In Our Backyard

Erdington, Perry Barr, Hodge Hill and Ladywood are among the areas that don’t get enough of a look-in on this blog so it was nice to pick up some blurb about a project called In Our Backyard which put artists in those areas over a year. The work produced will be at The Community gallery at BMAG from 10 April (not that I can find any info on their website, but that’s nothing new).

The artists who took part were Mohsen Keiany – an internationally-recognised painter and illustrator; video and film makers Reel Access (George Fleming and Laura Breakwell); Eleanor Hoad – a cultural eco-artist with a keen interest in permaculture and issues of sustainability and storytellers Annamation (Anna Conomos and Susanna Willetts).

Works produced by the artists and local communities include a large scale mosaic based on by Islamic calligraphy, created by family groups in Ladywood; a filming and photography project made by under 5s and their parents showing community perspectives of Hodge Hill; the planting of fruit trees in Erdington High Street town centre arcade and creation of a map of fruit trees in the area – and a story telling project in Perry Barr, which worked with community elders to hear their tales and then helped young people to learn and re-tell them.