European arts leaders to discover city.
From 17th-20th June twenty-four cultural managers from European companies come to Birmingham for a meeting of the TANDEM network. Hosted by Birmingham company Friction Arts they will discover the best that Birmingham has to offer, from the striking new library to the balti triangle. TANDEM is a joint initiative of European NGOs European Cultural Foundation and MitOst.
The group comes from Belgium, Germany, Holland and the UK, and includes theatre directors, artists and representatives of the largest festival in the Netherlands. They will meet at The Edge artists’ studio in Digbeth to develop international partnership projects. While they’re here they will learn about Birmingham and its rich cultural tapestry. Friction will run their famous sub-culture safaris to give the visitors a taste of Birmingham’s hyper-diverse cultural make-up and show them that in our city, it’s only a two minute walk from an Irish pub to a reggae club.
On Friday 19th June the group will meet with members of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Birmingham Arts Partnership, to join an ongoing research project investigating new models for supporting the arts in the city in the face of shrinking public funding. They will contribute perspectives from the continent to this important discussion that will help shape the cultural offer of the city for its citizens.
If you would like to meet the TANDEM artists or just have a good time, Birmingham band Misty’s Big Adventure will be playing at The Edge for the network on Friday 19th June. Doors open at 8pm and tickets are just £5.
