Sajida Carr and Vishalakshi Roy discuss the evolution of Creative Black Country's evaluation approach at the GEM conference.

Between November and December 2023 Creative Black Country commissioned Earthen Lamp to undertake a study examining how the cultural landscape of the Black Country has changed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Making the most of… supporting volunteering opportunities for the D/deaf community. In 2022, CBC received funding from Arts Council England after a successful funding bid made through Culture Central to set up the Culture Volunteers WM project.

Making the most of… participatory opportunities for communities. Curl Girl Theatre Productions is a small, Birmingham-based theatre company, established in 2023 by Kiren Jogi, a professional actress, writer and creative practitioner.

Making the most of… international partnerships and connections. Launched in 2021, Cultural Bridge is a national programme which aims to forge international partnerships and foster creative collaborations between the UK and Germany.

Making in the most of… creativity and performance at MELA. Birmingham MELA (also known as Sandwell and Birmingham MELA), established in 2011, is the “biggest South Asian music festival” of its kind across the UK and Europe.

Making the most of… exploring the Black Country. As part of the Creative Communities programme, Creative Black Country (CBC) provides support for groups of people to engage with cultural activities that they might have no previous experience with.

Year 7 Summary - April 2021 to March 2022. With the ongoing challenges of COVD-19 and its after-effects the approach to our work has continued to reflect and react to what our network of artists, creatives, organisations and communities tell us.

Responding to new challenges and supporting sector resilience. The CBC team continued to respond to new challenges, with the impact of COVID-19 on communities and creatives being a key area to address.

Creating new opportunities: Local programming in response to a major national touring show + International showcase for Desi Pubs.

CBC has been on a self-development journey building actions over the years to create work which is accessible. This has been achieved through a number of ways…

In July 2021, CBC ran a temperature test exercise through an online survey to gain insights into how the cultural sector in the Black Country coped with the Covid-19 pandemic over the past year. The information gathered also aimed to identify how the sector is currently responding to the lifting of restrictions…

A series of quick-fire sharing events to help inspire creativity across the Black Country. 20x20, is a series of online events in which two creatives spend 20 seconds each presenting their work and experiences with the help of 20 slides.

Inspiring young people to work in the creative industries with ‘Creative Confidence Sessions’ Stourbridge Jobcentre was selected to become part of CBC’s Creative Communities programme in 2020 as part of the organisation’s new programme in Dudley.