Earlier this month, a warm and welcoming space was created in the Black Country as the Beyond One Culture event brought people together for a vibrant celebration of creativity, culture and connection. Supported through our Creative Communities strand, the one day event invited people from across the region to share in live music, performance, art and food, creating an atmosphere that felt open, joyful and deeply human.

Earlier this year, we commissioned a project with Misfits Music through our Creative Communities strand, to work with their Tipton Rock Collective, an inclusive community rock group for adults that meet regularly to rehearse and perform rock music in Tipton, Sandwell.

In a leafy corner of Willenhall Memorial Park, something quietly powerful has been growing. What began as a casual conversation during a walk through Fibbersley Nature Reserve has blossomed into a vibrant writing group rooted in creativity, community and connection to place.

Creative Communities PODCAST: In Wolverhampton with Simon Suphandgali

Creative Communities PODCAST: In Sandwell with Stourbridge-based artist Ruth Turnball and Robert Bruce, CEO of the Dorothy Parkes Centre in Smethwick.

Creative Communities special series - PART 04: SANDWELL

Creative Communities special series - PART 03: WOLVERHAMPTON

CBC Creative Advisor Laura chats to illustrator Roots who supported the Friends of Abbey Street Park to design and paint a mural to brighten up a wall and celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Creative Communities special series - PART 02: DUDLEY

Creative Communities special series - PART 01: WALSALL

CBC Creative Advisor Laura chats to David who shares how he collaborated with the team at the Creative Factory and how they set up a writing group.

This month we have relaunched our Creative Communities strand of support where communities are invited to try out something new; for example craft skills, setting up a choir, or starting a garden gallery with your neighbours. You can also use the support to ‘go and see’ something like a theatre show or visit a museum or gallery.

Walsall Arboretum bandstand was open to the public last weekend (11-12 September) to host I Remember Walsall Illuminations – an exhibition of photos and videos about the famous Midlands light show which ran for 57 years in the town’s premier park.

I Remember Walsall Illuminations: An exhibition of photos and video at Walsall Arboretum Bandstand, 11-12 September.

Imaginative sculptural birdhouses tell stories of migration to Birmingham and the Black Country.

U Island CIC and West Midlands based arts organisation Juneau Projects, have been working with families and individuals originally from Russia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and the UK to create imaginative sculptural birdhouses that tell their stories of migration to the Black Country and their sense of home.

The team at Paycare, a Health Cash Plan and Wellbeing Training provider based in the heart of Wolverhampton, has donated £20,000 to Creative Black Country to help us to support 17 projects as part of ‘Creative Connections’ - our strand of work aimed at bringing joy to communities during the pandemic.

Join Creative Black Country on MONDAY 6th April at 4pm via ZOOM to chat, ask questions and find our more about submitting your idea to our Creative Communities Commissions.

Following announcements by the UK Government asking the population for increased social distancing, we would like to update you with our plans for the upcoming weeks.

Join us in Halesowen to talk about how we can support your projects with our Creative Communities strand. If you are working in creative ways to engage people, have an idea for a project that needs support, want to connect and meet with like-minded creatives then join us for our informal March get together.