Putting the case

for participatory
arts practice:

A series of case
studies from No. 11
Arts & Birmingham’s
10 Local Arts Forums
 Contents:
Foreword - page 4

No. 11 Arts and Co-Design - page 6

Co-designed by No. 11 Arts and Quality - page 8

Members of No. 11 Arts representing 10 Local Arts Forums - No. 11 Arts and Arts, Health and Wellbeing - page 10
Edgbaston (Artscoop Central), Erdington (Cafe Arts), Hall
No. 11 Arts and Identifying Need - page 12
Green (Artsworks), Hodge Hill (Hodge Hill Happenings),
No. 11 Arts and Community Reach - page 14
Ladywood, Northfield (NAF), Perry Barr, Selly Oak, Sutton
No. 11 Arts and Social Impact - page 16
Coldfield (Made in Sutton) and Yardley (Arts in the Yard)
No. 11 Arts and Partnerships - page 18
with thanks to Merida Associates No. 11 Arts and Continuity - page 20

Testimony - page 22
All photographs by No. 11 Arts
No. 11 Arts and Legacy - page 24

A Poem - page 26
Supported by

Publication designed by Reel Access 2 3

 No. 11 Arts is an umbrella organisation created to support, enrich
Foreword and advocate city-wide for neighbourhood arts. We exist to advocate
for the intrinsic value of community and participatory arts
practice in local communities. We strive to ensure that the voice of
participatory artists and producers is heard in Birmingham, and is
part of strategic decision making in the city.

The founding membership of No. 11 Arts is the ten Local Arts

Forums. We are represented by a core of creative producers,
project managers, artists and educators embedded in their local
communities.

No. 11 Arts offers:

Commissioning and production

City-wide partnerships
Advice and support
Training, education and creative learning
Artist engagement

No. 11 Arts is proud of its impact. We facilitate wide-ranging arts

activities with notably differing communities, thereby generating
new experiences, events, festivals and performances. Our particular
skills lie in co-designing and co-creating with local people in open-
ended ways so that they acquire the capacity for invention and
sense of empowerment necessary for continuing creative activity.

No. 11 Arts interacts through arts participation with a remarkably

wide range of people and interests across the whole of
Birmingham. In a city of rich socio-cultural diversity and economic/
personal extremes, this is both an asset and a challenge.

These case studies represent a sample of projects delivered by

the membership of No. 11 Arts as part of the 2 year ‘Connecting
Communities through Culture’ programme (funded by Department
for Communities and Local Government, Arts Council England &
Birmingham City Council).

