Artist in Residence commission, Smethwick Folk

Smethwick Folk is Black Country Touring’s (BCT) strand of Three 15, Sandwell’s Place Partnership programme. It takes inspiration from the folklore traditions of costume, street performance, storytelling and parades found across the UK and worldwide. It asks what modern-day myths look like in Smethwick: how they are shaped by the people and places around us, and how a town defined by its extraordinary mix of cultural traditions, industry and community life can celebrate and explore its own stories through art.

Using the concepts in Smethwick Folk as your starting point, you will work in collaboration with local businesses, organisations, residents and the spaces in between: exploring the theme, building relationships, and working toward a sharing, performance or exhibition that reflects the character and stories of Smethwick High Street and its community.

This is not a prescriptive commission. We are interested in artists who are genuinely curious about the place they are working in, responsive to what they find, and able to work in a sustained and open-ended way with people who may not have worked with artists before. The artform, medium and approach are open: what matters is that the work is rooted in the Smethwick Folk theme and that people and place are central to the process.

The full commission brief can be found on our website: https://www.bctouring.org.uk/vacancies/smethwick-folk

Please feel free to share this brief with your artistic networks and anyone who might be a great fit!