Two weeks ago we published a statement acknowledging that the West Midlands region’s arts and cultural sector has a long way to go, to make organisations truly reflective of our communities; in leadership, in governance, programming and audiences. We promised to take the time to listen, hear, educate ourselves, and take action to create sustainable
West Midlands Culture Response Unit (WMCRU) is today delighted to announce the Midsummer Festival, a free one-day festival celebrating arts and culture in the West Midlands on Saturday 20th June. Featuring a collection of many West Midlands theatre, dance, music, artists and venues Midsummer Festival will mark the Summer Solstice with a wide range of live, archived and pre-recorded cultural activity available online including performances which have never been
During the Coronavirus pandemic, we are running regular Zoom calls open to anyone working in the region’s cultural sector, whether in organisations or freelance/self-employed. The sessions are designed to share information about the most pressing issues in relation to the current situation, and are open to both Culture Central members and non-members alike. The next
Well, it has been an ‘unprecedented’ (to coin a phrase) few months to say the least, a time where we are all facing uncertainty, anxiety, loneliness, grief and myriad other emotions, with each of us finding our way through this ‘new normal’. I wanted to start this update with an acknowledgement of the different places
Culture Central, in partnership with Arts Council England and the British Council have launched Digital Collaborative Grants to support artists and arts organisations as part of the Transforming Narratives project. The application process opens 11 May and the closing date for applications is Friday 19 June. These grants will enable opportunities for connection and collaboration
Image used with grateful thanks to Birmingham Design Festival. Led by Culture Central, The West Midlands Culture Response Unit will develop and deliver an action-orientated, sector-led response to the Covid-19 outbreak over the next six months to ensure the visibility, viability and recovery of the cultural sector in the West Midlands. The initiative has support from
As part of Culture Central’s Coronavirus response, we are supporting individuals and organisations by facilitating a mentoring/buddy programme. We have set the scheme up in response to a number of enquiries from people who would value the opportunity to learn from people with experience in specific issues that are affecting them and their organisation in
Please see below the latest update from our Director Erica Love, issued at 9am on Monday 23 March: Last week I had a number of conversations with Birmingham City Council, ACE, GBSLEP, and the WMCA also convened a meeting with a number of people to feed into the wider region response, specifically for the cultural
A Message from Erica Love, Culture Central Director 17th March 2020 Firstly, can I offer my solidarity and sadness after this week’s announcements, although somewhat expected, they are a huge blow across the sector, especially venues and those working in and with them. I am sure many of you are in emergency and contingency planning
