Archive

I have just returned from my second holiday over the last 9 months- both four day breaks.

I visited beautiful vineyards, tasted the local wine, dined in award winning resturants, swam in the warm sunshine of an outdoor swimming pool punctuated by cheeky sips of freezing vintage cava, burnt my balding head as I walked across amazing landscapes with nothing but nature and my partner to keep me company ... and never left the West Midlands.

No I'm not going mad. My first break last summer (on albeit the only three days of brilliant sunshine all year) was in Herefordshire and the most recent (the first family holiday) in Shropshire. I was there in 2 hours (max) and in another world instantly.

Day to day life In the city can sometimes make it easy to forget the cultural vistors that visit our region. Great work is done to put arts out into rural areas, Live and Local, Arts Alive and Flicks in The Sticks to name just a few off the top of my head but still how many tourist end destinations are populated with tempting offers - its a hard nut to crack - but also one that has a rich captive fruit inside - often with expendable income and time ...

I know that's what TIC's do but I can't help feeling we are missing a trick here somewhere...

... not easily solved I know ....

.. answers on a postcard?

I came across this great blog on the Arts Professional website recently. Alice Devitt is talking about how often arts organisations' marketing campaigns lack vision, or are modest in their articulation of that vision, by comparison with commercial enterprises like Coca Cola or Nike. Let's face it, Coke is just a fizzy drink but if you believe the hype it has the power to change your life: it's the real thing, Coke is "it".

Alice says:

“If Nike sold trainers the way the arts sell art, their adverts would tell us that the trainers came in a range of colours; were of a mix of leather, fabric and polyeurethane foam and could be bought in a range of shoe shops and online.”

She's got a point. By contrast with Coke, experiencing a live theatre performance, piece of music or work of art really can change our lives. Maybe we should shout about it a bit louder?

Click through to read Alice Devitt's The Vision Thing on the Arts Professional Blog.

This week we have been launching The Big Picture - our ambitious project to gather 100,000 photos from all over the West Midlands in order to beat a world record for the world's biggest photo montage.

I joined the team in Worcester yesterday, where we spent a happy, busy, exhausting few hours taking photos of shoppers, passers by and people who had come specifically to have their photo taken, having heard about the project on the BBC.

So far we have got almost 3000 photos. Not bad, considering we only launched 3 days ago. What I am personally really pleased about is that people are not only sharing their photos, but the stories behind them. These are funny, cheerful, moving, dramatic and everything else in-between. We are painting a pictrue of a region full of life, humour, vitality and beauty - a really fitting picture of the West Midlands and the people in it.

We've still got 997,000 photos to go! So please log on and submit yours. We want your great artistic images, photos of monents you were lucky to catch, pictures of your pet, the biggest fish you ever caught, your family or people and places that inspire you. Take some photos of your family and friends tonight - even if it's on your mobile phone - and send them in.

Why not join us in this launch week and have your photo taken in one of our big frames? We will be in Coventry on Friday morning and Birmingham on Friday afternoon.

The project is running until the end of May - with events happening at galleries all over the region - so make sure you get involved!

Wow!

Just had a briefing from the brilliant Katherine Flynn regarding this years forthcoming International Dance Festival happening across the city for four weeks between April 28th to May 24th 2008!

All I can say is Wow! There's something for everyone with free outdoor events around Victoria Square, dance brought to innovate areas of the city with high footfalls, cutting edge work, huge public engagement pieces, multi venues, serious, light hearted, challenging and inpirational.

Watch this space and I'll post details of their forthcoming blog but in the meantime you can get very basic details by visiting www.idfb.co.uk

Don't miss it!

... its seems like an eternity since my last Changing Demographics post.

Green Berets should look after a young baby for three months ... the ultimate test of stamina, patience and nappy changing dexterity whilst avoiding heavy friendly fire from the Wilson wonder water canon. It continues to shape my self image... so arts - is their time anymore in my free time...

Well Theatre is out with a young baby - until we are at the bribe the baby sitter stage.
Similarly a dance performance (unless informal), opera and classicial or concert music performances also a casualty to the fear of a voilet baby outburst when Wilson disapproves of the artistic integrity...

All starts to sound a bit limiting but not neccesarily so... you soon learn that you need to escape the house to breed calm in your child and what better way than popping Mr in a sling and having a wonder around your local gallery, museum, festival or arts centre...

... again changing facilities and the ability to have an informal sit down and drink without putting the fear of god into other attenders add to the early family appeal.

As does any item that allows mom or dad to pamper him or herself after all the daily hard work. Extra points again for free parking, clean toilets and a small shop - you don't get to go around shops in town as much as you used to and a bit of naughtly, interesting arty retail therapy does wonders... and of course all of these are mainly all weather activities.

Baby arts are a plenty but not too culturally satisfying for mom and dad.

So in summary - yes their is time for arts but not for pure unadulterated indulgence of silent engagement over a long period. Of course that's just my experience too - Wilson - for many reasons - is not ready for a baby sitter over more than an hour or two - shortening our arts options.

However culture is not dead even in these circumstances, infact it acts as a welcome haven from what can seem a mildy repetative family routine...

Riot Shield, Umbrella, Chemical Warfare Suit ... sorry just off for a nappy change