Consultancy

Consultancy - Embracing Cultures Jan - March 2021

Ginnie has been working as a Consultant for the NBA Alliance on their project Embracing Cultures, to undertake a feasibility study for how these plans could involve communities in Birchfield and Perry Barr. Funded by Birmingham City Council Cultural Department this research allowed NBA (ACE dance and music company, Black Voices, Black Arts Forum and the Legacy Centre of Excellence) to consider and consult with community groups, artists and leaders. A plan for how to take these ideas into a programme for 2021 – 2022 is being developed so that funding proposals can ensure the ideas can turn into activities. We hope to see you dancing, making costumes and learning how to party again over this year!

Ginnie has been working as a Consultant to research and investigate issues that affect the cultural ecology in the West Midlands. She undertook with Linda Saunders a research programme to investigate the Fragile Ecology of culturally diverse small-scale dance makers trying to tour work in the East and West Midlands. This research interviewed programmers, venue managers, agencies and independent artists and producers to see who the ecology was operating. A final seminar Shuffling the Pack, was the opportunity to share these findings with the sector and to understand through key note presentations what interventions might be offered. Follow up to this research is being undertaken which will be shared by March 2019.

Hanaholmen

Ginnie was invited by the Hanaholmen – Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre, Helsinki, to give a keynote presentation on Co-designing participatory projects with communities in Birmingham. Urmala Jassal Associate Producer, now working freelance, Sampad shared in the presentation giving her insights and experience of My route project with communities in East Birmingham. Ginnie shared her experience of working with 10 Local Arts Fora on the Cultural Co-design programme in Birmingham from 2014-16. The presentation was given to arts professionals from Finland and Sweden interested in public art, participation and engagement. A follow up cultural exchange visit by Swedish arts professionals to Birmingham will be undertaken in April 2019.