Balsall Heath Second Saturday

The Second Saturday of the Month

Category: All day

  • Self-Portrait with PRISM Photography Network

    Self-Portrait with PRISM Photography Network

    Discover the power of self-expression at our unique Self-Portrait Studio Event at The Old Print works, in the heart of Balsall Heath. This one-of-a-kind experience invites you to step into a professional studio space where you become the photographer and the subject. Capture your own portrait in a safe, creative environment using professional lighting and backdrops, guided by friendly experts who will help you feel confident and inspired. Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or a first-timer, this is your chance to create striking images that reveal your personality and story.

    Alongside taking your portrait, you’ll have the exciting opportunity to share your wildest thoughts and feelings on a communal mood board. This collaborative space encourages honesty, imagination, and connection—express your dreams, challenges, or inspirations through words, drawings, or images. Your contributions will help capture the vibrant spirit and diversity of Balsall Heath, giving voice to stories often unheard.

    By participating, you will also play a vital role in an ongoing documentary project dedicated to exploring life in Balsall Heath. Your portrait and shared insights could be featured in exhibitions, publications, or digital media, helping to construct a rich tapestry of this community’s identity. Join us for a day of creativity, reflection, and community building—where your story matters and your image can inspire change.

    The experience is offered by the PRISM Photography Network and it Is part of the Balsall Heath Observation project.

  • Self-Portrait with PRISM Photography Network

    Self-Portrait with PRISM Photography Network

    Discover the power of self-expression at our unique Self-Portrait Studio Event at The Old Print works, in the heart of Balsall Heath. This one-of-a-kind experience invites you to step into a professional studio space where you become the photographer and the subject. Capture your own portrait in a safe, creative environment using professional lighting and backdrops, guided by friendly experts who will help you feel confident and inspired. Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or a first-timer, this is your chance to create striking images that reveal your personality and story.

    Alongside taking your portrait, you’ll have the exciting opportunity to share your wildest thoughts and feelings on a communal mood board. This collaborative space encourages honesty, imagination, and connection—express your dreams, challenges, or inspirations through words, drawings, or images. Your contributions will help capture the vibrant spirit and diversity of Balsall Heath, giving voice to stories often unheard.

    By participating, you will also play a vital role in an ongoing documentary project dedicated to exploring life in Balsall Heath. Your portrait and shared insights could be featured in exhibitions, publications, or digital media, helping to construct a rich tapestry of this community’s identity. Join us for a day of creativity, reflection, and community building—where your story matters and your image can inspire change.

    The experience is offered by the PRISM Photography Network and it Is part of the Balsall Heath Observation project.

  • Willow’s Wardrobe

    Willow’s Wardrobe

    Focus on sustainable fashion, handmade and hand-upcycled clothing, made from recycled materials. ask about commissions too!

  • Summer Family Fun Day

    Summer Family Fun Day

    12PM – 4PM Saturday 12th July

    10 Malvern St. B12 8NN

    Join us for a fantastic day of games, laughter, and unforgettable family moments!

    Bouncy Castle, Face Painting, Delicious Food
    ACTIVITIES SUCH AS; STALLS, CONCERTS AND MUCH MORE!

    For more information call 0121 464 6349

  • The Old Print Works Market

    The Old Print Works Market

    Bric a brac/clothes/curios and more

    If you would like to be part of the market, please message us – info@secondsaturday.org.uk

  • St Pauls City Farm – Celebrating 45 Years

    St Pauls City Farm – Celebrating 45 Years

    Celebrate 45 years of Balsall Heath City Farm

    Saturday June 14th, 11am – 4pm.

    Refreshments, Plants, Stalls, Face Painting & Music from the 80’s!!

    For enquiries contact 0121 464 1888

    Or email: farm@stpaulstrust.org.uk

  • THREADS

    THREADS

    Exploring the quiet power of women’s knowledge passed down through generations. At its heart are oral history interviews with four women from different cultural backgrounds, each sharing deeply personal stories about how they learned creative skills — from sewing to weaving — from mothers, grandmothers, aunties, and neighbours.

