Arts and culture on our doorstep
The Cultural Development Service supports a range of activities which enable local people to engage with and shape arts and culture on their doorsteps, whilst supporting the growth and development of artists and companies working in this area.
These activities bring local people together with their neighbours and help to build a sense of individual identity and community cohesion.
Local Arts Fora
Each of Birmingham’s ten districts has its own local arts forum which offers a flexible network for advocating the arts at a district level. They help to develop capacity locally through effective partnerships and ways of working. Each arts forum has a coordinator that has an overview of the cultural offering across their area. Number 11 Arts Ltd is a collective network representing, supporting and championing the 10 local arts fora across Birmingham.
Large Arts Organisations
We support a range of large arts organisations which provide a high quality, year round programme, mainly in the city centre. As part of their offer many of these organisations deliver projects and support local arts development, leading to an interesting mix of artistic branding and community input.
Connecting Communities through Culture
Increasing participation in arts and cultural activity within local communities, encouraging people to identify common ground and promote stronger and more integrated communities.
Read more about our work in delivering this programme.
Black History Month
Black History Month (BHM) was first celebrated in the United Kingdom in 1987. Since then, the month of October has been dedicated to raising awareness of and celebrating our Black History through cultural events and activities. BHM is part of the council’s annual festivals and events programme which is overseen by the Cultural Development Service.
Birmingham City Council has proudly been supporting Black History Month since the mid-1990s – it has become an important feature of the city’s event calendar.
Birmingham holds its diversity dear (we are the most diverse Core City in the UK) and the city council is mindful of the need to reflect on its development, to learn new and inspiring stories, and include as many people as possible in considering the impact of black history on our identity in the 21st Century.
Throughout October, residents and visitors will be able to take part in various cultural activities. It will be a month of celebration, with vibrant and uplifting content, and a great opportunity to particularly engage and educate more young people in Black History Month.
