It has been a full and transformative year at Creative Black Country. We welcomed three new members to the team, Rayna, Kristina and Megan, bringing fresh energy and taking us to a lively group of thirteen. Our work has expanded with new partners and new strands, including a major heritage project and our evolving Place Partnership for Sandwell. We also reached a milestone birthday, celebrating 10 years of creativity across the region.

As we step out of 2025 and look to a fresh year, we wanted to share some of the things we have been doing and how your input is helping to put the Black Country firmly on the creative map.

A Fresh Look for a New Chapter

As we prepared to mark ten years of Creative Black Country, we felt it was the right moment to refresh how we present ourselves. We invited the talented Sister Minor to lead a brand update that reflects the inventive and people-powered nature of our work. Their new visual identity captures the colour, joy and personality that has defined our decade of creativity while opening the door to our next chapter and shows how we thread creativity through everything we do here in the Black Country.

Telling Our Stories Through Film

To share the stories that shaped our journey, we collaborated with filmmaker Amy Hill of Koru Films and Walsall-based creatives We Can Create. Their combined warm, thoughtful approach helped us capture the voices and experiences of artists and participants who have been part of Creative Black Country over the years. Through interviews, behind the scenes footage and moments of honest reflection, they have created a collection of short films that honour the people at the heart of our work.

Celebrating Ten Years at Wolverhampton Art Gallery

In March we gathered at Wolverhampton Art Gallery for a lively celebration of our ten-year milestone. The gallery buzzed with hands-on artist workshops, live performances and creative activities that reflected the diversity of projects we have supported over the years. It was a joyful evening filled with familiar faces, new connections, and a shared sense of pride in the creativity of the Black Country. You can read more about the event here and see what we got up to.

A Year of Looking Back

Throughout 2025, we revisited some of the projects that shaped our first decade. From neighbourhood festivals to community-led residencies and from outdoor arts activity to heritage projects, we reflected on the many works that helped define Creative Black Country. Sharing these stories across our channels gave us a chance to celebrate the people who have shaped our journey and to honour the lasting impact of their creativity. It has been a thrill to see how projects have grown, communities become even more inventive and the overall creative confidence that has developed. This has been seen through increased activity, more funding going to Black Country creatives, organisations and groups and an investment from partners that we hope will continue to grow as people continue to understand the importance of creativity in everyday lives.

Launching Making Our Mark and support with funding

One of the most exciting moments of the year was the launch of Making Our Mark, our new heritage project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. We welcomed our first cohort of community heritage projects from Walsall with ideas ranging from textile traditions to stories of migration and the history of local parks. The programme has already sparked new skills, confidence and curiosity within the communities taking part.

The partnership with The National Lottery Heritage Fund team and Creative Black Country is one of the ways that we, as a team with many years of experience, have been able to successfully draw down funding that we can share with communities. We understand the fear of starting a funding application and compliance, especially if you are new to the world of creative funding, so by being the holders of the fund, we are able to take some of the pressure away from smaller community groups who might otherwise find some of the requirements to access the fund hard to penetrate.

The Fundraising Fellowship Scheme grew in momentum this year and was a testament to the challenges that are out there. We looked at the funding landscape, different ways to access support and how new technology is both supporting and potentially disrupting the funding process. There were lively discussions, hints and tips, surgeries and of course, the all-important ‘Meet the Funder’ sessions available for those who wanted access.

Welcoming the National Gallery Art Road Trip

We were thrilled to welcome the National Gallery and their Art Road Trip to Wolverhampton and Walsall. Their interactive programme created new pathways into visual art and offered local groups a rare chance to learn from a major national institution. The partnership strengthened regional cultural connections and brought fresh creative energy into local spaces. We were delighted to be hosted by whg in their new housing developments and given the opportunity to offer workshops to isolated adults and residents looking to meet friends in their new neighbourhoods.

Juneau Projects and the whg Residency

Our partnership with whg continued to flourish. This year, Juneau Projects completed their Artist Residency, working closely with whg residents to explore creativity through playful hands-on making. The residency supported confidence and well-being and culminated in a special trip to London for several of the participants. The visit offered many of them a first opportunity to explore a major cultural city alongside the artists they had grown to know well.

Due to the success of the Artist in Residence programme we are thrilled to announce there will be more AiR opportunities in 2026, this time in Sandwell.

