Collaborations in Place-based Creative Practice: Birmingham Public Art Strategy 2015 - 2019

Overview

Strategy Overview

Collaborations in Place-based Creative Practice: Birmingham Public Art Strategy 2015-2019 has now been developed by Birmingham City Council (BCC) in partnership with key stakeholders. The following draft Strategy actions and policy directions have been put forward for consultation.

Strategy Vision

Birmingham City Council want an improved public art portfolio across the city, in local neighbourhoods and within the city centre that can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, and further add to Birmingham’s reputation as a top cultural destination, bringing people together to celebrate our heritage and be part of our future. This means ensuring our existing public art is well looked after, as well as improving the conditions for adequately funded new art commissioning and collaborative place-based creative practice.

Strategy Objectives:

This vision will be achieved through six objectives, each with an action plan. These objectives focus on:

Strategy Development – Background

The strategy’s production has been overseen by the Public Art Strategy Steering Group, chaired by Councillor Holbrook (BCC Cabinet Member for Skills, Learning & Culture). Members include the BCC Deputy Leader, representatives from BCC Culture and Visitor Economy Services; BCC Planning and Regeneration Services; Birmingham Museums Trust, Birmingham City University, Glenn Howells Architects; Eastside Projects and advice and guidance from ixia public art think tank.

Public Art commissioning and maintenance responsibilities cross over a range of BCC services, and increasingly involve a wide range of public bodies and private sector developers. Therefore this strategy has been written for, and where possible, includes contributions from representatives of developers; Business Improvement Districts and local centres; businesses; schools; the higher and further education sector; the health sector; community and resident groups; the housing sector; the environmental sector; the heritage and cultural sectors; planners; artists; architects; engineers; urban and landscape designers and the transport and infrastructure sector.

Background: Public Art

Public Art has the potential to challenge perceptions, enable people to understand the world they live in, as well as contribute to a number of priority outcomes in Birmingham. Most obviously, these include providing a focus for local community identity, improving wellbeing and attracting visitors.

The Public Art Strategy will reflect a wide range of considerations including funding mechanisms, quality and impact, local engagement, siting and maintenance; and will form part of Birmingham’s revised Cultural Strategy (Big City Culture 2010-15) - a new vision reflecting the current economic, social and political context.

Public art is a place-based creative practice: the act of producing a permanent or temporary art within the public realm. The artists that create art within the public realm are frequently also residents of the city, aided often by other residents such as curators, designers, community organisations, resident groups, architects, engineers, planners and technicians. While they may be based in Birmingham, these artists often work nationally and internationally. Equally, teams of artists, curators and technicians from national and international cities will be commissioned to create art within Birmingham's public realm.  

The outcome of the artist’s or artists’ creative practice can form a part of the infrastructure of the physical built environment, or it can form a part of the community engagement process of developing or redeveloping an area. It could be a temporary site-specific work, or could form part of a festival or series of events. Examples of different approaches to public-realm art practices have been included within the strategy.

Why your views matter

We are consulting to seek final views from those who have an interest in the practice, commissioning and siting of public art. Comments received through this process will inform the strategy actions, policy areas and implementation.

Information gathered through this second consultation will be considered when amending the draft strategy document. 

Who are we consulting with?

Public Art commissioning and maintenance responsibilities cross over  a wide-range of internal Birmingham City Council departments and professional sectors, therefore comments from Birmingham City Council teams representing different policy areas; developers; Business Improvement Districts and local centres; businesses; schools; the higher and further education sector; the health sector; community and resident groups; the housing sector; the environmental sector; the heritage and cultural sectors; planners; artists; architects; engineers; urban and landscape designers and the transport and infrastructure sector are welcomed. All contributions will be hugely valued.

Timeline

Stakeholders have contributed to shaping the Strategy through both the BCC internal Public Art Gateway Group, and through a Stakeholder Consultation event in held on Friday 12^th December 2014, and online consultation via Citizenspace in December 2014 and January 2015. This was the first stage of public consultation. The feedback from this consultation has been used to inform and amend the vision, objectives and actions within the strategy, as well as provide contacts for further consultation meetings with stakeholders.

This is the second online public consultation. This consultation will close on Sunday 17^th May 2015. The Strategy will then be amended reflecting consultation feedback, and taken to Birmingham City Council Cabinet in June 2015. It will then accompany the public consultation of the Public Realm Strategy, due to take place over Summer/ Autumn 2015.

What happens next

Timeline

Stakeholders have contributed to shaping the Strategy through both the BCC internal Public Art Gateway Group, and through a Stakeholder Consultation event in held on Friday 12^th December 2014, and online consultation via Citizenspace in December 2014 and January 2015. This was the first stage of public consultation. The feedback from this consultation has been used to inform and amend the vision, objectives and actions within the strategy, as well as provide contacts for further consultation meetings with stakeholders.

This is the second online and final public consultation. This consultation will close on Tuesday 19^th May 2015.

What Happens Next?

The final strategy will be taken to Birmingham City Council’s June Cabinet meeting for final approval. A communication and implementation plan will be developed in order to appropriately launch the strategy. A Public Art Strategy Implementation Group will be brought together from a range of stakeholders in order to take forward the action plans outlined in Section 5 of the strategy. A number of actions will also be taken forward through the Public Art Gateway Group and other relevant existing committees, such as those taking forward the wider Cultural Strategy.