    These conversations, conducted by artist Kim Chi, uncover the invisible networks of care, teaching, and tradition that often go unrecognised as “work.” In response, Kim has created a moving series of artworks, which are exhibited alongside treasured craft objects loaned by the interviewees themselves — items filled with memory, labour, and love.

    The space invites participation: visitors can sit, stitch, listen, reflect, and add their own voices to a growing archive of collective memory and gratitude. This is more than an exhibition — it’s an evolving community space where women’s creativity and care are seen, heard, and honoured.

  • Stirchley Observation Project

    Stirchley Observation Project

    The PRISM Stirchley Observation Project are exhibiting their work on documenting the life of Stirchley. Their exhibition is in the Gallery on the first floor, just outside the Birmingham Darkroom. On April 6th at 6.30pm there is the exhibition opening – all are welcome. On the 12th of April at Balsall Heath Second Saturday , members of the group will be available for a tour of the exhibition. In addition, there will be free cyanotypes of images for the exhibition to collect. and there will be a small portrait studio set up for people to take self-portraits. It’s a fun way to get your studio portrait retaining control of when the portrait is taken!!

    Times for exhibition outside of above can be found here instagram.com/prismphotonetwork

    photo by Inderjit Deau

  • Peace Garden Open Day – Myrtle Cottage

    Peace Garden Open Day – Myrtle Cottage

    Peace Garden Open Day 🌄🌺
    Sat 8th February 11.30am – 3.30pm

    All welcome. Drop-in.Come and enjoy our beautiful Peace Garden this Saturday.
    🌱 Explore the plants and wildlife
    🌱 Relax and reflect on the changing of the seasons with an optional activity to leave a message in the garden
    🌱 Visit the Adil Khalid Remembrance Bench


    Drop-in / All welcome

  • John Row, Storyteller

    John Row, Storyteller

    Fresh from his role as Artistic Director of the Marrakech Storytelling Festival, John Row continues to captivate audiences worldwide with his masterful storytelling. A cherished figure in the realm of folk tales and oral tradition, John has spent decades weaving vivid and engaging narratives that breathe life into myths, legends, and folk tales from every corner of the globe. His warm, resonant voice and unparalleled ability to create magic through words make him a celebrated presence at festivals, schools, libraries, and community events across the UK and beyond.
    John’s roots trace back to the vibrant folk scene of the 1960s and 70s, where his natural gift for narrative first took centre stage. Over the years, he has become a respected performer not only for his expertise but also for his dedication to preserving the art of oral tradition. Drawing from an impressive array of cultural sources—traditional English tales, ancient myths, and indigenous stories—John creates immersive performances that transport listeners to other times and places.
    Beyond enthralling audiences, John brings storytelling into education and community spaces as a tool for learning and empowerment. His interactive workshops encourage participants of all ages to craft their own stories, fostering creativity, communication, and a deeper appreciation for the spoken word. His unique ability to connect with people from all walks of life cements his position as a beloved figure in the storytelling community.
    John has also contributed significantly to preserving the art of storytelling. From recording traditional tales to participating in international festivals and collaborating with artists, his work champions storytelling as a living tradition. Through his projects, he has not only entertained but also highlighted the importance of cultural heritage and its place in modern society.
    Known for his humour, humanity, and timeless style, John’s storytelling transcends mere performance, becoming an experience that resonates deeply with audiences. Whether sharing a poignant folk tale, a light-hearted anecdote, or an epic legend, John Row continues to inspire and enchant all who have the pleasure of listening to him.

