Balsall Heath Second Saturday

The Second Saturday of the Month

Category: Exhibition

  • Exhibition Opening: THREADS: An Interactive Exhibition Untangling the Hidden Work of Women (Part One)

    Exhibition Opening: THREADS: An Interactive Exhibition Untangling the Hidden Work of Women (Part One)

    Exhibition Opening: THREADS: An Interactive Exhibition Untangling the Hidden Work of Women (Part One)

    Saturday 8th March, 11am – 4pm

    Join us this International Women’s Day as we launch a new exhibition curated by Isra Kausar @israk_art as part of @balsallheathsecondsaturday . Featuring various craft activities and conversational prompts, the exhibition invites you to talk, listen, reflect and learn about the work of women that too often goes unnoticed and unappreciated.

    The things you make and thoughts you share will be a part of the community helping to untangle and appreciate the often hidden work of women, and will be included in Part Two of this exhibition, launching in April. This second part will also feature audio interviews with women local to The GAP exploring their personal stories on how skills are passed down through generations of women, as well as objects and mixed media artworks created in response by Kim Chi (a founding member of The Culture Collective and current team member of The MIX Cafe!).

    Part One of this exhibition runs throughout March.

  • Adfree Cities presents Digital Dystopia

    Adfree Cities presents Digital Dystopia

    “We have yet to invent the politics and new forms of collaborative action—this century’s equivalent of the social movements of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries that aimed to tether raw capitalism to society—that effectively assert the people’s right to a human future. And while the work of these inventions awaits us, this mobilization and the resistance it engenders will define a key battleground upon which the fight for a human future unfolds.”
    Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

    “[Fossil fuel companies] have been aided and abetted by advertising and PR companies – Mad Men fuelling the madness.”
    UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, June 2024

    Birmingham event: When fossil capitalism met surveillance advertising
    Saturday 8th March 2025, public talk at 4pm
    (Exhibition open all day from 10am – 6pm)

    As wildfires ravaged Los Angeles this January 2025, fossil fuel companies took out ads across California to stop new climate legislation at the state level. In Britain fossil fuel giants BP and Shell have bought ad spaces on public transport networks to focus attention on its renewable projects whilst slashing its green investments plans and ramping up oil and gas investments.

    All around us, advertisers are building new digital advertising screens in our streets with creeping surveillance technologies.

    Join us for the Birmingham launch of Digital Dystopia – a mock advertising unit made from recycled electronic waste – re-engineered to reveal the tactics of misdirection used by major polluters to maintain their social licence to operate. We’ll discuss how we build sustainable futures beyond consumerism to meet our needs; and how to create urban spaces that centre community connection, solidarity, public art and access to nature.

    With Robbie Gillett and Chloe Naldrett from Adfree Cities & Badvertising.

  • More Than Sight  exhibition

    More Than Sight  exhibition

    GAP Gallery 10am-4pm

    More Than Sight
    An interactive exhibition by Isra Kaur exploring alternative ways of thinking about art for both sighted and visually impaired audiences

    WORKSHOP

    Try your hand at our sensory Clay Challenges

    1. Sculpting without Seeing
      Liberate yourself from the judgemental sense of sight and enjoy the freedom of creating only with your sense of TOUCH.
    2. Art That Feels Good
      Shape, squeeze or stroke a piece of clay into piece to be included in our More Than Sight exhibition for people with visual impairment. What it looks like has no relevance—it’s all about how it FEELS.

    Saturday 8th February, 12-1pm, 2-3pm.

    Drop-in / All welcome

    Taking place as part of @balsallheathsecondsaturday

  • Islamic Bookbinding Workshop

    Islamic Bookbinding Workshop

    Join us at MIAH Islamic Arts Gallery to be introduced to the traditional techniques of Islamic manuscript bookbinding.

    During this workshop, you will examine a traditional manuscript in-person and learn the basic techniques of constructing a traditional Islamic manuscript. From collating the pages into signatures and sewing them into a textblock, to attaching them to a soft binding. You will create your own soft-cover notebook from scratch to take home and enjoy.

