual local arts forums aligned to Birmingham’s ten parliamentary constituencies.  The Local Arts Forum (LAF) model was developed as a flexible network, under the umbrella of ‘No. 11 Arts’ for advocating for the arts at a District level.  Art Works Hall Green aims to develop local arts infrastructure through partnerships within Hall Green Constituency in the areas of Sparkhill, Balsall Heath, Kings Heath & Moseley, Hall Green, Springfield and Sparkbrook.

Our Aims 

• To create and/or work with other local networks spanning arts and cultural organisations, artists and residents, and the voluntary, youth and community sectors 
• Increase opportunities for local participation and engagement in arts activities and to lever in additional funding to support such activities.
• Raise the profile of arts activities taking place in the Constituency of Hall Green, especially in areas where there is lack of participation or opportunity for participation.
• Provide opportunities for the cultural voice of residents to be valued, enabled, developed and shared, actively seeking to understand and overcome barriers to engagement.
• to maintain an overview of arts activities, events, opportunities in the Constituency of Hall Green.

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Role and Tasks 

The successful candidate will work with the Art Works Steering Group to fulfil our contract with Birmingham City Council.  The roles and tasks will be developed in collaboration with the Steering Group, depending on your skills, experience, competences, and interests, but they broadly include:

Project Co-ordination

• Work with local partners and the Steering Group to develop and commission arts activity across the district, relevant to diverse audiences and participants.
• Project development, oversight and management
• Commissioning Artists, including contract negotiation, monitoring and oversight
• Manage relationships with artists, venues and organisations to deliver activity.
• Development of engagement and network activities with artists, arts organisations, community groups and local residents.
• Collect evidence and impact of participant engagement including numbers and feedback in order to evaluate activities effectively.
• Develop appropriate databases and directories

Marketing: 

• Promote and advocate for Art Works Hall Green, and its objectives, residents, organisations, partners and community groups 
• Manage and update Art Works’ social media presence and digital footprint, currently Facebook and Instagram. Widen and increase digital / social media presence as appropriate and sustainable.
• Produce a monthly Mailchimp newsletter, building circulation and encouraging others to contribute, acknowledging the diversity of the Art Works demographic area.
• Where relevant and when required, manage the design, printing and distribution of marketing banners or brochures.

Fundraising and Finance: 

• Work with the Steering Group to identify sources of funding 
• Collaborate with partners to develop project activity plans and funding applications.
• Develop relationships with local organisations in order to get sponsorship and in-kind support for arts activity.
• Where relevant, collate evidence and report on activity for funders.
• Work with the relevant Steering Group member to monitor / manage project budgets, keeping accurate financial records for funders and partners.

Reporting: 

• To support the Steering Group in reporting to Birmingham City Council on the Local Arts Forum contract.
• To be line managed by a nominated member of the Steering Group. 
• To report to Art Works Hall Green Steering Group as and when required. 

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Application

Applicants are invited to send:

• a CV (max 2 pages A4) outlining the experience and skills that they consider relevant to our work.  
• a one page A4 document or five minute video or audio message outlining your motivation to join the Art Works team and how you can use your existing skills to contribute to our work.

We appreciate that accessing paid roles can be a challenge for many different reasons.  We invite applicants, if they feel it is appropriate to do so, to share information around access needs, potential working hours or any other terms and conditions which they wish to discuss at this stage in addition to their application.  This will not negatively impact your application, but will enable us to make reasonable adjustments for this role.

Are you interested to find out what working with us could look like? Contact Rachel Gillies on hello@artworkshallgreen.co.uk for an informal conversation.

Send your CV (max 2 pages A4) and cover letter (max 1 page A4) or video / audio message (max 5 mins) to: hello@artworkshallgreen.co.uk.

Closing date: Friday 17th February, 5pm

Interviews: We intend to hold informal meetings with suitable applicants w/c 6th March.

The contract is due to commence as soon as possible after that.

The above information is also available in a downloadable PDF.

Brothers Mark and Richard Gunton contributed a cross-stitch panel to the ‘Our Social Fabric’ tapestry at Moseley Road Baths. Mark writes about the therapeutic value of this activity to Richard, who is currently a care home resident.

Cross-stitching has been a long-standing hobby of mine, started as a form of relaxation and concentration. I always use pre-designed, downloaded patterns to form a finished product – a paint-by-numbers, but with coloured thread instead.

Over the last few months, I was involved in submitting a small piece of work towards the ‘Our Social Fabric’ project that ran on the July and August ‘Second Saturday’ events with Amal Creative at the Old Print Works. The aim of the project was the production of a fabric artwork, now installed in the magnificent Gala Pool at Moseley Road Baths. During the two events, family members of all ages were involved in producing small pieces of fabric that included weaving, crochet, macrame, embroidery and paint, which were put together to make a large-scale installation displayed for everyone to see. Multiple media has been used, including wool, sequins, thread and many more, creating exceptional pieces of art with a common thread related to the Baths – its building, features and main purpose, swimming. An art work for the perfect gallery.

What has made the piece that I have submitted more personal, is that I have worked closely with my younger brother to produce a memento of what is currently a difficult situation.