The case studies have been co-authored by No. 11 Arts members

and touch on some of the work produced so far. We hope that
you enjoy finding out a bit more about No. 11 Arts and the Local Birmingham Ward Map designed by Katie Parry, Supercool
Arts Forums. 4 www.supercooldesign.co.uk 5
 Culture Co-Design In
Birmingham
Birmingham’s Cultural Strategy 2015 focused on a Culture Co-Design
model adapted from the Positively Local C2 model for community
change produced by John Gillespie and Susanne Hughes of the
University of Birmingham. Local Arts Forums were commissioned
by Birmingham City Council’s Culture Development Team to deliver
projects using this model.
The model is a 7 step process of local neighbourhood development
and that supports people in disadvantaged areas to champion their own
agendas in partnership with agencies, maximising opportunities for
arts and cultural engagement.
Co-Design
Step 1 - Locate ‘energy for change’
The Springfield ward was one of the wards selected as it ranked
among the top 20% of the most disadvantaged areas in Birmingham.
Here a Community Producer worked with The Springfield Project,
where stakeholders positively wanted to improve the wellbeing of
their service users through creative activities. Together they agreed to
develop creative projects that would tackle community dysfunction,
promote community integration, offer creative opportunities to
children (many of whom live in households below poverty levels),
strengthen families and empower women, (especially those from
traditional Muslim households where, we were told, that they are not
often given a voice. Further into the project the NHS also became a
stake-holder as Springfield GP’s began a Social Prescription project in
partnership with The Springfield Project, offering wellbeing activities
as prescriptions for patients suffering from illnesses caused by social
isolation and dysfunction.
Step 2 - Create a vision
The Community Producer, via consultation, drew out the issues that
some Muslim women were feeling about not having a voice. They
spoke of how at home, even though they were surrounded by family
members, they felt isolated because nobody listened to them. They
said this led them to feel that they were invisible. They also felt that
the press was depicting a version of Islam that they didn’t recognise,
adding to their lack of voice. Their vision was to develop something
through art that was the opposite to that so, they decided on creating a
public piece of art that would get them noticed. Family was important
to them and they felt if their children could point out what they did to
their own children in later years, it would strengthen their links to the
community and Springfield.
Step 3 - Listening to Communities
Listening to what communities want to do, change and deliver is an
important element of any participatory arts project and paramount to
No. 11 Arts and the Local Arts Forums. In this instance the stakeholders
were able to collectively produce an artist brief, interview candidates
and appoint an artist based on the women’s thoughts and decisions.
6
The artist, Claire Whitcomb, was originally appointed and as she was so effective in this role they
appointed her for Year 2 as well.
The project was able to offer a number of occasions for the community to speak, engage with others and
be listened to including The Feast, which brought young and old of different faiths together, as well as
dads’ groups, women’s groups and those with social prescriptions. Participants were asked “How do
you live life to the full?” and they responded with full narratives because they could create very personal
responses.
Step 4 - Formalise the partnership
The process of listening gave the partnership many stakeholders who could form genuine partnership.
Along with Springfield Stakeholders we devised a workshop programme for play groups, nurseries,
primary school and secondary school. The Feast and Moseley 6th form art students were offered
the opportunity to design the mosaic giving them ownership of the project. Families could work
together which really inspired them and people found intergenerational work exciting. Members of St
Christopher’s Church saw working in mosaics as a metaphor of broken pieces of people coming together
in the community strengthening the partnership.
Step 5 - Sustain Momentum
In year 2, stakeholders used tea as the creative starting point and the connector between people. The
quality and bold creativity of a giant teapot, giant tea cups, giant Tiger Who Came To Tea, Giant Tea Party,
Big Creative Family Festivals and 3 metre high human shaped arch inspired everyone to be engaged,
creating a local buzz that spread around Springfield. This kind of buzz leads people to have pride in
what’s been achieved, demand more, and think about what could come next.
“A year on, the women still talk about how important it was to boost their confidence, they had huge
pride for their own cultures.” Wellbeing Co-ordinator, Springfield
The steering committee and all stakeholders worked hard to advertise the events on social media,
producing their own leaflets and marketing and promoting events in other sessions. Word of mouth,
one of the strongest forms of marketing, created a buzz throughout Springfield resulting in the Creative
Family Festivals and Community Tea Party reaching capacity levels.
Step 6 - Taking action
ArtWorks worked in collaboration with Springfield Stakeholders to ensure that all sessions and events
were monitored using a variety of evaluation techniques in order to find out about any improvements in
wellbeing and to inform future planning.
All participants reported a rise in wellbeing after their sessions. In year 2 the ‘Tea Party’ had brought
together people of all faiths and importantly all learned something new about a person’s tea culture and
thus their tradition.
“I was struck at how much everybody valued the cultures they were finding out about and how much the
tea hosts valued their cultures too. I hadn’t met someone from Somalia before.”
St Christopher Church member
Step 7 - Trajectory of improvement
ArtWorks, the Connecting Communities through Culture programme and other Local Arts Forums, have
demonstrated that by investing time, money and people in community spaces and using a creative
approach we can identify areas for improvement and work collectively with local stakeholders to have
an impact on confidence, self-esteem, group dynamics, local conversation and services. This enables
people to identify the direction of travel and identify what needs to be in place to make things happen.
No. 11 Arts strongly believes in the power of the arts and culture to increase local empowerment and
community integration.
“huge pride for their own cultures” 7
 Quality of Engagement
The No. 11 Arts model of participatory arts is distinguishable from
other arts engagements. Our methodology is not just focused on
participants being makers but deeply rooted in the meaning of the
work produced. Quality to No. 11 Arts means asking ourselves and
others if the art form/artwork is fit for purpose? We create cultural
activities where the measurement of quality is focused on place-
making relevant to local needs, circumstances and perspectives.
Participants are able to collaborate and shape the process, occupying
the role of Creative Producer.

and
Designs In The Sky, Witton,
Quality Birmingham
Residents wanted an arts project to inspire and enable the people
of Witton, part of the Aston area of Birmingham, to raise issues and
express their thoughts about their neighbourhood. With a brief co-
produced by local people, the artist R M Sanchez-Camus (Marcello)
was chosen from an open call for participatory artists working in any
artform.