    This is an opportunity to get a glimpse into the traditional craft of bookbinding. All materials will be provided.

    Who is this course for? All levels of ability are welcome. Suitable for ages 11+ years.

    This workshop will be delivered by Dr. Neelam Hussain, Curator of the Mingana Collection of Middle Eastern Manuscripts at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham. She is a specialist in Islamic manuscripts and material culture.

    Tickets

    Tickets must be booked in advance using the link.

    Standard Ticket: £21 (+ ticket fees)

    REFUND POLICY: Please note that tickets are only refunded (minus the Eventbrite admin fee) if requested more than 7 days before the event.

    DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, THIS BOOKBINDING WORKSHOP WILL BE REPEATED ONE MORE TIME IN FEBRUARY.

    Through translations, manuscripts, and groundbreaking inventions by Arab and Persian scholars of the Middle Ages, this exhibition reveals how ideas and science traveled across continents, shaping our world today. Featuring artwork from manuscripts, infographics, original objects, facsimiles, short-films and an activity table for different ages to explore the themes of the exhibition, there is lots to do for everyone.

    Public Exhibition Dates: Thursday 14th November to Saturday 21st December 2024; open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Initially we are only releasing November dates – the December dates will only be released if there is sufficient demand beyond November.

    Admission: Free, but limited tickets so please book in advance (please check our website for timeslots and to reserve your visit).

    SCHOOLS, HOME EDUCATION & YOUTH GROUPS WELCOME:
    Our exhibition dives into STEM and history topics for KS2-KS4, from the Islamic Golden Age to the Silk Roads and the history of medicine. Perfect for an educational trip! Limited guided talk slots are open on Thursdays & Fridays. Email us at contact@miahfoundation.com with your group size, 2-3 date options (Thurs/Fri, Nov-Dec), and preferred time (12pm, 2:30pm, or 4:30pm).

    Please share and spread the word. We look forward to welcoming you!

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Gender and Equality: 40 years on!

    Gender and Equality: 40 years on!

    This exhibition explores women’s equality in Birmingham, focusing on the 1980s, featuring work done by the Women’s Unit, including the ‘Worth Paying For’ campaign (1986) by photographer Rhonda Wilson, the Celebrate Festival, and the Women’s Directory. The exhibition includes the creative work of women who challenged stereotypes and celebrated the diverse experiences of Birmingham women. It combines the formal work achieved in the City Council, including the position of women, and women’s activism. It is this legacy which this exhibition recognises. The research project and exhibition invite us to reflect on gender equality now, by considering how past voices, campaigns and activism helps us challenge contemporary inequalities.

    The exhibition is curated by Dr Annette Naudin and was developed in partnership with Dr Pedro Cravinho, Keeper of the Archives, Faculty Arts, Design and Media, at BCU. The archival materials presented in the exhibition are part of the Barbara Webster Collection. For more information about ADM Archive and how to access the Barbara Webster Collection, contact the Arts Design and Media Archive ADM-Archives-Requests@bcu.ac.uk . To find out more about the Gender Equality: 40 years on! research project, contact Dr Annette Naudin annette.naudin@bcu.ac.uk.

    This research project is funded by the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Grant Scheme.

    image – Isabella Hutchings

  • Taught by the Pen: the Qur’an and Calligraphy

    Taught by the Pen: the Qur’an and Calligraphy

    Taught by the Pen: the Qur’an and Calligraphy explores the role of the art of calligraphy in the preservation of the Qur’an in its written form through the centuries.
    The exhibition was launched during the month of Ramadan, during which the first verses were revealed.

    The exhibition will be open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 12pm-6pm, MIAH Foundation

  • True Form Projects Oriental Star Express

    True Form Projects Oriental Star Express

    All day, The Old Print Works

    True Form Projects ‘Oriental Star Express’ installation at The Old Print Works. In 1970 Mohammed Ayub founded Oriental Start Agencies in Birmingham. This record store and then label became one of the most influential and important parts of South Asian history and diaspora in the UK and world wide, before the store had to close in 2017.

