Harminder Judge, Madonna and Child, 2009

We are delighted to announce that Turning Point West Midlands has been awarded funds from Arts Council England to contintinue its Projects over the next two years. 

From their website:

"We have been awarded £220,000 by Arts Council England’s Grants for the Arts scheme, running up to 2014. This major award, the first of its scale for the Turning Point network in England, will be channelled to deliver TPWM Projects including a number of artist residences and writing bursaries to promote new thinking and ideas, and engage with new audiences. 

Working with partner organisations, groups and individuals, we will deliver a new model of professional development for artists, and run a series of events to initiate new conversations and critical debate about the visual arts." 

Professor John Butler, Head of the School of Art at Birmingham City University and Chair of TPWM, said: “We are delighted to have received this investment from Arts Council England, which will be used to strengthen infrastructure in the visual arts, create more opportunities for artists, address gaps, and campaign for growth and change. Support and profile for visual arts in the region has not historically lived up to the talent and quality of the artists based in the West Midlands, and this goes some of the way to redressing the balance.” 

In addition to delivering new projects, we will continue our work in nurturing new talent and supporting artists across the region, their placement and promotion on a national and international scale, and our role as an advocate for the visual arts in the West Midlands.

Elena Cassidy-Smith, an artist based at White Tree Studio in Wolverhampton, commented: “Turning Point provides a vital focal point through which artists can interact, share ideas, and access support. It also means we have a stronger collective voice.”

Jonathan Watkins, Director of Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, said of the announcement: “As well as supporting artists like Elena, Turning Point works to build the profile of the West Midlands as a destination for the visual arts, and this helps to bring both local and international artists to galleries like Ikon. 

“That means people in our region and beyond have the chance to see truly world-class art up close, and this will hopefully inspire the next generation of West Midlands artists.”

To mark the investment announcement, we are launching a campaign to encourage people to Love the Visual Arts. For further details of TPWM’s new and current projects, and to engage in the conversation, please find TPWM on Twitter @TPWestMidlands and Facebook: Turning Point West Midlands.

Knowledge Sharing. Image by Johnny Magee.

The Turning Point Network, through the national Knowledge Sharing working party, has commenced its search for a Project Manager to help deliver a new network-wide programme of activity.

The successful candidate will coordinate a national survey of the networks members, and will then use the information collected to help design and deliver a training programme / roadshow this coming April. You can download the full brief here.

Applications are welcomed from experienced project managers, anywhere in England. The deadline for applications is 09 February 2012.

Turning Point West Midlands is pleased to support Kalaboration, a major new visual arts initiative to celebrate the forthcoming 2012 Olympics and the 50^th Anniversary of Jamaican independence through new commissions, exhibitions, symposia and network opportunities, Jan-Nov 2012.

Kalaboration, which had its official launch in Birmingham last night, is a partnership with the Drum Arts Centre, Rogue Play Theatre, and the School of Art, BIAD, in Birmingham and which is host to Turning Point West Midlands. 

For more information please visit: http://www.kalaboration.co.uk/

Concepts and models for regional collaboration and programming

As part of the BAS7 final symposium, Turning Point South West invited international cultural writer and consultant Judith Staines to present 'Concepts and models for regional collaboration and programming' where she highlighted successful cross regional collaborative projects from across the globe. Judith's presentation was the basis for a discussion around developing a visual art project for the South West.

Other contributions to the event include: Franco Berardi Bifo, Kevin Carter, Geoff Cox, Neil Cummings, Edith Doove, Freee, Joasia Krysa, Lisa Le Feuvre, Anya Lewin, Robert Jackson, Roger Malbert, Malcolm Miles, Vlad Morariu, Tom Morton, Andrew Prior, Helen Pritchard, Project Space 11, Edgar Schmitz, Stevphen Shukaitis, Judith Staines, Iain Stewart, Kuba Szreder, Tom Trevor, Magda Tyzlik-Carver, Ubermorgen.com, Pieternel Vermoortel (FormContent), Clayton Welham, (whynotassociates).

The whole two day event was streamed by www.plymouth.ac.uk

A new exhibition and seminar series has been announced as part of the Turning Point South East, Research & Critical Debate programme

Exhibition - States and Spaces: A Survey by Project Art Works 

9 Dec 2011 - 8 Jan 2012

This first major survey of work by Project Art Works focuses on innovative, collaborative investigations of built space and their impact on the perception of people with neurological impairments.  The exhibition incorporates work from a long-term project between MK Gallery and Project Art Works centering on the exploration of constructed and open space and referencing the urban grid of Milton Keynes, perception and visibility in the city. Find out more

Seminar - Extreme Insight into Built Space

9 December 2011 / 2 - 5pm / Free Book here

This seminar takes place on the opening day of States and Spaces. Contributors include architect Paul Shepheard, visual artist and Project Art Works Director Kate Adams, Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr Peter Baker along with young adults with autism who were involved in the MK Gallery and Project Art Works collaboration. Find out more

Turning Point West Midlands is holding a conference tomorrow, between 10am and 3.30pm at Warwick Arts Centre.

The event, Art in a cold climate, is delivered in partnership with Birminham City University and the University of Warwick and addresses the future role of arts education:

It is widely predicted that the period following the economic crisis of 2008 will be a 'lost decade' with no economic growth and a consequent absence of opportunities for a generation to initiate their careers. At a time when Universities are undergoing huge changes, this day conference, facilitated by Turning Point West Midlands, explores what is needed to place the region's art schools at the centre of a dynamic, sustainable cultural ecology.

A short interview with Julia Bell about All Points North, a project that brings arts organisations from across the North of England together to celebrate an extraordinary autumn programme of contemporary visual art.

Please share this video with your networks and help raise awareness of www.allpointsnorth.info

Yesterday saw the launch of Turner Prize at Baltic, the first time it has been shown outside of a TATE venue and in the North. This was not only a proud moment for Baltic but also the region, with North East galleries able to profile their own projects, exhibitions and programmes at a Media Lunch where the visual arts constituency and national press mingled informally.

We have alot to be proud of, Turning Point North East ran 5 of its artists films from their 11 for 2011programme and distributed printed matter from the 3 critical dialogue bursary recipients Spectrum Almanac, 3 degrees of separation and Chancefindus.com.

To coincide with this launch, leaflets promoting ContemporaryARTNE.com were distributed across the region, the website is also up and running www.contemporaryARTNE.com and its iPhone App can now be downloaded from the Apple, App Store to help you navigate the region and see the great range of contemporary art on offer across the North East.

The All Points North website is up and running, giving people to access information about contemporary visual arts exhibitions taking place right across the north of England. 

All Points North is an initiative set up to collaboratively profile the strength of contemporary art programming in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber regions this Autumn.

A unique set of national and international exhibitions and events that present the whole spectrum of contemporary art practice will be on show in venues across these areas making the greater North a hub for what's happening in contemporary art now.

It is of great sadness that we hear of the death this week of Alan Haydon, Director of De la Warr Pavillion. A huge presence in the visual arts community, his role in Turning Point South East was also of great value to the sector and his contribution widely appreciated.

As a network we will suffer because of his loss, but his passing is also a reminder that we should adopt his approach to work, that of cutting through the complexities and at times bureaucracy to get down to the real issue that of focusing on the art itself. Something we should all try to remember at this difficult time.

As a network we offer our sincere condolences to his colleagues, friends and family and hope that through all our work we can keep his contribution alive.