200 participants, from a diverse range of nationalities and cultures,

worked alongside Marcello to create Designs In The Sky, a series of
street banners that allowed residents to express their understanding
of the world, and their local area, through visual arts. The site for the
banners was the local Tesco store meaning thousands of Aston Villa
Football fans and drivers pass by on a weekly basis. The work is very
exposed and whilst weather proof is relatively fragile. Yet, Designs In
The Sky remained in place and unvandalised for over a year, suggesting
the community continues to feel ownership of the work.
Mosaic Archway: A Peaceful
Legacy
In Springfield, Sparkhill, No. 11 Arts began another project by starting
conversations with residents by asking, ‘How do you live life to the
full?’ We spent time with a group of predominately Muslim women
who believed that they didn’t have a voice and so wanted something
visual, something of significance that would stand the test of time and
become a permanent landmark in their neighbourhood. When we
listened to the group they discovered a collective voice and sense of
empowerment. The women wanted to create a public piece of art as a
way of getting the community to listen to their message of peace.
cohesion. The women liked the idea of working in mosaics
because it could be created by many groups, ages and faiths,
“Everyone, including children, can join in and everyone is equal,”
(Naz - participant.) This led us to Moseley School’s Sixth Form Art
Department, resulting in the final piece been co-designed by local
students, many of whom are first generation immigrants.
Only then were we ready to choose an artist who could develop this
collaborative vision. The result: a new piece of public art co-created
by 100 individuals and mosaic artist Claire Whitcomb. A human
shaped archway that regularly passes the selfie measure of quality.
Fit For Purpose
No. 11 Arts’ work across the city strives to redress negative
stereotypes, instead creating positive messages from often
maligned neighbourhoods. We offer a different perspective,
working with communities to build local pride. We believe
residents can become Creative Producers and harness the artistic
process for a wider community purpose.

“sense of empowerment”
In response to both the negative images of Islam in the mainstream
press and being ignored by society, the group sought a large piece of
centrally placed public art, inspired by peace, unity and community

8 9
 Improving Mental Wellbeing:
Mindapples, Hodge Hill
In Hodge Hill we set about building a participatory arts project firmly
based around improving mental wellbeing using the Mindapples (5 a
day for your mind) framework as a direct response to consultancy with
residents and professionals working in the Bordesley Green ward, who
identified depression, isolation and a lack of provision for families in
the area as significant issues.
“The evidence we present shows how arts based approaches can help
people to stay well, recover faster, manage long-term conditions and
and Arts, experience a better quality of life.1”
In the same way that No. 11 Arts strive towards seeing the huge
Health & benefits of regular participation in arts activities for individuals and
communities across the city, Mindapples “aim to make looking after
Wellbeing our minds as natural as brushing our teeth.” (www.mindapples.
org.uk.) The project encouraged individuals to take up regular
creative activity to relax, switch off, meet and engage with new people,
spend time with family and generally be kind to the mind.
Residents we consulted with were asked to share their 5 Mindapples
and were then invited to take part in a range of free arts activities in
their local area across three venues and several months. The outcomes
of this project were extremely encouraging with several participants
showing and referencing great changes in their mental wellbeing,
one participant climbing 17 points on the WEMWBS2 wellbeing
questionnaire between the start and end of the project.
Though there is no doubt that the introduction and context of
discussing ways to mental wellbeing using Mindapples was a
significant element to the benefits experienced amongst the
participants, it was a great way to encourage people to take time out
for themselves to be creative. It was made clear through observing
workshops and chatting to people that it was the experience of
spending time on arts activities, with others, in a safe space, regularly
and over a sustained period which made the most positive impact on
individuals and family groups who attended. Many participants are still
linked into the host groups and venues, now regularly participating in
other creative, health and fitness related activities, as well as having
access to support groups and other No. 11 Arts projects and activities.
Reducing Isolation
In Sutton we have reported similar benefits from
participants in their many musical activities. Several choir members
champion the positive effects on their wellbeing of singing
harmonies together at regular meetings, not only having a self esteem
boost through learning new skills but also battling isolation,
especially amongst older residents.
1
2
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing Inquiry – The Short Report, Alan Howarth, July 2017
http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/1467.aspx
10
Social Prescribing
In Sparkhill we have supported artists, producers and voluntary
sector leaders to be able to work with local health leaders to
consider social prescribing, an area of work that is on the rise across
the country in response to issues associated with loneliness and
isolation; “Smiles and laughter were part of the Social Prescription
sessions. At the end of each session participants filled in WEMWBS
Wellbeing reports. 100% of participants reported a rise in wellbeing
after every session. Springfield G.Ps were so encouraged with the
positive outcomes that they recommended social prescription be
extended across Sparkhill. Wellbeing is currently on prescription.”
Tackling Obesity
In Yardley we sought and won additional funding from This Brum
Girl Can to tackle childhood and adult obesity whilst also fulfilling
the community criteria of women’s only activities. Fitness and
culture combined within a diverse community with Bollywood
Fitness. Classes started out free but two years on the class is self
funded– a sustainable legacy established.
No. 11 operates a unique citywide model, meaning we can easily
share good practice with colleagues across Birmingham resulting in
the rolling out of successful projects in more than one geographical
area. Having observed the benefits of Mindapples we have begun to
use the model in other areas of the city, specifically Northfield and
Yardley so far. Many participants across our range of projects have
improved mental health through the participation, connection,
investment in their locality and the new friendships made.
“It’s
enjoyable
and nice to
socialise
with others
after my
stroke two
years ago”
- J.W, 53 11
 Distinguished from meeting needs in ways pre-identified by outsiders, Boulton inspired coins, people
evidencing what people in local communities consider they need from diverse communities in
features prominently in No. 11 Arts activities. The way this operates Handsworth fused their own
and how it can impact on fields of knowledge other than the arts is heritage with that of 18th
seen in a recently completed highly intensive work programme for an century industrial Birmingham
academic consortium, led by University of Birmingham. in the same area. The continuing
success in Northfield with the
The team conducting the ‘Urban Living Birmingham’ research project monthly NAFCAF community
commissioned No. 11 Arts to undertake creative consultation with local art cafe event is evidence of
communities in order to generally understand how they see urban social need. Regular sessions
and services and specifically how they see themselves becoming more
actively involved in such services. In effect, No. 11 Arts was asked to
provide opportunities for local
residents to get together, meet

