Created in Birmingham

It was good to see this list of favourite sites from BCT’s Leigh Walker. I’d not heard of a single one of them before so I’ll link them up from here too:

• Photo by D J Norton
• Old Maps
• Austin Memories
• A History of Birmingham places and Placenames
• The Lapal Canal Project

Head over to the Birmingham Conservation Trust website for why Leigh picked these.

If anyone else happens to do a list of their favourite Birmingham-centric websites then let me know – in the comments, by email or Twitter, take your pick. It’s always good to hear recommendations.

• Culture Guide September Issue « Area Culture Guide
  “The September edition of the Culture Guide is awaiting your perusal”
• Job going at Bright Space
  They’re after a new new Creative Programmer for Primary, Early Years and Special Schools
• Creative Networks: Interactive Music & Sound Design
  “Creative Networks welcomes Matt Black, Audio Manager at Blitz Games Studios, whose talk will focus on interactive music used in production of the company’s games title”
• Committee launches a new inquiry into The Funding of the Arts and Heritage – UK Parliament
  Bit slow in this, but here’s your chance to have your say. Deadline is 2 Sept
• artsfunding – Arts Funding Information
  Have I mentioned the artsfunding network that’s been set up? Well, I have now. Get involved to contribute to the ongoing debate/discussion
• My First Seminar – Music Photography — — Steve Gerrard Photography
  “November 10th 2010 will be the date of my very first seminar, taking place at Calumet in Birmingham. The subject is Music Photography”. Steve knows his stuff
• Heritage Open Days 2010 | Birmingham Conservation Trust
  “The HODs this year will run from 9-12 September and the event directory for this year’s events is now live”
• Heritage Open Days – West Midlands
  …and here’s the list
• Breakfast Meeting 1st Oct
  “Creative Alliance would like to invite you to an Employers Breakfast Meeting on Friday 1st October from 9am until 11am”
• The International Queer Video Open 2010
  Call for submissions – deadline is 2 October
• Midlands Best Dance Crew 2010 « Dancegeek’s Blog
  “Register now and Step Up for the chance of your crew to go head to head and claim the title of Midlands Best Dance Crew 2010″. To be held at the Town Hall on 12 November
• UK Sound Map
  “Join the British Library in creating the first nationwide sound map”. Or don’t. Your call

• Birmingham Post – BBC confirms plans to axe radio stations Asian Network
  The Beeb are closing the Birmingham-based Asian Network, which is a shame. Although more people seem peeved at them shutting down that London-based station that plays Elbow all the time
• Why The BBC Asian Network Still Scratches My Niche
  Defence of the Asian Network via Punch Records, asking folks to sign a petition to stop the BBC cuts
• 38 Degrees | Stand up for the BBC – Stop the cuts
  “To the BBC Trust: Please don’t slash the BBC’s website, radio, and TV programme” Here’s the petition
• Some link for February 21st through to March 2nd | Birmingham Conservation Trust
  I’m linking to a round-up of links here. Good ones though, with stuff about MADE’s lecture series, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and a website based on digitised material about the development of the Industrial Revolution in the West Mids
• Happy Birthday ANLO!
  “A Night Less Ordinary, The Arts Council’s FREE tickets for young people scheme, celebrates its first Birthday this month. To help celebrate, The REP is offering an entire week of FREE theatre for people aged 14 to 26 in addition to our usual FREE Friday offer”
• New Studio Facility for Rare
  Rare are opening a big studio in Digbeth. They make games for Microsoft and are soon to start making them directly under the CiB office! Expect the number of posts here to dwindle from April onwards…

