Created in Birmingham

• Keeping it local: regional theatre needs new media | Stage | guardian.co.uk
  “The challenge for arts organisations outside London is to embrace the blogosphere, and fast. I think we need to work hard to nurture the brave souls who are often spending their free time running what’s-on sites and blogs – invite them to our shows, treat them like proper journalists, buy them lunch, encourage our suppliers to buy advertising space on their websites, link to their sites from ours and so on. If we help listings sites and blogs to grow, we’re safeguarding the future of arts criticism.”
• Sky Arts launches Ignition investment scheme
  £200,000 cash investment for six chosen projects, and bursaries of £30,000 each for young, talented individuals
• GZA/Genius (of Wu-Tang Clan) | Hare and Hounds
  The GZA. In a pub. In a Birmingham suburb. For a tenner. How?
• Fireworks, intrigue and change
  A thoughtful piece from Friction Arts’ Sandra Hall. Turning Point West Midlands are apparently lining up some specially commissioned essays from a range of people – looking forward to the rest
• “Brum band The Toy Hearts had the following stolen last night: STOLEN GEAR – 6th April 2011 2 x…”
  Ouch. Have a look at the list, see if you happen see any of this stuff anywhere
• Staffordshire Hoard
  New website for the hoard. Hat tip D’log for spotting it
• Support Sound It Out (SIO)
  Petition for Sound It Out’s ACE National Portfolio application to be reassessed
• Highbury Studio – Birmingham’s Top40 Artists
  A list of Birmingham artists who have had a Top40 record somewhere
• Fullrange – Colman Getty
  Good follow-up from Lee Kemp on the Library of Birmingham PR contract thing. Includes an interesting bit on tender documents
• The Catapult Club celebrates 10 years at Birmingham’s 02 Academy « Area Culture Guide
  Impressive stuff
• Birmingham’s £25m academy
  “The academy, which is adjacent to Millennium Point in central Birmingham, is being created in partnership with London’s Brit School and Maverick TV”
• We Are « Nomad Projeckt
  “The Nomad Projeckt is an artistic collective which specialise in the producing audio and visual work of all kinds inspired by old and new hip-hop movements, for details of our work have a look around the site.”
• Twitter / David McAlmont: Birmingham is also confoun …
  “Birmingham is also confounding one’s expectations with its hot male totty count. I’m warming to the place.”
• Turning Point West Midlands – Artists’ News & Opportunities Bulletin, 31 March 2011
  Loads of stuff in this. Worth subscribing to (it’s a PDF, btw)
• Bank your thoughts: artists access to technology?
  “iShed (www.ished.net) is conducting a  feasibility study, supported by Arts Council England, into the potential of a web-based ‘Technology Bank’, where tech and related software can be advertised and offered on loan to creative projects in return for accreditation and shared learning”. Looks like it could be a good thing
• The Blue Orange Theatre – Birmingham
  Funny – I was wondering about this place the other day. New theatre in Birmingham, due to open 13 April with ‘What The Butler Saw’ although I think there may have been a launch event last night
• Fused Magazine – Fused at SXSW 11
  Fused went to SXSW and pointed a camera at bands and people dancing in the street

It’s the Biting Back event on Monday. An event about:

how arts sector professionals and individual artists can learn from examples of successful partnerships in austere cultural landscapes

I’m sure there are still some tickets available if you’re still thinking about coming.

The website’s been a hive of activity over the past couple of weeks, with links to similarly themed events happening around the country. Sandra Hall from Friction Arts has written about what she’s hoping to get out of it and Helga Henry’s written about why the event is important.

There’s also been some strong words from Pete in advance of the event.

Heard And Not Seen (HANS) is an arts project and exhibition at Gallery 36 at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery by artists Sandra Hall and Mitra Memarzia, in association with Friction Arts.

Here’s what the project’s website has to say about it all:

The project aims to create a unique, safe space for people to meet and ask questions with each other, of each other; particularly about faith, religion and spirituality.

There is a clear need for ordinary people to discuss, express and enquire about aspects of daily Muslim and religious life in response to the climate of polarised media reporting.

Visitors will be invited to interact with the installation that consists of a series of freestanding sculptures, photographs and projections.  The exhibition contents were generated from community workshops and invites audiences to ask and explore.

For more information on the project, which runs from 10th July to 22nd August, check out the Heard and Not Seen website here.

Heard and Not Seen is

an arts project, led by Sandra Hall and Mitra Memarzia with Friction Arts.  The project aims to create a unique, safe space for people to meet and ask questions with each other, of each other; particularly about faith, religion and spirituality.

The exhibition takes the form of a series of freestanding sculptures displaying responsive video projections, photographs, and installations all contained within a surround sound audio environment and based on months of interviews and workshops with a range of citizens

The exhibition opens at the Mailbox on the 7th of November, running until the 28th, before touring to galleries and community venues regionally, nationally and internationally

Eye of the Storm is a digital project that has started off in Birmingham with involvement from Sandra Hall from Friction Arts. Voila le blurb:

What do a human statue, a divorce lawyer, a buddhist and a recovering drug addict have in common? The invisible connections between very different Birmingham lives are laid bare in a new online and real-world project that explores how people find peace within the noise of 21st century living.

There are two parts, with the website showcasing the stories, with an outdoor digital art installation due to appear in the city centre at some point.