In Spring 2020, my brother, Richard, suffered a fall, resulting in a major brain trauma that initially caused him being placed in a coma. Once conscious, he had no recollection of the incident. Over time, his retention of long-term memories has surpassed any short-term ones, and this has meant he believes that these events have occurred in the previous few weeks, and not, in actuality, the last few years or even decades. Over the last two years, he has been placed in many professional facilities to aid his recovery, which, during one placement, resulted in him contracting Aspiration Pneumonia leading to hospitalisation. Since then, he has been confined to a wheelchair, fed through a PEG into his stomach and most conversation is non-verbal. His most recent institution is aiming to improve his movement through physiotherapy, speech & music therapy and psychological care.

For the piece, we worked together to produce small parts of the design. He held the pre-threaded needle, whilst I gently guided it to the point in the pattern which required stitching, so that I could pull the point of the needle from the rear of the material producing the requisite stitch. We did this for short periods of time on each visit I made to his current Care Home. On several occasions, he gently held a pair of embroidery scissors and helped cut the thread when necessary. Obviously, the time taken to produce the finished item between the two of us at regular visits would have surpassed the completion date, so I continued the work in between.

I submitted the completed pattern on the requisite date and took a picture of a large number of the finished pieces, before they were eventually pieced together for the final product. Each time I visited I showed him the photograph and he always recognised our work.

I am extremely proud that we have been just a small part of a beautiful ‘Social Tapestry’ that will be seen for many years to come. So much so, I have printed a picture of the artwork, which will be displayed in Richard’s room as a constant reminder and recognition.

Birmingham is a city of thousands of creative trades from jewellery making to grime music and yet its biggest asset is ‘the people’. Birmingham is in the process of developing a new Arts and Culture Strategy for the  next decade. A range of meetings have been planned to give the people of Birmingham a chance to have their say. 

Whether you have a passion for Creativity, Arts and/or Culture or you just want to share your ideas, we would invite you to join us in smaller discussions focussing on ‘your experience of creativity, arts and culture, the councils role and shaping the vision for the future.’

Your views matter and will contribute towards beginning to paint the picture of what the creative future of Birmingham should look like by 2032.

The first meeting will take place on the 10th of June at Wynner House in Birmingham City Centre 10:00 – 12:00. Click here to book a place.

If you are unable to attend this meeting, there are other opportunities to take part this month. Please see our schedule here.

More Information

To keep up with news about the visit our designated webpage:  Big Creative Birmingham Conversation

Take part in the Big Creative Birmingham Conversation questionnaire:

Big Creative Birmingham Conversation Survey

For any queries email us at bigcreativebirmingham@birmingham.gov.uk

NB: please feel free to pass this invitation on to any of your contacts/organisations who you think might be interested.

Call out for Artists who could deliver Arts in Health sessions.

The Arts in Health Project funded by BCHC Charity aims to deliver a far-reaching, accessible and participatory arts and cultural programme for the patients and healthcare workers of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. This helps to improve the mental health and wellbeing of patients and staff through arts sessions.

We are offering paid opportunities for freelance artists who are able to deliver bespoke artistic sessions; either directly to patients on wards, or to our hard working healthcare staff in numerous settings.

The wide ranging benefits of arts in healthcare include supporting physical, mental and emotional health as well as improving recovery through decreasing anxiety, relieving stress, boosting confidence and raising morale.

Arts Sessions currently offered by BCHC Charity

Thanks to generous grants, fundraising and donations, BCHC Charity offer the following types of sessions:

• Music – including live performances by musicians, or interactive sessions e.g. drumming workshops.
• Movement – such as dance or tai chi.
• Arts and crafts workshops – such as painting, sculpting, mindful colouring etc.
• Drama, including live performances or interactive workshops.

We are always looking to broaden our network of artists.

Do you think you can offer something new?

If you are a freelance artist who could provide an Arts in Health session and would like to know more please contact: rashad.gregory1@nhs.net

Are you a community artist with availability in June and July?

As part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival for the Commonwealth Games, Art Works are very pleased to share that we have been successful in a public vote for both Balsall Heath West and Sparkbrook & Balsall Heath East ward ‘Celebrating Communities’ funding.  If you cast your vote for us then thank you!

We want to creatively explore the many and varied journeys that people have made to Balsall Heath and Sparkbrook from both near and far, celebrating the area as a place of refugee and a home to people from around the globe.

As part of developing these plans, we are on the lookout for community artists who can deliver participatory workshops with adults, and possibly some Key Stage 2 pupils, during June and July.  Any work produced will be exhibited to coincide with the Commonwealth Games. You may have noticed our previous callout for this project, but after a period of planning we we unable to appoint an artist and are putting this role out again.

We anticipate that we will be working with two Sparkbrook school parents’ groups and a third community organisation for workshops over six weeks in June and July. These will likely be a 1-2 hour morning workshop each week with each group. However, we are also exploring the option of a more intensive programme, delivered over a few days towards the end of term. We are open to working with an artist who can deliver workshops for all three groups, or three artists working with one group each.

Fee: £1,000 per group (6 sessions at £150 per session, plus £100 planning and liaison)

To apply: Send a CV plus a short paragraph, video or voicenote outlining your interest in the project and how you may approach the brief to hello@artworkshallgreen.co.uk by noon on Friday 27th May.