Women’s Tour of Britain: Walsall town centre, Tuesday 5th October, 9.30am – 5pm
Come along and enjoy an exciting day of cycle racing and celebrate the huge contribution that Walsall Cultural Compact members are making to the accompanying Festival of Sport and Culture.
University of Wolverhampton Sport will have a stall at the fan zone within the grounds of the Arboretum. Experts from a sport and exercise background will be on hand to share their knowledge, together with a range of specialist equipment on which visitors can test themselves. There will be sporting activities for visitors to try throughout the event and Sport WLV fitness staff will be present to give information on diet, healthy lifestyles and exercise.
Drawing on Walsall’s legacy as the town of 100 trades, Urban Hax will stage a Maker & Craft Fair in the town centre to highlight the range of creative people found across the whole of Walsall. “From leather artisans to fashion designers to guitar makers to jewellery makers, the borough continues to excel in the art of craft and of making which builds on its industrious and creative past”. Meet local creatives, makers and artisans as they demonstrate their skills.
Walsall’s friendly hippo will make an appearance somewhere in the crowd. Designed by the University of Wolverhampton’s School of Performing Arts, our Lion King-esque living puppet will be roaming through the crowds. If you’re not lucky enough to spot him then keep an eye open for one of our living picture frames: featuring performers from the School and designed by our production artists, meet the famous women of Walsall as you’ve never seen them before. The event will be accompanied by live music throughout the day with buskers, street performers and stilt-walkers provided by the School and our partners, Circus Mash. After the race, join us for an afternoon of entertainment and theatre games in Gallery Square and the Arboretum, featuring performances from the School’s dance, popular music and musical theatre students.
Andy Clayton will be accompanying the Poetry in Motion Bicycle around the town centre. The PMB offers a mobile podium from which local poets will address the masses.
The New Art Gallery Walsall will be celebrating the work of women artists represented in The Living Memory Project: The Black Country, including Caroline Molloy and her work entitled ‘Women of Walsall’, and the work of Walsall based artist Michele Harris. Between 4-5pm the NAG invites you to Join them for a free talk in the Community Gallery and a Meet and Greet with Michele in the Art Library.
Social distancing and limits on numbers will be considered in each space, for the comfort of visitors and staff.
Details of all events throughout the day can be found on the attached copy of the official timetable.
A number of the games in the 2021/22 National Futsal Series Men’s Tier One and Women’s SuperSeries season will be broadcast live on BT Sport from the Walsall Campus of the University of Wolverhampton.
University of Wolverhampton Undergraduate Open Day, 9th October, 9.30am – 3.30pm. Come along and explore the Walsall Campus: experience the state of the art facilities available in the Performance Hub (including the Black Box Theatre) and view the world class sporting amenities located here.
The School of Performing Art will launch its new BA (Hons) Digital Production Arts for Theatre course, which offers a ground-breaking approach to the production arts industry. Students will use digital technology to design and produce effects for film, TV and theatre including special effects make-up and prosthetics, wig and costume design, prop and set design, and AR and VR for theatre. Details on the course can be found here; https://www.wlv.ac.uk/courses/ba-hons-digital- production-arts-for-theatre/
KIONDO CIC is proud to announce its Take Action Fund, funded by WMCA’s Cultural & Creative Social Enterprise Development Programme. The Take Action Fund is an 8-week development programme for cultural and creative micro organisations based in the West Midlands, looking for an opportunity to develop their organisations to better serve their local areas and communities.
KIONDO is awarding five £1,700 grants and eight weeks of intensive peer to peer business development support to five emerging social enterprises based in Walsall, Birmingham, Greater Birmingham and Black Country region who use artistic or creative activity to help their communities by :
- Improving community cohesion
- Addressing inequalities
- Improving education & skills opportunities
- Improving health & wellbeing
- Taking climate action & championing sustainability.
For more information or to apply, please download and read the Application Guidelines and the Online Application Form to apply by Tuesday 12th October 2021, 11:59pm.
For enquiries and application support contact takeaction@kiondo.co.uk
As part of the ‘We Are Walsall’ campaign, Walsall Council has installed a bandstand in Gallery Square in the town centre and local musicians/performers are invited to perform on Walsall Wednesdays. It’s all set up and ready to go! It would be brilliant to see local groups performing in this space, showcasing local communities and the diversity and talent of Walsall.
Details of dates and an application form can be found on the We Are Walsall website: https://go.walsall.gov.uk/wearewalsall
The Creative Industries Federation launches national survey. With the furlough scheme ending, and the government announcing its intention to drop the £20 Universal Credit uplift, CIF want to understand how these and other major issues are affecting businesses and the self-employed. The vital insights you can provide will shape and determine CIF’s message back to government. CIF is asking as many people as possible from across the sector to complete the survey by Monday 4th October 2021. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VB3TSMH
Creative Black Country: Drop in and find out more about the More Than Human High Street Monday 4th October, 11am – 3pm, CoLab, 201a High Street, Dudley, DY11QQ
A More Than Human High Street is a project by social artists Helen and Bill who have been inviting people to take part in a series of workshops for anyone with an interest in the High Street.