  • The Upholstery Group

    The Upholstery Group

    The Upholstery Group will have their doors open so you can visit and see their work – and maybe get involved – all day, Lower Gallery, The Old Print Works

  • Portraits with PRISM Photography

    Portraits with PRISM Photography

    From September 2024, PRISM Photography Network has been running a 4 month long series of Photography Workshops. Every Saturday morning we met to study photography, discuss our practice and document the life of Stirchley, We ultimately aim at producing an exhibition at The Old Print Works. The project is led by Francesco Falciani and Oksana Bischin. On Saturday 11th January, the group will be taking portraits at the Old Print Works – From 11am The Old Print Works

  • SEWING SOLIDARITY EXHIBITION

    SEWING SOLIDARITY EXHIBITION

    SEWING SOLIDARITY EXHIBITION 🧵✨ ✊

    This exhibition showcases the artworks produced by Sewing Solidarity, a GAP project led by artist Jane Thakoordin that invited young people aged 13 – 18 to create a series of new banners for Balsall Heath and The GAP inspired by the trade union banner tradition.

    Over several months, young people took part in a series of sessions at The GAP in which we explored working class stories, local histories and banner art, and experimented with textile design techniques and slogans to co-design and collectively create five beautiful banners.

    The final designs bring together traditional and contemporary elements, and are inspired by the diversity and culture of Balsall Heath, and the richness of its community spirit and generosity despite not being monetarily rich. In times of difficulty, people have come together to support one another and show solidarity, despite our differences.

    In the trade union tradition, the Sewing Solidarity banners have been created as lasting pieces that can be used at community events, protests, demonstrations and celebrations to represent our solidarity for years to come. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for how or where these banners might be displayed in the local area!

    About the artists

    Jane Thakoordin is a participatory artist with over 30 years experience of co-creation with groups and organisations both regionally and nationally. Using textiles as the main medium, Jane draws on her background as a mental health professional and tutor to create spaces where people can experiment and express themselves. Follow Jane @janethakoordin_

    Project participants – Nimra, Naveera, Ruby, Mohamed, Mohammed, Nasaradin, Mariya, Zahra, Chi, Ezra, Jo, Hala, Mariya, Ayda, and everyone who joined us at Balsall Heath Second Saturday!

    Funded by @westmids_ca and @bhamcitycouncil

  • Crafts with Itzatna Arts

    Crafts with Itzatna Arts

    Crafting activities with Itzatna Arts.

    ITZATNA ARTS COLLECTIVE are an emerging artist collective based in the Midlands that create intercultural collaborations between artists and diaspora communities between Mexico, Latin America, and the UK.

    For more information https://www.itzatna.org

  • Activities at The GAP

    Activities at The GAP

    Sensory Craft Workshop with Wool and Clay – The MIX Cafe 12-2pm, all welcome, Drop in

    Sewing Solidaity Exhibition – The GAP Gallery, All day

    Young Makers Winter Fair – The GAP Cafe and The MIX Cafe, 11-4

  • Activities at The MIAH Foundation

    Activities at The MIAH Foundation

    Story-Time: Fatima al-Fihri

    Time: 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
    Cost: Tickets are £8 for one adult and one child, with entry to the exhibition included
    Booking Info: Storytime Club | MIAH Foundation

    Botanical Drawings

    Time: 12 – 3pm
    Cost: £18 (+ ticket fees)
    Booking Info: Botanical Drawings and Painting Workshop | MIAH Foundation

    Exhibition

    Time: Free drop-in from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
    Cost: Free
    Booking Info: Exhibition: From Samarkand to Salerno: Roads of Enlightenment | MIAH Foundation

  • The Old Print Works Festive Market

    The Old Print Works Festive Market

    Bric a brac/clothes/curios and more – pick up some gifts from the festive market at Balsall Heath Second Saturday

    If you would like to be part of the market, please message us – info@secondsaturday.org.uk

  • The GAP Winter Craft Fair

    The GAP Winter Craft Fair

    ✨❄️The GAP Winter Craft Fair❄️✨ Saturday 14th December, 11am – 4pm

    Pop down to @oldprintworksbrum on 14th December for a festive fun-filled day out whilst supporting local artists and young people. Expect an exciting array of unique handmade gifts and goodies for sale – all made by local young artists, designers and crafters – in amongst our cosy community cafe The MIX and during the bustling @balsallheathsecondsaturday.