Identifying
evidence need as perceived by people themselves. No. 11 Arts is well new people, share their lives over
placed to find out from people what they think their community needs food, and offer each other lively
and what they would like to see change because we are engaging cultural and arts experiences.
Need people in creative activity that often feels safe and non-intrusive. Very
often we find that by bringing people together through an artistic
Organised in conjunction with a
local Baptist Church, NAFCAF has
activity they then begin to discuss other things that concern them. not only established a powerful
For example, people may be so caught up in the activity of sewing vehicle for encouraging and
textiles that they simply chat away about things that are important promoting inclusive interaction
to them whether that is local statutory services, concerns about but evidences, through acting as
children/grandchildren or needs linked to health. This is a great way of a model for activities across the
producing authentic evidence to argue for further investment. arts forum network, that the arts
can fulfil universal social needs.

Valuing Individual Views

Collaborating with three widely differing communities in Newtown
(Aston), Summerfield (Ladywood) and Woodgate Valley (Bartley
Green), No. 11 Arts was able to show that residents, regardless of
their collective profiles, urban locations and diversified personal
circumstances, have strong, though markedly different, views on urban
services. Young black men are concerned about lack of WiFi on buses
because it impedes their music-making which they see as a way out of
their immediate environment. Retired professionals see themselves as
lobbyists for local concerns and humanising agencies in a diversified
“local residents
get together,
society, and not as substitute council workers. Dispirited people who
feel ignored and neglected are nevertheless finding, as far as they are
able, their own ways of improving their quality of life and meeting what

meet new people

they see as immediately local needs.

Whilst the ‘Urban Living Birmingham’ commission evidenced civic

needs, other No. 11 Arts activities have revealed social ones. The
need for people with differing heritages to find common ground
was evidenced in 2015 by Ladywood Arts Forum in conjunction with
Soho House Museum through work with General Public’s ‘The Good
and share their
lives ”
Money Coin Project1.’ By placing their own cultural heroes on Matthew

1
http://generalpublic.org.uk/project/handsworth-coin-competition/information/ 12 13
 Understanding ‘community’
to mean any group of people
sharing a self-generated interest,
No. 11 Arts interacts through arts
participation with a remarkably
wide range of people and
interests across the whole of
Birmingham. In a city of rich
socio-cultural diversity and
economic/personal extremes,
this is both an asset and a

and
challenge.

Community
Reach
We facilitate wide-ranging arts
activities with notably differing
communities, thereby generating
new experiences, events,
festivals and performances. Our
particular skills lie in co-creating
with local people in open-ended
ways so that they acquire the
capacity for invention and sense
of empowerment necessary for
continuing creative activity.

City-wide: Edgbaston, Erdington,

Hall Green, Hodge Hill,
Ladywood, Northfield, Perry Barr,
Selly Oak, Sutton Coldfield and
Yardley.

Artsmile, Big Arts Picnic, ArtSoak,

ArtsMarch, Simmer Down, Arts in
the Yard, NafCaf, Café Arts,

Partnering with business,

voluntary sector and large scale
arts organisations.

Interaction, enrichment,
confidence, encouragement,
positive change, free, co-design &
co-creation.

