An exciting art festival celebrating the artistic talents of Birmingham children and young people is set to hit the city’s streets later this month.
Showcasing work from artists aged 0-24 years; the Visualise Festival is the first large-scale festival of its kind to be held in Birmingham and is entirely made up of work by the city’s home grown talent.
Taking place from 21-31 October, Visualise Festival includes large-scale exhibitions of work by children and young people across billboards and bus shelters, and venues such as The Pavilions Shopping Centre, Birmingham Institute of Art & Design and mac. All exhibitions and showcases are free of charge.
There will also be a packed programme of workshops and art activities for all ages including cartoon drawing, illustration and jewellery making.
Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture, Cllr Martin Mullaney said: “This exciting festival will brilliantly showcase work from talented young people across the city.
“There are many ways to enjoy art and culture and the Visualise Festival helps youngsters discover the joys of participation and taking an active role in the cultural life of Birmingham.”
The Visualise Festival Hub will be based at The Pavilions where visitors will see the winners of the first Open Art Competition to be held in the city for children and young people.
Selected from hundreds of entries, the winning artworks will be exhibited alongside works chosen for their exceptional creativity by the panel of expert judges. Throughout the week, there will be free art workshops where visitors can learn about different ways of making art including illustration, textiles and rangoli. All are welcome to come and participate in making huge collaborative works of art that will be displayed throughout the festival.
Works of art by the winners from the Open Art Competition will also be showcased on billboards, bus shelters and sites throughout the city.
Elsewhere, a packed programme of art and craft activities for children and their families is taking place at venues including mac, Soho House, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and Cotteridge Park. Talks and tours for young people and their families will also be taking place at Ikon Gallery, The Barber Institute and BIAD.
Visualise has been put together with the help of a team of Young Curators aged 18-24, who have been undergoing training as apprentices working alongside artists and educators. The festival is backed by Birmingham City Council and Speight of the Art – The Mark Speight Foundation.
Keep an eye on www.visualise-birmingham.org for full programme details.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Visualise forms part of A Creative Future II, Birmingham’s strategy for the arts and young people. The strategy aims to increase access to and the quality of arts and culture provision for young people across Birmingham. A Creative Future II is funded by Arts Council England, West Midlands and Birmingham City Council with additional support for the Visualise Festival from Speight of the Art, The Mark Speight Foundation.
Please address all media enquiries to Jigisha Patel, Visualise Co-ordinator (with Andrew Tims and Rachel Carter) at jigishap@gmail.com / 0781 507 0049
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