    Image credit – Ian Reynolds

  • From the Same Cup – an exhibition of portraits by Jaden Brown

    From the Same Cup – an exhibition of portraits by Jaden Brown

    The GAP Gallery

    About the exhibition:

    Identity, connection, nature, power – these are the themes explored through Jaden’s artwork in this exhibition, highlighting the importance of representation in carving your own identity. ‘From the Same Cup’ asks questions, encouraging visitors to see themselves in the painted faces before considering how the personal can also be universal. Through detailed portraits of familiar and unfamiliar faces, morphed with natural elements and animal features, this exhibition
    highlights how power is found in our shared traits. A power that can be harnessed to
    improve and heal the fractures our world suffers.

    About the artist:

    ‘Art is my life, my joy, my passion and my superpower.’

    Jaden Brown is a young Balsall Heath-based artist who specialises in portraits.
    His work has been exhibited at the Birmingham Hippodrome and
    he has been involved in BBC One’s Children in Need. Inspired by Hyperrealism and Surrealism, Jaden has worked tirelessly to create an expansive and powerful body of work that explores identity, community and culture. ‘From the Same Cup’ showcases his ability to handle his materials to capture the inner spirit of his subjects, aiming to inspire viewers to think about their own identity and creativity.
    @jadenartist

    About the curator:

    Isra Kausar is a Birmingham-based creative studying History of Art and Classical Studies. Alongside her studies, she experiments with her own artworks – most recently in Islamic patterns – and writes regular blog posts and reviews of exhibitions and art events around the city. She has also run creative workshops and curated exhibitions at The Old Print Works.
    @israk_art

  • HERE TO STAY / HERE TO SLAY exhibition at The GAP

    HERE TO STAY / HERE TO SLAY exhibition at The GAP

    An exhibition of poetry, film, music, and sculpture by local young artists Ray, Samiir, and Nafeesa 💫

    Exploring the theme of land justice from the perspective of queer Black and brown young people living in the country’s second city, their work seeks to challenge out-dated assumptions and narratives around who belongs in the natural landscape of England – a nation with a long history of excluding and displacing people from their lands, whether in England itself or in other parts of the world.

    Developed as part of Write To Roam – an creative writing residency programme hosted by The GAP in partnership with The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust – the artists’ work responds to their experiences walking, wandering and writing within SBT’s heritage sites and land surrounding Shakespeare’s hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.

    Taking a playful, political and personal approach, the artists ask the questions ~

    🌳 Who belongs in the English countryside, and who does the English countryside belong to?

    🌄 How can we take up space in places that don’t feel safe?

    ⛰️What does it mean for our identities and relationship to land to be defined by legislation?

    🌱How can we experiment with the act of trespassing – on land, through time, across identity?

    🍀How can we heal and rewild ourselves through being in nature?

    This exhibition invites you to engage with these questions and explore the intersection of identity, belonging, nature and land.

    “Displacement makes a home of the world. I refuse to erase myself from English/European countrysides, even when I don’t feel welcome… If I’m here to stay, I might as well slay it and live as audaciously and authentically as possible. That’s the attitude I felt we all brought whilst being on this residency.” – Nafeesa

  • First Impressions with ATHAC Creative artists and the Ort Gallery

    First Impressions with ATHAC Creative artists and the Ort Gallery

    The GAP Gallery 2 – 3.30pm/ exhibition all day

    To celebrate the opening of the ATHAC Creative Artists exhibition join Ort Gallery for this drop in pottery workshop exploring pattern and texture, using a range of mark making tools and air drying clay.

    Create a unique selection of nature inspired tiles that you can take home and paint.

    The workshop will be assisted by one of our ATHAC Creative Artists.

  • Oriental Star Express exhibition

    Oriental Star Express exhibition

    10-4 upper gallery The Old Print Works

    Another chance to see this piece of Balsall Heath and South Asian music history.

  • Myrtle Cottage Garden Project with The GAP

    Myrtle Cottage Garden Project with The GAP

    Join us this Saturday between 12-3pm to find out all about our new garden project and how you can get involved! ✨🌱

    You will be able to….