14 15
 Social change refers to any significant
alteration over time in behaviour patterns and
cultural values and norms. By “significant”
alteration, sociologists mean changes yielding
profound social consequences.
and
Social
Impact
No. 11 Arts aims to use the arts to bring people together in local
communities across Birmingham. This in turn leads to cultural co-
design, which we believe can contribute to change for the common
good. Many of our projects aim to have a positive impact on social
change in the communities in which they take place. These examples
show where people have taken the lead, resulting first of all in personal
change and then as a collective they became focused on what social
change they could bring about in their community.
Increasing Local Activism
Working with Kingstanding Food Community (KFC) No. 11 Arts looked
at how enabling people to take the lead in the arts, combined with
a focus on growing and cooking food, could make a difference to
local residents using KFC’s café as a focal point. In the first year of
partnership we ran a number of visual arts workshops on a Saturday
morning in the café, which resulted in the Café attendance
numbers quickly increasing. From these activities a core group of
people emerged – individuals who were regulars and keen to be
helpful and take a lead, we encouraged them to take active roles in
the sessions and participate in evaluation conversations and forward
planning. By Year 2 these volunteers had become an Arts Steering
Group who co-designed the next project: designing an artist’s brief;
setting the success criteria for the project; managing recruitment
of artists; supporting marketing and recruitment of participants;
supporting workshops and providing leadership at the final event. Due
to project funding coming to an end, the café was forced to close in
September 2016. But many of the volunteers refused to accept this.
Through petitions, local fundraising events and using the press, they
persuaded Birmingham City Council to allow them to have the café
space rent free and organised themselves to keep the café and some
of the participation activities going. The volunteers continue to run the
16
café successfully, continue to participate in local arts activities and
host fun days for wider local residents.
Increasing Employment and Employability
In Druids Heath, over a two-year project, it has gone from local
people saying they would rather take a back seat, letting us
programme their art activities, to local residents and community
groups selecting art forms for participatory workshops they want
to get involved in. Now our support comes in the form of advice
and guidance on appropriate artists they can directly employ
on their own terms. In addition, we have invested in the skills of
local people as fundraisers and event organisers. No. 11 Arts was
able to financially support residents to attend training courses,
which has meant they are more able and more willing to take
on organisational roles. By giving local people the opportunity
to upskill and gain experience in organising and programming
events, they have taken on a Creative Producer role. They now feel
confident in planning their own arts activities resulting in a more
joined up, continuous offer for local people, particularly young
people, to engage with.
Changing Perceptions
No. 11 Arts enabled people at Cerebral Palsy Midlands in furthering
their ambition to change the negative ways in which they are all
too frequently regarded. As they told us: ‘We are people and we
want to be valued for what we can, rather than can’t, do’. Starting
with the natural movements of wheelchair users, we co-produced
a light, dance and music performance on stage at The Elmhurst
School of Dance in Edgbaston. In addition to massively enhancing
performers’ self-esteem, it was clearly evident from subsequent
interactive evaluation with the audience that experiencing the
performance had indeed caused people to change their perceptions
of disability for the better.
Celebrating Local Identity
All of these arts activities provided residents with: a safe space to
explore who they are; give them confidence and skills to participate
and lead; explored the challenges and issues they face; gave them
opportunities to express themselves and celebrate their locality.
They have gained practical and leadership skills that are making a
difference – because of them there are more safe spaces for other
residents to access arts activities and gain similar benefits.
In terms of the model for social change these examples
demonstrate that collectively and with any support required
people can identify something they want to change or an impact
they’d like to make and pursue it. The arts activity gives the
confidence, self-awareness, reflection and skills needed to make a
positive contribution.
17
 No. 11 Arts and Partnerships
No. 11 Arts thrives when working in partnership with others; local
champions, world leaders, other experts in the field. The broadest
definitions of ‘community’ and ‘conversation’ inform our work at all
levels. When we start working with a community we know the value of
spending time with the existing agencies, venues, community groups
and residents. Listening, starting a dialogue, building trust.
Business Partnerships; from
artisan coffee shops to Tesco
and In Harborne we’ve partnered with 15 shops, cafes, bars and restaurants
to host artist led workshops on their premises offering the public a
Partnerships
day of free creative activities. Building and maintaining key working
relationships has been vital. Our work in this area is now into it’s sixth
year. Feedback tells us that this fosters interaction between otherwise
separate communities, and that businesses value it as promotion, and
as support for the High St becoming a Business Improvement District.
In Witton, over the road from Aston Villa Football Club, one of the only
secular community spaces within a religiously diverse community is
the local Tesco supermarket. No. 11 Arts work in this area resulted
in a series of street banners designed by local people but led by
professional artist R M Sanchez-Camus (Marcello). Marcello’s work
explores interaction, public spectacles, social systems, the body politic
and urban imagination. Tesco’s sponsored the project, resulting
in twice the number of banners originally planned, allowing local
residents to create an artistic dialogue about issues important to them.
The strength of the work is very much in the humanity of the ideas
which are universally recognised by local people and by visitors to the
area.
18
Community Partnerships;
in-reach not out-reach
In 2014, No. 11 Arts started working in South Yardley ward - a
fairly new delivery area. Luckily we found a local Project Manager
who lived within walking distance of the project area, knowing it
well from her childhood. No. 11 Arts’ work is led by professional
artists, project managers and creative producers that live in the
project area. In South Yardley the main stumbling block for arts
participation in this area was a lack of community venues - then we
found an unused community centre.
Hobmoor Community Centre physically existed, it was an almost
brand new building, but it sat empty most of the time. Soon
after it first officially opened the existing community groups were
priced out of using it. Oasis Hobmoor School, being attached to
the centre, were able to forge their own arrangement, utilising the
space, but only during the school day and term time.
Slowly, and over many hours of interaction, No. 11 Arts were able to
galvanise the existing local agencies to collect evidence to change
the situation. Together we planned a series of arts interventions
that built the case to change Hobmoor Community Centre’s
opening hours and rental prices. Much of the financial commitment
essential for the change came from Oasis Hobmoor School allowing
No. 11 Arts to focus on other essential elements: unifying a diverse
community through high quality and appropriate arts participation,
sourcing future funding and gaining support from elected
representatives.
Similarly, our work with St Francis Community Centre has
empowered the neighbourhood of Bartley Green by focusing
on arts activities that enrich what people already do (scouts,
community events and coffee mornings) in an under-resourced,
disadvantaged and isolated community has enabled otherwise
marginalised people to see how creative action can engender self-
confidence and encourage them to make positive changes in their
lives and environment.
Often our work is delivered by experts who are also residents in
the project area. This allows us to be part of genuine partnership
working.
19
 No. 11 Arts and Continuity
Continuity is key to the work No. 11 Arts is involved with in
communities around the city. Many of the areas we choose to work in
have seen initiatives come and go, but with our work when the funding
disappears we do not. No. 11 Arts builds long-lasting relationships
in areas of Birmingham, and then continues to have a presence in
these communities, maintaining the trust built with organisations and
individuals. We achieve this by avoiding ‘one-off’ projects in favour of
continuous engagement.

