THIS IS TIPTON: OWEN STREET Artist Residency
Artist commission brief and call out - Three Fifteen Place Partnership, by Creative Black Country
Opportunity at a glance: Creative Black Country is commissioning an artist, or artist collective, to spend a residency in Tipton creating new work that responds to the theme Tipton Threads as part of the This is Tipton programme. The residency ends with a public sharing, performance or exhibition within the square.
Commission: THIS IS TIPTON - Owen Street Artist Residency Jan 27 to Dec 27
Commissioned by: Creative Black Country, as part of Three Fifteen (Sandwell Place Partnership funded by Arts Council England)
Location: Tipton, Sandwell
Artist fee: £15K inclusive VAT
Deadline for applications: 25th November 2026
Interviews: Week commencing 7th of December 2026.
Delivery period: January 2027 to December 2027
Open to: Artists, creatives and collectives working in any art form. A deep understanding of community based and place-based creative practice required.
About Three Fifteen and Creative Black Country
Three Fifteen is Sandwell's Place Partnership programme, funded by Arts Council England and led by Creative Black Country. It brings culture closer to home in three towns: Tipton, Smethwick and Wednesbury.
The programme takes its name from the fifteen-minute city idea. Its aim is that people can take part in high-quality arts and culture within a fifteen-minute walk of where they live. It focuses on wellbeing, connection and long-term sustainability, building on more than a decade of place-based creative work in the Black Country.
Three Fifteen is delivered with Black Country Touring, Multistory, Metropolitan University Hospital , Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Black Country Housing Group, Black Country Together, and Birmingham Opera Company.
Creative Black Country is the Black Country's Creative People and Places programme. It works with local people to shape and commission art that matters to them, in places where they already are.
Why Tipton
Tipton is one of the three towns in Sandwell selected for this step change programme of work. Tipton is a canal town at the heart of the Black Country, historically shaped by ironworking, mining and the waterways that carried their goods. Its people and stories have long been woven together by industry, migration, family and connections to place.
The Themes
We invite artists to respond to two linked themes. The prompts below are starting points, not a checklist. We want your own reading of them, shaped with the people of Tipton.
This Is Tipton
This is the overall theme for the programme being delivered in Tipton. The residency is a chance for Tipton’s communities to see their town through fresh eyes, and to tell its stories in their own words.
The change, what is Tipton now, and what do future residents want to see and share.
The everyday places that matter: the square, the businesses, the canal towpath, the café, the school.
Tipton Threads
The theme for the residency is Tipton Threads, this could be reflected through many different routes: The connections that run through the town, past and present.
Threads between people: families, generations, neighbours and communities.
Threads through place: canals, roads and routes that link Tipton to the wider Black Country and the world.
Threads through time: industry, craft and making, and the stories passed down
Artists may work in any art form, such as, visual art, textiles, photography, film, sound, writing, spoken word, music, theatre, dance, digital or participatory practice
Places to be creative in Tipton
Groundworks Tipton
For this residency we are partnering with Groundwork West Midlands who are based in Tipton shopping Centre. Building on Groundworks commitment to sustainability, improving spaces and connecting communities, artists are invited to work in collaboration with the Unity Brew Café. You can find more about Groundwork’s on their website: https://www.groundwork.org.uk/westmidlands/
Other spaces
In keeping with the fifteen-minute idea, the residency could work alongside the following areas but is not limited to:
Green spaces and waterways: Canals, parks and coronation gardens.
Shops and Businesses: Unity Brew Café, local businesses, Tipton Shopping Centre and Tipton Train Station Underpass.
Community and Learning Spaces: Tipton Library, Community Centres, Tipton Job Centre and local schools.
Sports, Leisure and Health, Tipton leisure Centre, local sports spaces and Neptune Health Centre.
Heritage spaces: Tipton Slasher, Fountain Inn and Coronation Gardens.
What the residency involves
The residency has the following outputs.
Collaboration and Presence Work alongside local schools, Unity Brew and Groundworks, local businesses and community groups.
Build relationships, meet people where they are, and involve them in shaping the work. This should include people who don't usually take part in the arts.
Research and development. Explore This Is Tipton and Tipton Threads through conversation, gathering stories, testing ideas and making new work.
A public moment or moments. Present a sharing, performance or exhibition [location and date TBC], open to everyone in Tipton.
We also expect the artist to:
Meet regularly with the Creative Black Country team for check-ins and support
Help capture the residency through photos, notes or short films for evaluation and sharing
Work within safeguarding guidance
Take part in reflection, impact and evaluation throughout the residency with CBC programme Evaluators
Who we are looking for
We want to hear from artists and collectives who:
Have experience of working with communities, or a strong commitment to doing so
Are curious about Tipton and keen to spend real time in the town
Has a deep understanding of Sandwell
Can work with young people, families and adults of all ages, including people who don't see themselves as creative
Make work of high quality through co-creation
Can work flexibly, independently and as part of a team
We particularly welcome applications from artists have a connection to Tipton, Sandwell or the Black Country.
Fee, budget and support
Artist fee: £15,000 inclusive of VAT
Materials and production budget: To be discussed
Access budget: available for artists who need it, separate from the fee
Support from Creative Black Country: introductions to partners and community groups, help with venues and permissions, marketing of the final event, and a named contact throughout
The fee includes travel, expenses and VAT if applicable.
Timeline
Application deadline: 25 November 2026, midnight
Interviews: Week Commencing the 7th of December 2026
Artist commissioned: December 2026
Delivery period: Jan 2027 - Dec 2027 (12 Months)
How to apply
Please send the following to info@creativeblackcountry.co.uk by midnight on 25th of November 2026, with "Tipton Residency" in the subject line.
A short proposal (max 2 sides of A4) covering:
Your initial response
How you would approach the residency, include project outline with key mile stones
What the sharing, performance or exhibition might look like
Your CV or a short bio (max 1 side of A4)
Examples of previous work: up to 6 images, or links to up to 3 videos or audio clips
A completed equal opportunities monitoring form - download from here
We welcome applications in other formats, such as a video or audio recording of up to 5 minutes in place of the written proposal.
Selection
A panel will shortlist applications and invite artists to interview in the week commencing 7th of December 2026.
Access and contact
We want this opportunity to be open to everyone. If you need this brief in another format, help to apply, or support at interview, please get in touch.
Contact: Megan Parker, Place Lead for Tipton, Creative Black Country Email: Megan@creativeblackcountry.co.uk
Three Fifteen is funded by Arts Council England with support from Sandwell Borough Council.