    👀 …have a rare opportunity to look around the charming front garden of Myrtle Cottage, the oldest house in Balsall Heath and the former home of The Old Print Works director

    👋🏽 …meet Rebekah Warmington, Nature Pedagogue and Environmental Educator, who is collaborating with The GAP and young people to regenerate the garden

    💡…share your ideas for how the garden can be transformed into an urban oasis which reflects the heart and history of Balsall Heath and its vibrant communities and cultures

    🍂 …get crafty with some Autumnal Activities to get your ideas flowing!

    Be sure to pop by, have a little browse, let your imagination wander and share your ideas and inspiration to support the project 💫

    All ages.
    Free.
    Drop-in

  • Hell Bus Tour 2023

    Hell Bus Tour 2023

    The ‘Hell Bus’ is an exciting interactive art installation by artist Darren Cullen (@SpellingMistakesCostLives) exposing the dirty tactics polluting industries employ to green their public image. Joined by campaign group Adfree Cities and environmental organisation Switch It Green, people of all ages will be welcomed aboard the exhibition to be entertained, educated, and encouraged to get involved.

    The bus has already made appearances at COP26, Glastonbury Festival and Boomtown, and featured in comedian Joe Lycett’s Channel 4 documentary ‘Joe Lycett vs The Oil Giant’. It is sure to catch some eyes in Birmingham.

    The exhibition’s tour is timely, as public concern surrounding planet-harming activities and fossil fuel expansion is high while greenwashing by large corporations is leaving individuals feeling unsure of the solutions. The ‘Hell Bus’ tells this story in a fun and accessible way, while Adfree Cities and Switch It Green are on hand to provide people with simple, effective ways to take positive action against oil and gas companies like Shell.

  • Oriental Star Party

    Oriental Star Party

    Come and join us to celebrate the opening of Oriental Star Express exhibition in collaboration with @oldprintworksbrum. The celebration includes artist talk by @faishussainism, showing of our film ‘Request Line’, great music by @rizmi_____ , and food. This is a free event and everyone is welcomed. Booking below

    Register on Eventbrite
  • Climate Nans Caravan 10-1 The Old Print Works

    Climate Nans Caravan 10-1 The Old Print Works

    ‘We Are Here’ Campaign invites you to put your feet up, have a cuppa, some biscuits and talk to Climate Nan about the challenges that our homes, streets and neighbourhoods are facing.
    Climate Nan, as part of the We Are Here Campaign, will be parking her caravan at multiple locations across Ladywood and Balsall Heath between the 11th and 13th August as part of a tour of communities who have invited her to talk about the climate crisis. Residents can visit, share their concerns and discuss what can be done. Climate Nan will be offering a friendly ear to the neighbourhood with a warm invite and welcome into the caravan where you can either write a letter to the PM or local MP and or record a contribution to the podcast that will be recorded throughout the tour.

    Other stops of the tour:

    Friday 11th August, 10:00 -2:00 PM at the Neighbourhood Supper Club Summer Special hosted by CIVIC SQUARE and neighbours at Midland Sailing Club, Icknield Port Rd, Birmingham B16 0AA

    Friday 11th August, 3:00 – 6:00 PM at Birmingham Settlement- Edgbaston Reservoir Nature & Wellbeing Centre, 79 Selwyn Rd, Birmingham B16 0SL

    Saturday 12th August, 3:00 – 6:00 PM with Edgbaston Reservoir Collaborative (ERCO) at Midland Sailing Club, Icknield Port Rd, Birmingham B16 0AA

    Sunday 13th August, 10:00 – 4:00 PM at The B16 Lunch hosted by CIVIC SQUARE, South Loop Park, B16 0AE

  • True Form Projects Oriental Star Express

    True Form Projects Oriental Star Express

    All day, from 11am, 12th August, The Old Print Works

    Come along to the launch of the True Form Projects ‘Oriental Star Express’ installation at The Old Print Works. In 1970 Mohammed Ayub founded Oriental Start Agencies in Birmingham. This record store and then label became one of the most influential and important parts of South Asian history and diaspora in the UK and world wide, before the store had to close in 2017. Creating a replica of Oriental Star Agencies at Print Works, will allow you to explore records that defined South Asian Culture and the history of one of the most iconic record stores in Birmingham

    Image credit – Ian Reynolds

  • What if we learnt to reconnect with nature? Exhibition Launch & Seed Bomb Workshop

    What if we learnt to reconnect with nature? Exhibition Launch & Seed Bomb Workshop

    1 – 5pm at The Gap. All ages. Free. Drop in/No Booking required.