    Featuring….
    @_achastudio
    @apundantlyclear
    @artbyamjam
    @hannahmandrews
    @capture.and.create.media
    @jenkoandco
    Mangoonthecanvas
    Knittingcrochetions

  • Memories Carried

    Memories Carried

    ****Full timetable of activities to follow, including games, music, discussion and more*****

    Following the inaugural Memories Carried exhibition at the Amnesty International’s London HQ in May 2024, and the launch event at the MIAH Foundation on the 26th October 2024, Art Forward are proud to announce the expanded Memories Carried Campaign and International Touring Exhibition.

    The exhibition series brings together over 20 international photographers and activists, including artists from Palestine, the wider Arab Region, across Latin America, the UK and Europe, as well as Israel, all committed to raising funds for charities on the ground in OPT and Lebanon. Exhibitions will take place in Birmingham and Newcastle, UK; Paris, France and Berlin, Germany, supporting Al Haq, Al Mezan, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children’s Fund, and Health Workers for Palestine.

    As part of the campaign, The Wall of Hope initiative will invite the public to take portraits of friends and family with a personal message of hope, which can be submitted online with a donation and an invitation to others to do the same. Beyond raising funds, the aim is to create a digital wall of portraits to offer hope and solidarity with the people of Gaza. This will be exhibited online and internationally at events, including projections on public landmarks.

    Through an evolving programme of exhibitions, film screenings and workshops, and most importantly through community building and conversation, this campaign will educate the public, support organisations working on the ground in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank, and build a repository of hope with international reach.

    Memories Carried will unite prominent voices on both a global stage and within local communities, denouncing the systematic discrimination of Palestinians under Israel’s system of apartheid.

  • Sewing Solidarity

    Sewing Solidarity

    Join us this Balsall Heath Second Saturday for the first session of Sewing Solidarity, an exciting creative banner-making project for young people combining textiles, activism, local history and working class customs 🧵✊📢

    During this Saturday’s sessions, textile artist and craftivist Jane Thakoordin @janethakoordin_ will introduce you to the use of textiles banners in social movements, and show you a variety of textile and design techniques to try out.

    🔴 For ages 13-18

    🔴 Two sessions – join one or both! (11am-1pm & 2-4pm)

    🔴 Free

    Sign up below

    https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfO4gv2LJVX4zdKl0tNSEPHptrX9PN7LFiBG8KRKCEN0UhkFQ/viewform

  • Plans for Moseley Road Baths

    Plans for Moseley Road Baths

    10am onwards, The Drawing Room, The Old Print Works

    Join people from Moseley Road Baths to discuss the plans for the building once major refurbishment works are completed and to find out how you can be involved

  • The Old Print Works Market

    The Old Print Works Market

    Bric a brac/clothes/curios and more

  • The Upholstery Group at The Old Print Works

    The Upholstery Group at The Old Print Works

    The Upholstery Group will have their doors open so you can visit and see their work – and maybe get involved – all day, Lower Gallery, The Old Print Works

  • The Bike Project – Workshop Welcome

    The Bike Project – Workshop Welcome

    We are really excited to hae the Bike Project joining us in September with a whole days worth of activities – kicking off from 10am and finishing in the afternoon with an urban cycle ride.