Supporting Communities Through Creative Advisers

Behind most of our projects, it is the Creative Advisers who continue to provide vital support for groups across the region. They helped communities access go and see opportunities and offered guidance to help people shape creative ideas in their own neighbourhoods. Their work continues to build confidence and open doors while strengthening local creative networks.

As the advisers are so well-connected, they are always working on ways to ensure that creative ideas get even more of a boost. What might start as an explorative conversation can often turn into something really exciting. We encourage local communities to get in touch with their dedicated adviser and start a conversation.

An updated website experience

As we got into the middle of the year, we wanted to ensure that all our stories and news were still accessible. After an audit of our website and a chat to the awesome Toni of Squarespace Genius, we got to work on employing her skills to give us an upgrade. Making the navigation simpler and adding an access widget, plus some lovely new design implementations that include Sister Minor’s branding, we now have the Creative Black Country website version 4.0.

Digital creativity and AI across the Black Country

Our work with The Space continued to expand in 2025 as we supported more artists and organisations to deepen their knowledge, learn new digital techniques, attend supported talks and develop their own creative practices thanks to Black Country Digital Firsts. From community storytelling via podcasts, turning much-loved photography skills into filmed pieces, to fun filmed projects that reimagine a Black Country of the future underwater, the variety of digital works has been unfolding, giving people the opportunity to take time to up-skill.

We haven’t shied away from learning about Artificial Intelligence either. The team have been undertaking training and delving into how AI can further support our work. While we navigate these quickly expanding, ever-changing tools, we are keen to ensure the creative community that the techniques we engage are for the team’s admin purposes; we certainly won’t be taking away any skilled work or commissions from creatives. We love working with people and will continue to do so. Like all emerging tech, we are keeping an open mind, learning more, doing our research and listening to people to understand how best to implement going forward.

Three New Editions of Bostin News

Autumn saw the launch of three new editions of Bostin News, each one packed with stories celebrating creativity across the region. The zines highlighted projects supported by Creative Black Country and shone a light on artists, makers and community groups doing brilliant work. From interviews to photo essays, the publications offered a rich and varied snapshot of creativity in the Black Country. You can read more here.

Arts Council England Funding Secured + Sharing Good News at the Autumn Social

One of the standout achievements of the year was securing our next three years of funding from Arts Council England so that we can continue as part of the Creative People and Places program. This support means we can continue our work across the Black Country until 2029, giving us the stability to grow long-term relationships with communities and partners and to build on the momentum of the last decade.

Continued funding is not guaranteed, and as a team, we certainly do not take it for granted that we will receive this funding each round. Like all National Portfolio Organisations, we must apply every three years. However, we thank our core team and our Partnership Board for the time and support they dedicated to bringing creative projects to the region.

We celebrated this exciting funding news at our Autumn Social held at The Rock Church in Walsall town centre. Guests joined creative sessions with Lauren, Michelle and Odette, and the space filled with conversations, new friendships and moments of shared making. It was a warm and uplifting way to look ahead to the future and showcases the power of bringing people together to connect.

Launching THREE 15 in Sandwell

To close the year, we stepped into our leadership role alongside our partners on the Sandwell Place Partnership - THREE 15. This ambitious 3-year programme is designed to bring creativity closer to home in Tipton, Smethwick and Wednesbury. By building sustainable creative activity and strong local partnerships THREE 15 marks a major step forward in our commitment to supporting community-led arts across the Black Country.

There will be plenty of opportunities for locally based creatives in these towns to work with us, and we’ll be putting callouts on our mailing list and socials.

Looking to 2026… and beyond

We know this has been a challenging year for the creative community with shrinking resources and fewer opportunities. Throughout 2025, we have continued to advocate for responsive and resilient support and worked hard to devolve as much of our funding as possible so that communities and groups can access the opportunities they need.

As always, during any event, workshop or gathering, we are committed to keeping people safe. As 2026 approaches, we are mindful of how divisive the wider climate feels, and we want to continue advocating for a Black Country that is tolerant, open, and welcoming to all. We believe creativity has the power to bring people together and to build understanding across our communities. We hope you will join us in shaping projects and ideas that are inclusive and rooted in kindness so that everyone feels able to take part and feel a sense of belonging.

Keep up-to-date with news and opportunities:

We look forward to working with Black Country communities and creatives going forward and remind you that we are here to chat through ideas, support communities and share brilliant Black Country stories. Keep up-to-date with our latest support and opportunities by signing up to our newsletter here.

Looking Back at 2025: A Year of Creativity, Community and Celebration