The challenge, at times, is to maintain activity without regular funding.

and In some areas we have taken a signposting role, passing on interesting
projects and putting artists in touch with key organisations. No. 11

Continuity
Arts has been able to maintain a continuous presence in certain areas
even without the capacity or funds to deliver ourselves. Crucially,
as we observe an increased appetite for the arts we also observe
individuals, groups and organisations making those activities happen
for themselves.

Developing Leaders
Over a two year period in Druids Heath, No. 11 Arts developed
relationships with many community organisations who defined
themselves as ‘non-arts-based’ but offered participation in informal
arts activities. We worked with these groups gradually, joining in with
existing activities and then introducing new ideas and activities as
trust was built. Audiences and participation increased and individuals
have grown to organise and run their own activities. This has been
achieved by a continuous presence in Druids Heath, not only by
directly engaging with organisations but also attending ward meetings,
meeting with local councillors and attending other local events.

Embedding Art
With Cerebral Palsy Midlands (CPM) No. 11 Arts formed a steady
collaboration, with a community of people with a range of disabilities,
by different means over a period of time. We have worked with people
at CPM for some six years through European exchanges, exhibitions of
their artworks and joint collaborative events with the result that they
now see arts engagement – collaborative or self-generated – not as a
special treat but as a natural activity embedded in their weekly routine.

Arts Cafe Model

When projects end we are often challenged by residents with, “What’s “we observe an
increased appetite
next?” In Northfield the NAFCAF Arts Cafe model started as a response
to this question. No. 11 Arts committed to booking a community space
with a kitchen once a month for a year. In the space created inbetween

for the arts”

