Bitesize culture from Brum's communities

As we slowly advance into a phase of recovery, following the dire effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many aspects of our lives we must be re-evaluated. However, we must also take note of the resilience that has been displayed and the successes achieved when racial, religious and social barriers come down, as we have seen within our city, in these trying times. Going forward, how do we capitalize on these successes to alleviate city wide health inequalities? Appreciative inquiry (AI), an organizational development framework (Cooperrider, and Srivastva, 1987), offers a strength and solution-focused approach proficient in discovering the areas of culture and social values that enhance health and wellbeing. By focusing on what works best, there is the potential to capitalize on identified strengths to facilitate efforts towards long-lasting solutions to health and wellbeing concerns within our city.

Museum visitors are as varied as the displays and objects we look after. Finding the right tools and questions to stop and then engage the multitude of individuals moving through the galleries on a daily basis is a complicated business. From creating new galleries, running themed programs and the art of science communication, there are many ways to allow all visitors to get the most out of their visit and build links to the world around them.

In this talk I will use my experience of being both a learning manager and museum manager at Thinktank Birmingham Science museum to tell you about the ways we build connections with visitor, plan new displays, and make sure we are answering the right questions.

A personal story of mental health and how it affects me, along with some of my coping strategies that may help others. It's OK not to be OK.

Please Do Not Touch is Casey's forthcoming poetry collection (Burning Eye Books, 2021). In this talk Casey will share poems from the book and give insight into the research, groundwork and thought process that has gone into shaping this collection.

I research the micro side of the creative industries, exploring how freelancers and small businesses connect with each other and the place they are in.

The idea of ‘place’ is how I bring together the things I’ve done for work and play over the last ten years, whether that’s research, evaluation, or mountain leadership. The creative sector is the focus of my work because it’s important to me personally, and it generates so much more than the economic value that policy support is framed around. Why are we encouraged to compete and make money, rather than collaborate and make art?

I’m interested in the relationships between individuals and place, between values and work, and the networks and collaborations that make creative things happen. My PhD brought all of that together under the umbrella of the ‘creative ecosystem’ in the West Midlands. The thesis won an economic geography research award, which at least means that someone read it.

I’m looking forward to being part of this line up, and offering some food for thought on what a creative ecosystem means in practice.

An introduction to my work, how I got started, my influences and why public art is important.

Independent Birmingham is your go-to guide to discovering Birmingham’s independent culture.

Dedicated to unearthing the very best of Birmingham’s hidden gems and best-kept secrets, we tour the city in search of the unique and the inspiring – shedding light on these wonderful establishments so as to inspire you to rediscover your city, one hidden gem at a time.

With a readership of over 100,000 unique visitors a month and a highly-engaged social media platform of over 125,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – with mentions in national newspapers (The Guardian, The Independent), named by Twitter UK as one to follow to discover Birmingham, named by The Birmingham Post as one of the 250 most influential people in the region, and named as one of Birmingham Live’s 30 Under 30 – Independent Birmingham has helped pave the way for independent businesses to blossom in the city and championed a revolution of local.

In this talk, I'll talk about the creation of Independent Birmingham and the importance of the independent scene in the city.