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NEW ART WEST MIDLANDSArt Market Project West Midlands

SUPPORTING INFORMATION

INTRODU TION

Birmingham City University has been successful in its bid for Arts Council funding to supporta new phase of development for an Art Market Project in the West Midlands (20 !"20 #$and is now see%ing a !ead o" Art Market Project to wor% with a networ% of universities&museums& galleries& curators and artists for the benefit of the visual arts sector and publicaudiences'

ONTE#The Art Mar%et )ro*ect will be integrated with the wor% of urning )oint West Midlands

( )WM$ hosted by BCU and supported by AC+ and partner organisations to strengthen thevisual arts in the West Midlands'

A )WM initiative ,ew Art West Midlands is an e-isting ma*or e-hibition showcase ofgraduate wor% that ta%es place annually with . universities and / gallery partners' hee-isting showcase is a %ey pro*ect and growing brand attracting an audience of around.0&000 pa and will play an important part in new developments'

he heading ,ew Art West Midlands1 (and the current ,AWM website$ will be broadened to

encompass activity that see%s to develop new audiences including Art Mar%et pro*ect activity'

he aims of this new funding and development phase for the region are to ma-imiseopportunities to ma%e visible uality wor% and to strengthen relationships between artists&curators& friends and patrons of museums and arts organisations and to strengthen publicengagement and audiences in the region and beyond'

his will be done by3

Adopting a more *oined up and integrated approach to increase the visibility of thecurrent assets of a geographically and culturally diverse region comprising .'2millionpoeple3 assets include the region1s ma*or arts organisations such as 4%on 5allery& the,ew Art 5allery Walsall& +astside )ro*ects& and mac& and on its prestigious museumcollections such as those at Birmingham Museum 6 Art 5allery& he 7erbert Art5allery& Mead 5allery& Compton 8erney& Wolverhampton Art 5allery& the region1sarchives& and artist led spaces such as Airspace& Movement 5allery& 9try-& 5randUnion& and he :ombard Method& and agencies such as Craftspace'

;eveloping stronger lin%s with artists ma%ing wor% in the region' 4t is recognised thatmuseums have an essential role in supporting artists through commissioning andac uisition'

9upporting the development of collections of contemporary art& commissioning new

writing& supporting new graduates& for e-ample through the ,ew Art West Midlands

http://www.tpwestmidlands.org.uk/http://newartwestmidlands.org/http://www.tpwestmidlands.org.uk/http://newartwestmidlands.org/

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graduate showcase e-hibition and to increase opportunities for selling at degreeshows'

By building on recent initiatives such as i$ the A4, programme& iii$ and the nationally renownedBritish Ceramics Biennial held in 9to%e"on" rent& and iv$ by the wor% by ;ivision of:abour and +astside )ro*ects'

By encouraging the ac uisition of contemporary art for public collections and liaisingwith national partners such as the Contemporary Art 9ociety'

$A %GROUND

he West Midlands is a large and diverse regional area with a population of around.'2million' 4n addition to the well %nown and reputable galleries such as 4%on& +astside)ro*ects& and the ,ew Art 5allery Walsall& and recognised collections li%e those ofBirmingham Museum and Art 5allery& the :ibrary of Birmingham photography collection& andthe Mead 5allery& there is an array of festivals& artist led galleries and groups that arema%ing a significant contribution to a growing visual arts scene .

4n 200? @9owing the 9eeds was commissioned as a ma*or review of the current andpotential mar%ets for the visual arts in the West Midlands by Arts Council& Arts 6 Business&Birmingham City Council and Business :in% West Midlands' he publication @Cultivate & written and edited by Matt )rice& came out of this research'

he consortium sought to capitalise on recent activity in the region including the Art =und4nternational collaboration& ,ew Art Birmingham& 8isual& and Art of 4deas' Art of 4deas too%place over years and continued the dialogue and thin%ing through hosting events& sellinge-hibitions and debates' hese pro*ects were developed in response to the 200! asteBuds >eport commissioned by AC+ that consulted with #000 artists& buyers& dealers andgallerists focusing on how to cultivate the art mar%et e-amining the ecology of production&supply and demand' ;ata and the evaluations of these pro*ects demonstrate that themar%et has potential for growth' >esearch also identified that a long"term& strategic andpartnership approach was re uired to develop the mar%et'

4n addition& organisations in the region have wor%ed in partnership with the Contemporary Art9ociety (CA9$& he Collective& Art actic& Art)ro*-&

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he region is committed to supporting artists& to raising the profile of the visual arts andreaching new audiences' 4n 20 0 urning )oint West Midlands was set up& hosted byBirmingham City University and with funding from Arts Council +ngland' A regional networ%for the visual arts and part of the Contemporary 8isual Arts ,etwor% (C8A,$& )WM willcontinue to wor% with organisations on a number of initiatives including the development ofthe Art Mar%et )ro*ect as part of Ne& Art West Midlands to strengthen the visual arts in theregion'

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