projects we set up a regular arts cafe with live music, art workshops,
performance opportunities and simply a place for a creative curious
community to hang out. We have developed, tested and refined the
Arts Café model and have rolled it out to other areas
of Birmingham. 20 21
 The Development of a
Community-based Arts
Producer
In 2012 I moved back to Birmingham from where I had lived in Devon
for 6 years to work for a national community arts charity. At the time I
didn’t feel like a had a connection to the city or the neighbourhood of
Northfield where my house was located. However, in 2014 I started a
PhD working with Birmingham Repertory Theatre exploring community
engagement programmes and was invited to the city’s Connecting
Communities through Culture Conference. I sat through the event
Testimony discovering a whole new hyper local, creative and flourishing side to
the city. The mention of my own area of Northfield particularly took
me by surprise – it showed me a community that I lived amongst but
hadn’t really seen, and one I wanted to be involved in. During a break
I marched up to one of the No. 11 Arts’ Co-ordinators and said, “Hello,
for me, a definite step up in terms of responsibility, giving me an
opportunity to learn ‘on the job’ while also learning about the
culture literally on my doorstep.
The relationships built in 2015, with groups and individuals,
continue to bear fruit, as participants from Music! Dance! Draw!
continue to get involved with other projects. Crucially, other
volunteers and facilitators like myself have also grown, are able to
take on more responsibility, building a stronger, wider and more
skilled web across the city to help train others and support more
work as we develop.
Nearly two years later, I sit on the board of my local arts forum and
am an integral part of the co-ordination team. Alongside the skills
and opportunities I have gained, my experience with No. 11 Arts has
fundamentally changed my perception and experience of living in
my local community. In an area of Birmingham regularly labelled

I’m Lauren, I do drama and I live in Northfield, I want to get involved.”
He grinned and said “Great!”
Soon, via a personal invitation from a member of No. 11 Arts, I started
to attend local arts meetings. I was discovering that No. 11 Arts is like
a web, connecting individual artists and groups together to create
something much bigger, stickier and more innovative than a handful
“culture
as economically, culturally and educationally deprived, work like
this says to everyone involved: in Northfield you can learn, you can
have fun, you are welcome and you are worth celebrating. You are
part of a community, and it’s a good community to be part of.
literally Lauren Jansen-Parkes

of people in a room above a pub bouncing ideas around might initially

on my
appear. I became part of the team almost without realising it, working
as a volunteer and helping to run key community arts events that

doorstep”
summer.

I was using key skills I’d developed in my previous work as a facilitator,

but in an entirely new way – rather than within a safe, building-based,
self-selecting group, I was working in the area I was starting to call
home, with local people who might not see themselves as artists.
I was learning that No. 11 Arts is tightly embedded in many local
neighbourhoods.

Personally, I realised that local freelance facilitation work is possible, it

is tough but exhilarating. Working within the community infrastructure
provided by No. 11 Arts makes it possible and slightly easier. No.
11 Arts’ way of operating – popping up at wider community events,
one-off projects, often mixing up art forms and groups – felt sporadic
initially but it was brilliant at creating surprises, positive encounters
and, crucially, bringing people together of different ages and abilities
to share new experiences and start conversations.

In Autumn 2015 I was asked to take on the Project Manager role for
a continuing Connecting Communities project. I built on previous
successes by bringing together artists, performers and residents for
another instalment of ‘Music! Dance! Draw!’ Our live illustration of
professional performances was also part of the bigger and ongoing
‘Arts March’ and NAF caf initiatives. It was an organisational challenge