    Come along to this public sharing of artworks created by young people as part of The Other~Wise Summer School, exploring ways to reconnect with nature through creativity and culture. Meet the young participants to hear first-hand their ideas and learnings, and contribute towards the exhibition by sharing your own knowledge. Join us throughout the day to make your own seed bombs, and for a youth-led walk around Balsall Heath to distribute ones made during the summer school (exact time tbc).

  • RETROFIT BALSALL HEATH

    RETROFIT BALSALL HEATH

    Retrofit Balsall Heath is planning a day of tours, talks and teas to
    mark our one year anniversary and celebrate our Retrofit journey
    so far.
    In June 2022, drawing inspiration from Balsall Heath’s unique
    legacy of grassroots local democracy and the strength of positive
    relationships between local faith communities, Retrofit Balsall
    Heath secured agreement from Birmingham City Council for the
    local community in Balsall Heath to tap LADS 3 funding to retrofit
    700 local homes.
    So far, nearly 200 homes have had work done to make them more
    energy efficient, helping to tackle fuel poverty, health disparities,
    and the climate crisis.
    We have learned that “Retrofit” is more than a technical term for
    insulating existing homes to make them fit for purpose and fit for
    the future. It is a transformative concept for whole communities;
    for community neighbourhoods and landscapes, and for individual
    hearts and minds.
    We hope to share our stories, lessons learned, joys and
    tribulations.
    We welcome practical, financial, spiritual accompaniment and
    assistance for our next steps.
    https://zerocarbonhousebirmingham.org.uk/
    https://www.facebook.com/RetrofitBalsallHeath
    Please join us for our
    Retrofit Open Day 2-6pm
    Friday 30th June 2023
    hosted by
    zerocarbonhouse Birmingham – you can book here

    http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/retrofit-balsall-heath-open-day-and-evening-speaker-supper-event-tickets-623636101367

  • RETROFIT BALSALL HEATH

    RETROFIT BALSALL HEATH

    Directors Office – 1.30pm – 4pm- The Old Print Works, courtyard entrance

    An information sharing session about Home Energy Efficiency Grants

    Homeowners and tenants with a B12 postcode can apply for grants to have work done on their homes that could significantly reduce their energy bills. Other postcodes in Balsall Heath can also apply.

    There’s no household income cap, but the scheme is for older homes like these …

    The scheme is completely free for eligible owner-occupiers. Private landlords need to pay a 1/3 contribution.

    Want to know more?

    Please join us for information sharing – for you and your neighbours/street.

    It’s a chance to learn more about the scheme, how to apply for the grant and get your questions answered.

    Please invite your friends and neighbours from Balsall Heath.

    A three-page paper form needs to get filled in to apply – DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS 23 NOVEMBER!!

    If you can’t make it please email

    RetrofitBalsallHeath@gmail.com or

    mecctrust@hotmail.com or

    phone MECC 0121 440 3500

    https://www.mecctrust.co.uk/ or drop in at MECC, 93 Court Road, off Edward Road, B12 9LQ

  • Back Home exhibition

    Back Home exhibition

    11am – 5pm Upper Gallery, The Old Print Works

    We all have a ‘back home’, whether it’s Mombasa, Karachi, Kingston or Smethwick, there’s
    somewhere that we recognise as being where we originate from. It may be where we live now,
    or were born, or even somewhere we’ve never been.

    Back Home is an exhibition of black and
    white portraits of diverse Brummies, captured by legendary photographer Vanley Burke,
    at places across the city where they feel at home.

    Free