The GAP in the Market festival is all about creating greater access to arts, play and creativity, primarily, but not exclusively, directed at 16-25 year olds in Europe’s youngest city, Birmingham. GAP in the Market offers everyone – young people, artists, participants and public audiences – an eclectic mix of creative opportunities to make, share, learn, listen, play and engage together.

Maria Wells, 19, one of the festival programmers tells us more about the festival: “The festival is a tightly packed – quite literally! – free programme of workshops, exhibitions, screenings, talks, tours and more. You’ll find all manner of content, from craftivism to cultural resistance, clay modelling, gaming and the much loved Great Brum Grub Crawl, all tightly squeezed into a tiny collectively-created arts space in a Bull Ring indoor market in Birmingham.”

Highlights include:

– ‘Craftivism Workshops’. Leading organisation Craftspace running sessions on how to effect social change using techniques in craft

– ‘A Life in Tune’. Three Desert Island Discs styled interviews with Birmingham artists Marlene Smith, Chris Cooper and Ana Garcia

– ‘NEW LIGHT’. Award winning exhibition created and curated by The GAP Arts Project, challenging negative perceptions of young people in Birmingham.

– ‘The Great Brum Grub Crawl’. Walking, talking and dining our way across Birmingham. A three course meal in three different venues, encouraging community and conversation.

– ‘Drama, Democracy and Justice’. Bringing together a critical discussion on how drama is, can be and could be used to animate the relationship between young people, democracy and justice. Speakers include: Senior Lecturer at BCU Chris Bolton, Young Peoples Champion Councillor Kerry Jenkins, Barrister Iqbal Mohammed and others. Artists, educators, social justice workers and members of the public are all welcome.

The GAP Arts Project has worked with young people across Birmingham creating high quality and meaningful work since 2009. The company was awarded West Midlands Young People’s Media Champion 2015 at the Equinox Mixed Media Awards, and works in local communities and internationally to support the work of young people. The GAP in the Market festival is part of the company’s campaign to address the need for a dedicated arts space for young people’s creativity in Europe’s youngest city.