Making the most of… unusual spaces and places

It is important to us that we reach audiences in the places that they use, that are familiar to them and where they feel comfortable and safe. Many of our audiences and partners have never (or rarely) been to a ‘traditional’ art gallery or theatre space.

To address this we aim to use non-traditional spaces so that we can reach and expose unengaged communities across our projects.

Sandwell Mela (2015 – ongoing) - Capacity building in the park

Run by volunteers, MELA (South Asian Fun Fair) in the heart of Sandwell was a trial for CBC and the start of a new relationship that has strengthened over the years. The MELA attracts a large-scale audience in a park in Smethwick and is a special event for many intergenerational families. The volunteers' expertise is second to none and boasts a delightful experience for a local, regional and national audience.

To start, CBC facilitated workshops and introduced the MELA team to a range of artists and programming options that they had not considered before. CBC benefited from a national MELA Partnership that provided subsidised outdoor performances and inspired the Sandwell MELA to seek professional creative outdoor performances.

Six years on, CBC has successfully supported the MELA to bid for more significant Arts Council funding, introduced a dedicated arts village with a creative producer, and brokered relationships with key stakeholders, making MELA even more visible in the region. The pandemic halted CBC plans to celebrate a 5-year partnership milestone but we continue explore future options around what could happen next.

100 Masters (2017-2018) - Engaging audiences digitally, via social media and augmented reality

100 Masters successfully celebrated everyday creativity, acknowledging citizens who remain important bastions in their own communities, despite being overlooked in the wider cultural landscape.

The project team also utilised digital innovation to share stories as well as working with the UK’s largest regional newspaper, the Express & Star, to become the first ever newspaper in the country to utilise the power of Augmented Reality for non-commercial purposes.

100 Masters became a powerful network, made of people who can influence, inspire, exchange knowledge, and encourage new collaborations locally, nationally and globally. Some of the campaign’s online content went viral, with an artist film reaching over 9 million views.

In Autumn 2018 100 Masters was selected as the winning entry in EYA’s Open Innovation category 2018 and was shortlisted for the 2019 N.I.C.E award, managed by the European Centre for Creative Economy.

Desi Pubs (2015 - present) — taking the work to the audience

Desi Pubs is an extraordinary story about migration, survival, love and food. For over 40 years, the Black Country has been quietly incubating a gastro revolution, the ‘Desi pub’. It’s an East meets West story, where the classic English pub with its ales, darts and dominos meets Punjabi food and Bhangra and it was thanks to landlords; Beera, Jinder, Jeet, Dal, Slack and Amrik, who opened their pub doors to six artists to share their personal life stories and experiences over a pint.

The pub landlords and staff helped artists to shape bespoke creations which captured the heart and soul of each venue and their punters. Portraits, stained glass windows, photography, mosaics, and handcrafted pub signs were produced for permanent display in each pub.

The collection is part of an ongoing body of work produced by Creative Black Country that includes an archive, broadcasts, pub tours and a publication. The project captured the imagination of many taking the story worldwide with BBC World Service featuring the project and it also became the cover story of a pub trade publication.

Works produced have been placed in the 17th Venice Biennale and installed at the Southbank, ensuring that the project has been seen by tens of thousands of people.

Key lessons learnt:

• By taking creative projects into non-traditional spaces we can reach new audiences with new experiences

• Our projects are often more enriching, fun and diverse when we use unusual spaces

• We know that using new or unusual spaces can sometimes cause unexpected challenges but it can also offer fresh perspectives

• We will never assume that people won’t be interested - the more unusual the space the more curious and engaged the audience