They have spent the last few months helping people to explore a more-than-human High Street through a series of art based activities and interventions and now they are sharing some of those findings with a new installation. For us to understand what people might want of their High Street we need to understand how they use it: What happens when fun things pop-up? Does it change how people feel about and use the High Street? Will it help shape things to come? Helen and Bill will be opening up the installation for you to drop in and find out more.
Creative Black Country at the Black Country Business Festival Demystifying Accessible Marketing Communications aka Making Your Messages Clear with Paula Dower
Wednesday, 6th October, 10:30 – 11:30am
Do you see the same faces at your events? Do you want your messages to reach a wider audience? Do you have a limited budget? Then this session is for you!
DASH’s top five tips are easy, quick and will not cost you a penny! Register for your space here.
U Island’s Arts Council England Project Grants Funding Journey Thursday 7th October, 10:30 – 11:30am
Are you interested in applying for an Arts Council England grant but are unsure as you’ve not applied to a big funder before?
Join Creative Black Country (CBC) as they talk with community group U Island about getting their Arts Council England grant last year. Hear about the challenges and triumphs the group faced, and how support from members of the CBC team and Sandwell Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), meant they weren’t doing this daunting task alone.
Jill Brown from Arts Council England will join the discussion to share information on ACE grants, what details are needed, initial pitfalls to look out for when applying and top tips on using ACE’s Grantium system. Register here.
Two Worlds – Creative and Business Sectors Communication and Partnerships Wednesday 13th October, 10:30 – 11:30am
Two Worlds: the meeting of the creative and business sectors within the region to improve communication and opportunities for both. Come along and find out what the potential could be for your organisation. This session will bring together two local sectors, the creative sector and the business sector, to understand and explore how better communication and partnerships could offer mutual benefit. Book a space here.
Fund your Creative Project – a Practical Guide on how to Navigate Arts Council’s Grantium Thursday 14th October, 10:30 – 11:30am
Thinking of applying to the Arts Council? Do you have a creative idea but unsure how to apply to the Arts Council?
This session will provide Practical Support and informal training for community groups and artists who are applying for the first time, or who need additional support and advice to navigate the application process and portal.
Attendees will learn how to transform the creative idea into a fundable project. Practical ‘how-to’ guide to navigate the application process. A take away ‘tool-kit’ with advice and practical suggestions. Networking with other similar groups and creatives. Attract more funding and investment to the region. Book your free ticket here
October / November at the New Art Gallery Walsall
Families are invited along to The Big Draw Festival 2021 this October half-term for fun for all the family on the theme of ‘Make the Change’.
23rd October – Saturday Playdate – Positivity Rocks: Rock painting.
Free, drop-in, all ages welcome, 11 – 4pm.
26th October – Tuesday Tots – Big, Bright, Bold!: Painting onto cardboard inspired by artist Edward Kemshell.
For 2 – 4 year olds. £2 per child. Booking essential; call 01922 654400.
27th October – Wednesdays for All – BIG DRAWing with willow sticks, inks and charcoal.
Free, drop-in, all ages welcome, 11 – 4pm.
28th October – Thursday Skills – Make your Mark T-Shirts – with fabric paints, stencils and bondaweb.
Ages 4+, 11am – 12.30pm; Ages 7+, 1.30 – 3pm. £3.50 per child. Booking essential; call 01922 654400.
23rd – 31st October – The Big Wishing Tree
Contribute to our forest of scrap materials. How will you be kinder to the planet and its people? Make your pledge onto a paper leaf or fruit and hang it on our wishing tree!
Free, drop-in, all ages welcome, 11 – 4pm.
30th October – Halloween Playdate – Wire Spider Webs and Papier-Mâché Pumpkins.
Free, drop-in, all ages welcome, 11 – 4pm.
31st October – Diwali 21
We welcome all the community to our Festival of Lights celebration.
Free, drop-in, all ages welcome, 12 – 4pm.
Create woven lanterns inspired by artist Nilupa Yasmin, get our own Mehndi hand desi gn and enjoy Bollywood Dream Dance Group’s performances at 1pm and 2pm.
5th November – Festival of Lights lantern workshop at Caldmore Community Garden with artist Sam Mace.
Free, drop – in, all ages welcome, 5 – 6.30pm.
7th November – Lantern parade at Caldmore Community Garden
Check https://caldmorecommunitygarden.wordpress.com/ for more details.
