About
Multistory is a community arts organisation. We have been based in the borough of Sandwell since 2006 and the people and place shape our work. We build meaningful connections between local communities and artists to produce creative projects that tell stories of everyday life. We believe in the power of art to reflect the times we live in and tell stories to bring people together.
We work with a wide range of communities, creatives and partners to reimagine the local area, platform under-represented voices and inspire creativity and social change. Our programme of participatory arts projects, workshops, talks and events takes place in libraries, community centres and indoor and outdoor public spaces. The stories told through our projects have a local resonance but are also seen by audiences far beyond, both in national exhibitions and through our digital programme. We support artists through our development programme BCN, which hosts collaborative projects, residencies and skills development opportunities.
Values
Creativity – to encourage participation and expression.
Collaboration – with communities, creatives and partners.
Accessibility – to make art and creativity accessible to people that might not have access to it; to make our recruitment process transparent and open.
Inclusivity – of diverse perspectives / stories, at all levels of the organisation and its work.
Sustainability – social, environmental; economic.
Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to increasing access to, and participation in, the arts for all of the culturally diverse communities of Sandwell. This includes residents, groups and organisations who are participants in our projects; the creatives we employ and nurture; and the partners we collaborate with. We do this because art gives us the power to mould and shape our lives and experiences.
Multistory has signed up for the More Than A Moment Pledge – the West Midlands Arts sector’s response – and its promise – to take radical, bold and immediate action to dismantle the systems that have for too long kept Black artists, creatives and employees from achieving their potential in the arts and cultural industries. We have updated our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan; undertaken staff and Board unconscious bias and anti-racism training; and reviewed our recruitment and selection processes. We will continue this work, and attending quarterly learning meetings, as part of our commitment to the pledge.
We commit to creating an environment where everyone feels safe within our workplace, and across our programmes, and we will continue to push the organisation and to challenge ourselves.
Our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy can be found here or as a Word document here.
This website was made by Mark Murphy and Jacob Masters, in consultation with Access Consultant Kirin Saeed.