    Activities to include

    Pop-Up Bike Drop-off Point
    Dr. Bike
    Jumble Sale (2nd-hand bike accessories and parts)
    “Winterproof Your Bike” – Mudguard purchase and fitting service
    Open Workshop – Opportunity for a taster session of volunteering in the workshop
    Kids’ Games – Balance bike course or similar activities
    Afternoon Urban Cycle Ride, following the above activities

    To find out more about the work that the Bike Project do, you can see here https://instagram.com/the_bikeproject

  • The Upholstery Group at The Old Print Works

    The Upholstery Group at The Old Print Works

    The Upholstery Group will have their doors open so you can visit and see their work – and maybe get involved – all day, Lower Gallery, The Old Print Works

  • Peace Garden Open Day – Myrtle Cottage

    Peace Garden Open Day – Myrtle Cottage

    Peace Garden Open Day 🌄🌺
    Sat 10th Aug, 11am – 3pm

    All welcome. Drop-in.

    This Balsall Heath Second Saturday, we invite you to our new Peace Garden, created by Bek and a group of young volunteers over the past 8 months. Located just next to The GAP and in-front of The Old Print Works’ house Myrtle Cottage, this small garden is intended as a space for the local community to learn about and connect with nature, and as a space for peace, reflection and the celebration of life. 🕊️ 🌱

    It’s looking absolutely beautiful, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

    For this open day, you will be able to:

    💚 Help us install a wormery, learn about soil and its life-creating goodness, and contribute towards community composting by bringing along your own food waste, greens and browns to add

    💚 Decorate a peace stone to add to the Peace Garden (or to take home)

    💚 Create a mini pond to attract pollinators

    💚 Or simply have a wonder or a sit down to soak it all in

    Hope to see you there 🌻

  • The Upholstery Group at The Old Print Works

    The Upholstery Group at The Old Print Works

    The Upholstery Group will have their doors open so you can visit and see their work – and maybe get involved – all day, Lower Gallery, The Old Print Works

  • TURNING POINT – video installation created by Sweet Patootee Arts

    TURNING POINT – video installation created by Sweet Patootee Arts

    TURNING POINT is a video installation created by Sweet Patootee Arts @sweetpatooteearts Inspired by the oral testimonies of people who lived and worked in the Caribbean in the 1920s, these films combine monologue-style performances, melodrama, comedy, projection, poetry, visual arts, folk songs and 3D sound to convey this momentous moment of history in Britain’s former slave colonies after the First World War – a new era for Black identity and pride ✊🏿

    We were honoured to be approached by Sweet Patootee Arts about sharing this work at The GAP as part of their vision to tour TURNING POINT beyond large museums by bringing it directly to local communities across Birmingham and London.

    Sweet Patootee also invited us to programme a series of interactive events that relate to the films in the exhibition, which members of our youth forum The Culture Collective helped us to shape. We’ll be sharing more information about these very soon 👀✨

    WHAT CAN I EXPECT AT THE EXHIBITION?

    🔴 Free entry, as always

    🔴 The films will be played on loop in our gallery space, with headphones provided

    🔴 Total running time 40 minutes (4 segments of 10 minutes each)

    🔴 Please note, these films contain content which some visitors may find upsetting or distressing. Information on relevant support services will be displayed

    🔴 A complimentary mini-exhibition on the political history of the period – curated by Nirad Abrol and Isra Kausar – will also be on display in the cafe area

    Funded by @HeritageFundUK

    © Sweet Patootee Arts 2022, all rights reserved.

  • Nicho Making Workshop

    Nicho Making Workshop

    📅 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝟭𝟭𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝘆
    📍 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗕𝟭𝟮 𝟵𝗔𝗛
    ⏰ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀: 11𝗮𝗺 / 13𝗽𝗺

    Create and take home a unique artwork inspired by the stories and games from ‘Stories Of The Wind’ – These “nichos” are sometimes a part of the ofrendas of the traditional Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead.

    They are often devotional but also quirky, made from common household objects and craft materials.

    All materials are provided.

    Register on Eventbrite
  • Ceremony of Self at The GAP

    Ceremony of Self at The GAP

    Ceremony of Self to will be joining Second Saturday in The GAP on Saturday 11th May. Join them for a drop in art making workshop for all ages.