We want to thank all the brilliant people we’ve been lucky to work with this year; the artists, community groups and individuals who have contributed to our programme so generously with their stories and ideas. This year has not been an easy one, but we’ve continued to nurture pockets of community online and in person, and we’re looking forward to seeing what 2022 will bring! 

This year we brought some important projects to a close, including Ali Baskerville’s feminist personal safety guide By Us, For You co-created with local women-identifying and non-binary communities – a huge thanks to Blossoms Self Defence, Byng and MotherShip Projects.  We also launched Karren Visser’s collaboration with Sandwell Visually Impaired – Seeing in Isolation – a series of digital stories that challenge people’s understanding of sight loss. 

Launch of By Us, For You at Bearwood Community Hub, 2021 © Multistory
A woman with pink hair holds out her arm for a man, who holds it at the elbow. The man wears glasses that look like cut outs from an egg box painted black.
A student from Sandwell College receiving training on how to guide a visually impaired person © David Waldron.

Our artist development programme Blast Creative Network has continued to evolve, and we’re excited to welcome local artists back to a busy programme of talks and workshops starting in January! We’ll be launching a new round of bursaries in the spring.

This year’s bursary recipients Perm Bhachu, Laura Chen, Atlanta Ellis, Scarlett Ford and Vijay Pall gave talks to the rest of the network at Lodge Road Community Centre. (Pictured right: Atlanta Ellis presenting her project Mixed Tangible.)

Atlanta Ellis presents her bursary project © Michael Landelle

We’ll also continue delivering our three-year Historic England and Sandwell Council funded programme We Are Wednesbury. Look out for plenty of activities between now and 31 March 2022, including: a community-engaged project by artist duo Hipkiss & Graney; Market Place events; an open photography competition with Tekkinpix; live performances in shops with Black Country Touring; community walks and an audio-visual project that celebrates the diverse languages, cultures and dialects of Wednesbury.  

Read about our upcoming projects and opportunities in our end of year newsletter.

Wishing everyone a wonderful winter break and we hope you’re finding some joy amongst the madness!

Tom Hicks leads a walking tour of Wednesbury as part of the photography project Wednesbury Through the Lens © Phillip Parnell
Lloyd Haughton, The Allotments, We Are Wednesbury, 2020 © Denise Maxwell