- Date: Monday 26 July 2010
- Time: 10.30-11.30am
- Location: Unit 204 The Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, B9 4AA
- Details: The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham, Cllr Len Gregory and Mrs Gillian Gregory, will officially launch the 2010 Gallery 37 Project.
Creative Birmingham youngsters will team up with arts organisations from across the city next week as part of an award winning city council backed arts training programme.
The 2010 Gallery 37 project will see 40 young people (Apprentice Artists), aged 16-24, working alongside professional artists in collaboration with leading cultural organisations including the newly refurbished mac, Blue Whale Training, sampad and The REP.
The Apprentice Artists will learn a wide range of new creative skills before the three-week programme culminates in a spectacular showcase of the work produced, with performances, exhibitions and screenings.
Cllr Martin Mullaney, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture, said: “Since it was launched in 1998, Gallery 37 has proved to be a tremendous success, with a number of participants going on to forge careers in the arts.
“This year’s participants will learn a variety of new skills and many of the previous participants have gone onto work in the arts sector.”
This year’s Apprentice Artists, who will receive a training allowance of £40 per week plus travel expenses, will take part in projects between July 26 and August 13, including:
- A multimedia visual arts project based at mac – inspired by Plug In, mac’s inaugural exhibition that celebrates Birmingham as a global city encountering change.
- A Digital Dance project at sampad that explores storytelling and oral traditions and links with The Sampad Story: a 20 year retrospective exhibition.
- A performing arts project in association with The REP.
Cllr Mullaney added: “This exciting and innovative initiative gives young people the chance to reach their full creative potential and this year’s participants will learn a variety of new skills, make new friends and hopefully have a lot of fun.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Gallery 37 images are available for download via the following flickr link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/birminghamnewsroom/sets/72157621767007741/
- Follow Gallery 37 on twitter http://twitter.com/Gallery37brum or join the Facebook group Gallery 37 Birmingham – 2010
- The programme was developed from a model of Creative Arts training for young people, pioneered in Birmingham’s sister city Chicago.
- Over 90% of youngsters involved have entered employment or training following completion of the programme.
- Gallery 37 employs professional artists and practitioners from Birmingham to deliver the programme and is a key provider of training and shadowing opportunities for those wishing to develop workshop delivery skills in the region.
- Since 1998 the programme has received support from a range of partners including the European Social Fund and Arts Council England.
- Having partnered with most of the city’s leading arts organisations year on year, Gallery 37 is now positioned through the national programme to build on both new and well established links and its strong reputation, locally, nationally and internationally.
For further information contact Geoff Coleman on 0121 303 3501
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