• Bintley triumphs at South Bank Show Awards
  “Birmingham Royal Ballet’s David Bintley held off stiff competition from Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity and fellow ballet Limen by Wayne McGregor to win the dance category at the final South Bank Show Awards for E=mc2″. Quite right, it’s an incredible production
• An Endless Supply | Issue 9 Online
  New issue of the rather good zine. “You will (eventually) be able to pick up copies from Spike Island, Ikon Gallery, Eastside Projects, Outpost”
• Birmingham Conservation Trust’s new project is Bells Farm in Druids Heath
  “The Conservation Trust has been granted £14,000 of funding from English Heritage to carry out an architect’s appraisal at the 17th century Bells Farm in Druids Heath”
• West Midlands Heritage Strategy – Audiences Central
  “A strategy setting the overall direction for the heritage sector in the West Midlands has been laid out by the West Midlands Historic Environment Forum”
• Councillor Mike Sharpe – Birmingham City Council
  Mike is available for speaking gigs. Specialist topics – Birmingham’s artistic and cultural vibrancy
• Commercially Inviable Records » New World of Fox download – “Tiny Children”
  From the monthly free download series – “next up is “tiny children” which was originally by the teardrop explodes”
• Über Brum: Über Brum in Print.
  Nice one Über Brum
• Museums hit by ‘perfect financial storm’ – The Independent
  “Nearly 40 institutions are under threat or have already closed as lottery funding bonanza ends and credit crunch bites”. The Aston Transport Museum is named as one such that’s apparently under threat of closure
• Writers Wanted « The Blue Whale Blog
  “can you write about music without sounding like a complete plonker?” Get in touch with the good folks of the Blue Whale Blog if you can
• Sion Simon resigns as Minister and MP – Tom Watson MP – Birmingham: It’s Not Shit
  “Sion, MP for Erdington and Minster for Culture Media and Sport is standing down”. He fancies a run at being Mayor of Birmingham, apparently
• Laveyloo – AlphaBrum
  “the alphabet using google maps for areas in Birmingham”. Spot the buildings.
• Change of Chair at Arts Council England, West Midlands – Audiences Central
  “After almost eight years, Dorothy Wilson stood down as Chair of Arts Council England, West Midlands at the end of 2009, making way for Peter Phillips”

• Graft « More Canals than Venice
  “Graft are a curatorial collective based in the Midlands who are looking to find a space for up and coming and newly established artists. On 9th December they launch ARC, a new night at The Vaults… For the launch they are seeking proposals from newly estabished artists working in experimental performance, sound and video in response to The Vaults”
• D’log :: blogging since 2000 » Rea Garden
  An opportunity to take up a residency lasting up to 10 weeks at the Rea Garden from Jan 2010. Applications need to be in by 17 Dec
• Art Deco Buildings in Birmingham | Birmingham Conservation Trust
  The BCT goes in search of the city’s Art Deco buildings
• Digbeth is Good – YouTube – The Event Talks: Digbeth
  “Caroline Beavon of Hashbrum talks to Gavin Wade of Eastside Projects about The Event and Digbeth creative stuff in general”
• Art at Studio Five
  Bryn Tranter has a studio and gallery at the Custard Factory – “At StudioFive, we make art accessible to everyone. Whether you want to buy original pieces, you’re looking to learn or you need art to enliven your office or workplace, StudioFive is the place to start”
• Facebook | Birmingham Irish Film Festival
  Plans for “A film festival devoted to film from or about Ireland or with an identifiable Irish interest/connection” to possibly be expanded into a week-long celebration of Irish culture
• An Early Christmas Present for 14 to 26 Year Olds
  The Rep have just extended their A Night Less Ordinary ticket availability for A Christmas Carol to all evening performances from 19 December to 2 January, which is nice of em
• Brummie of the Year 2009 – Nominations Open
  Early nominees are Chris the handyman at the Barber Institute, Paul Hadley, Justice Williams, the Capsule grannies, the Jibbering crew, Alison Smith, Mr Ralph,Gurcharan Mall and Glyn Purnell

One from many sets of photos taken when Birmingham’s Flickr Group visited Newman Brothers Coffin Works. This one is from Gethin Thomas.

The situation regarding Newman Brothers is unfortunate to say the least – AWM (having bought the building) have recently pulled funding, leaving a sensible-sounding project in the lurch and the Birmingham Conservation Trust in a very sticky situation. Here’s hoping a solution is found.

• Lots Of Things To See And Do In The West Midlands: October 2008
  Russ L’s ever-useful round-up with loads of stuff happening this month. I’d like to add my own Film Dash 48-hour film challenge to the list (happening 17-19 Oct short film fans!)
• Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource | TAK! Design & Art Direction. Birmingham. UK. +44 (0) 121 288 2528
  The nice folk at Tak! are “very excited to announce a new working partnership with the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery to design & develop an online educational resource for public, students and professionals”
• Wheatley Fellowship 2008/09
  News from BIAD – Juneau Projects have been selected as the Wheatley Fellow based in the School of Art 2008/09
• Support the Castle Vale Community Awards – aCtiVe arts
  “Castle Vale will proudly celebrate the achievements of a number of its residents at the second annual Community Awards on Friday 24th October”
• It’s fun to play at the M A C E | Birmingham: It’s Not Shit
  Jon Bounds has found the Media Archive for Central England and does some delving around
• Birmingham Conservation Trust – new futures for Birmingham’s historic buildings
  “Birmingham Conservation Trust is a charity created ‘to preserve and enhance Birmingham’s threatened architectural heritage” and it has a shiny new website