Green Roots West Bromwich

Since April 2020, Multistory has been delivering Green Roots in West Bromwich as part of the wider Town Improvement Plan / Urban Greening Project led by Sandwell Council that is working to enhance the existing greenspace and improve the appearance of West Bromwich Town Centre. This exciting programme is part of our longer-term strategy and will be a main theme in our business planning for the next three years. We want to use the West Bromwich TIP initiative and funding as the springboard for our ambition to roll out the programme across Sandwell and use art to address challenging social and environmental issues.

Using art and culture as a vehicle for discussion and engagement around nature and the environment, Green Roots offers a series of free and accessible events and workshops across various locations in West Bromwich. We believe that providing a platform for local artists and communities to consider and connect with nature amongst the urban and natural landscapes in West Bromwich makes space to think about how we can use nature to reimagine and redefine the futures of our spaces.

The Green Roots West Bromwich programme places an emphasis on providing opportunities to share knowledge on the natural capacity of West Bromwich, whilst developing creative, digital and growing skills. In collaboration with partners The Wildlife Trust, Sandwell Council, New Square and local Artists, Green Roots comprises community mapping and surveying walks, wildflower planting, and a bespoke training programme alongside creative workshops that use illustration, photography and filmmaking as a vehicle to bring together art and ecology.

Jacob Williams (Wildlife Trust), Becky Sexton (Multistory) and Joshua Singh (Planning Regeneration Leader, Sandwell Council) on a Wildlife Walk by the Wildlife Trust & artist Lee Mackenzie_May_West Bromwich_2023 © Kelly Hadley

Pocket Park with Sandwell College

Expanding on Sandwell Council’s Urban Greening scheme, and as part of our Green Roots West Bromwich programme, we’re delighted to share our collaboration with students from Sandwell College’s Learning Foundation department on an innovative project to further develop the Pocket Park on Bull Street in the heart of West Bromwich.

Tools Use Training with the Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust and Sandwell College

As part of our Green Roots West Bromwich Urban Greening Cultural Programme, Multistory is working with the Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust and Sandwell College students for a week of nature conservation training and skills development. The Tools Use training is taking place between Monday 13 May and Friday 17 May 2024, at the Centre of The Earth – a purpose-built environmental education centre run by the Trust. It will guide the students on how to use and maintain a range of wildlife conservation tools such as bow saws and loppers.

West Bromwich High Street

West Bromwich High Street is a long-term community mapping project and new digital commission by artist and poet, Lee Mackenzie, in collaboration with musician and sound artist, Lorenzo Prati, and with Sandwell Visually Impaired (SVI) community members.

West Bromwich High Street is an illustrated poetry map and musical score of West Bromwich that connects the High Street to green spaces, as part of Multistory’s urban greening cultural programme, Green Roots. The map contains drawings of many of the area’s well-known buildings and the sounds of the high street as represented in musical notations.

Swards and Meadows

Working with The Wildlife Trust, New Square and West Bromwich community members, we planted a wildflower meadow in West Bromwich, outside Primark in the New Square Shopping Centre, as part of Sandwell Council’s public realm improvements.

Change Is Coming: photography workshops and exhibition

Photographer Kate Green worked with Photography students at Sandwell College on a series of workshops that explored and documented how they feel about their local environment, through photography and digital-media approaches.

The workshops culminated in an exhibition on West Bromwich high street hoardings, and a celebratory event at Central St Michael’s Sixth Form Art Cafe.

Reframing Nature

Reframing Nature was a project that involved two strands: working with filmmaker Soheila Javaheri for Visual Poetry and Razi Mohebi for Coffeegraphy, the aim was to ‘reframe nature’ by looking slowly, taking time to notice nature’s details and consider different ways in which we can interact with our surroundings and nature/the natural more widely.

Wildlife Walks

Multistory will be working with The Wildlife Trust to deliver a number of seasonal, educational and creative guided walks in and around West Bromwich. Working with individuals and groups, participants will explore and survey the plants, weeds and wildlife that can be found in this local area.