Artist in Residence commission, Smethwick Folk
Black Country Touring
Award
Amount not published
Deadline
Closes in 1 day (24 August 2026)
Where
Not stated
West midlands
Summary
Black Country Touring is pleased to announce our latest Artist in Residence commission, Smethwick Folk. We are commissioning one artist to undertake a six-month residency on Smethwick High Street, between September 2026 and March 2027.
Full details
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!