22 23
 One Year On
‘Live In The Lodge’ (LITL) is a community music-based project focused
on the Falcon Lodge area of Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, produced
and delivered by a partnership between Mubu Music, Town Hall
Symphony Hall Birmingham and No. 11 Arts. LITL is a model that, in
its outline, approach and structure, could be replicated and led by
communities in different areas of the city, and indeed nationwide. The
ongoing support, resources and partnership of a large arts organisation
is invaluable.
Through the Connecting Communities through Culture programme,
and Legacy with additional funding from the Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust, we
were able to deliver LITL in the most deprived area of the otherwise
affluent Sutton Coldfield district, with between 40% and 50% of
children classed as living in poverty.1 In addition, 20% of the district’s
population is aged 65 and older, with social isolation of older people
identified as an issue.2 Following consultations with local stakeholders
and residents, who told us there was very little community arts activity
(if any), LITL was conceived to bring music and cultural activity back
to the community, designed to bring residents together, increase
confidence and wellbeing, and support skills development.
Shaped and guided by the community, at its core LITL now offers free
weekly instrumental lessons in the Community Centre Hub on guitar,
ukulele, drums and spoken word (with participants ranging in age
from 7 to over 80); and a free community choir, which also meets and
rehearses weekly. Alongside this, there have been numerous concerts
and alternative performances for all ages by varied professional
performers, from grime to jazz including pop-up performances,
a marching band on the streets of the estate and performance
opportunities for the choir. Free tickets and transport have also been
offered for various events produced by Town Hall Symphony Hall in the
city centre.
“I lost my memory from a mini stroke, but am struggling
through as much as I can. I have loved singing again with a
choir. I would like to learn a good song on my own ukulele” -
J.P, 78
The project works intensively with a group of people who live, work,
socialise or go to school in and around Falcon Lodge; the group are
growing in numbers as the project gains traction, trust and local
awareness. The first year of LITL laid firm foundations from which
to continue to grow community cohesion, offer ongoing social
interactions for often isolated people, enhance individual wellbeing
and develop skills. Further funding from Sutton Coldfield Charitable
Trust and Sutton Coldfield Town Council enabled a second year of
continued delivery and increased participation. Strong research shows
the hugely beneficial impacts of music and the arts on people’s health
2
and wellbeing, and greater community cohesion.3
Sutton Coldfield Constituency - Economic & Employment Profile March 2015 (Birmingham City Council) www.birmingham.gov.uk/downloads/file/2489/sutton_coldfield_profile_2015
Sutton Coldfield Constituency - Economic & Employment Profile March 2015 (Birmingham City Council)
3
John Ashton - ‘Let’s Invest in Real Health’ (Arts Council England) http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/create/create-issue-1
“It’s a wonderful way to bring our community together. We all have such an amazing
time. Singing in a group with such wonderful harmonies released the natural endorphins!
We come away feeling revitalised and united.” - M.C, 43
Year 1 in numbers:
• average weekly attendance of 40 local people across a range of musical activities,
• 998 engagements
• 109 different rehearsals/lessons.
• 1,312 engagements across 20 different performances over 10 different events in 5 different venues
• Instruments were purchased and loaned to residents for free;
• a professional PA system purchased for performances;
• tickets and transport provided for live events at Town Hall and Symphony Hall; musical visits to the
local primary schools resulted in increased uptake from parents and children
Through a co-design process the project developed, leading to an increase in participant numbers, a
greater variety of instruments and types of sessions on offer, and measures at the community centre to
ensure the space was safe and easily accessible for all.
“It’s enjoyable and nice to socialise with others after my stroke 2 years ago. I felt isolated
and so alone.” - J.W, 53
Strengthening Local Arts
No. 11 Arts’ work in the Yardley area of east Birmingham has been the catalyst for one of the informal
Local Arts Forums to realise the next stage of development. Since 2014, work in the area has been led
by an experienced Project Manager, who is also a resident in Yardley district, under the banner of Arts In
The Yard. Over time, more residents got involved with leading and co-designing their own artistic and
community development work. In 2016, a group of 10 Yardley residents decided to constitute Arts In The
Yard, securing a grassroots, locally led arts organisation able to secure independent funding. Recently
they have won Big Lottery funding to continue their work. Arts In The Yard success has been dependant
on two factors: it is led by local people with skills, experience and passion for their local area, and it
receives strategic support to grow and develop from No. 11 Arts.
No. 11 Arts; From Local to City-wide
Over four years, No. 11 Arts has developed from an informal gathering of local arts forum co-ordinators,
all tasked with delivering Connecting Communities through Culture in 10 targeted areas of Birmingham,
to an independent organisation with the mission of ensuring every resident in the city has equal access
to the rich and vast opportunities and benefits the arts can offer. Originally, we were each other’s
mentors, a network of Community Producers, but we quickly realised the need to, and potential benefits
of, formalising a partnership. Our co-design skills and knowledge continue to inform our work and
our structure. The residents of Birmingham are our priority. We demonstrate this by working within
communities we are already part of; we don’t need to worry about ‘outreach’ as we already live and
are invested in the project areas. No. 11 Arts has a non-hierarchal structure, it is resident led and offers
both formal and informal support structures to those who passionately deliver the arts in their own
communities under the Local Arts Forum banner. Recently, our work has been financially supported
by Near Neighbours, Big Lottery Fund, University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, Culture
Central and Birmingham City Council.
24
“ bringing communities together” 25
A Poem
No. 11 Arts
by Catriona Heatherington
Our Birmingham of a thousand trades
Booms out its constant serenades,
Winding and whirring,
Making and building,
Grinding and stirring,
Shaking and gilding,
This uniquely urban symphony
With hubbed and lugged crescendos
And flyovered cacophony,
But so many speak in staccattoed diminuendos,
Too far out and distant, no longer clear,
Lost in the silence of invisibility,
Surburban voices we cannot hear,
In the bold vastness of our city,
So we form the pole of a listening arts umbrella
By binding ourselves tight and strong together,
Then, unfurling our hearts across the circumference of Birmingham’s
boundary,
Sectioning 10 ribs fairly and equally,
We make a giant whispering gallery,
So the hesitant and lonely,
Can be heard with perfect clarity
In our cupola of artistic creativity
Where co-design grows fresh community
And welcomes spoken in so many different serenades
Become our language of a thousand trades

26 27
 Impact Hub
Walker Building
58 Oxford Street
Birmingham
B5 5NR

number11arts@gmail.com

@Number11Arts