Looking back at 2018

2018 was an exciting year for Creative Black Country. We started with the news that after three years of being part of the Creative People and Places programme we would continue in to 2021. The team have been planning, organising, travelling and preparing to bring the Black Country another dose of great quality art and creativity that everyone can get involved with.

Here’s a few 2018 highlights from the team…

Joe with his painting of Anakali at Mela

Sajida Carr - Director of Operations and Development
We stepped up our game and partnership with the ZEE Sandwell & Birmingham Mela by curating the Arts Village in July; a successful interactive space full of fun workshops that were brilliantly attended. It was a highly engaging space with a range of activities which included a live painting by Joe Miles, characature portraits by Ben and digital and craft workshops. All of this was complimented by Nutkhut’s ‘Chappal’ performance. It was a great to work with the Mela team again alongside producer Shine Duggal, set designer Abigail King and Infamous Arts who built the amazing backdrops.

The Creative People Places conference in May was an opportunity to welcome national, local and international visitors who were given an incredibly warm welcome by Light House in Wolverhampton.

It was fabulous to meet the new Creative Communities groups at Goscote Greenacres in Walsall for a get together over freshly made pizzas. Goscote Greenacres are a former Creative Communties group who have continued to develop outdoor theatre shows and workshops at the allotment site in Walsall.

Sarah Zacharek of Wolves PhotoFest and Tom Hicks of Black Country Type one of the Open Access groups

Rosalind Argo - Project Administrator
My highlight of 2018 was hosting the first Open Access Awardee gathering at Light House. It was a great opportunity for community groups, artists and project leaders to meet, hear about one anothers’ current projects, share past project experiences, network and much more.

The CPP conference used an image of the Blue Ladies from Funny Things 2017 to represent the event

Liam Smyth - Creative Producer
There was so much to choose from but among them it has to be: Meeting and sharing ideas with our fantastic new Creative Communities. Going viral in January with 100 Masters Facebook page. 100 Masters being one of the winning projects in this year's European Youth Awards and shortlisted for next year's NICE award by European Centre for Cultural Economy. Making new contacts and expanding our networks in Indonesia. Hosting the national CPP Conference in Wolverhampton.

The Singh Twins at the launch of their exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Kerry O’Coy - Marketing and Content Manager
It was a busy year sharing our news with everyone but one of the key highlights for me was back in March when Sajida and I represented CBC in Chandigarh for the launch of our international photography project Girl Gaze. Our four photographers were all there (Andrea, Uzma, Jocelyn and Jennifer) and the launch was really well attended. It was my first visit to India and somewhere i’d love to revisit.

The Girl Gaze photographers

Girl Gaze gets its Black Country premier in May this year with curator Iona Ferguson currently working with the team at Multistory to present the exhibition at BLAST Festival.

I’ve also really enjoyed learning more about video content and working with Liam and Rosalind (with support from The Space) to produce some of our 100 Masters videos. It is always great to learn new skills - especially working across the ever-changing world of social media. And it was a real pleasure to meet Joan Lockley and her Hedgehog Freddie during the fabulous hot Summer to film what she does each day (save and look after hundreds on little hogs and hedgehogs).

The Singh Twins exhibition ‘Slaves of Fashion’ at Wolverhampton Art Gallery in July was amazing to see and we got to meet and interview the Twins also who were great. Their work is so intricate and full of detail we spent all day there.

At the end of the year I produced the 100 Masters Journal - an A6 68 page booklet of fun things to do inspired by some of our 100 Masters. It is probably one of the pieces of print I have enjoyed producing the most.