Ammo reckons Birmingham’s arts scene is too safe and middle-aged, claiming that rather than providing art that appeals to Brummies, “a human tide of middle class professionals floods Birmingham each day from the suburban shanty towns that ring our city”:

Groomed by the local authority and a small elite of ‘tastemakers’, half-a-dozen ‘flagship’ venues and ventures in the city centre now hoover up most of the taxpayer and corporate cash. Just like the banks, they’ve become ‘too big to fail’.

More and more their programming reflects the tastes – and train timetables – of an alien clique.

Meanwhile, Stan’s Cafe remind us that, as of 1 October, city council funding for some of the smaller organisations ended (see my post with bonus hedgehog vid here):

last time I did the sums it appeared 50% of the City’s revenue funded portfolio was being cut by 100% to save 2.6% of the Arts Revenue budget. I can’t conceive how the city missed out on its last two bids to be crowned a Capital/City of Culture.

That last bit was sarcastic, btw.

Our creative and cultural industries – media, arts, online, music – are collectively bigger than construction in this city (that’s a great fact we used in the bid team and final pitch).

Incredibly, there is no-one to speak for us on the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) – almost as incredible as the lack of female members but we warned you about this male, pale and stale phase creeping up on ya me old hearties.

A lucrative and dynamic sector that is developing in markets across the world will remain uncharted waters as far as local strategic development is concerned.

Beyond the nautical references, Ammo Talwar from Punch has a serious point to make in his Birmingham Post column.

Here’s a link to the opening speech and here’s a video of Ammo Talwar walking round and explaining the exhibition:

It’s at the Zellig Gallery (Custard Factory) until 26 June.

Also, Andrew Dubber (he who filmed those two videos) has been doing some work with Punch Records and explains what all that’s about in this post.

Starting today we’re setting up a project @ Punch HQ called “Counter / Culture” studying those who’ve begun changing the nation from our city’s streets; radicals, chartists, abolitionists, suffragettes, artists, rockers, bhangramuffins, rastas and punks.

If this inspires you, get in touch. Consider this a manifesto

The inspiration for this is the Urban Curators from Providence, Rhodes Island. The aim of their project is to:

engage the public in the celebration of the decaying urban environment, recognizing its inherent aesthetic qualities as well as the important role that it plays within our cultural habitat

Which they do by:

literally hanging gold, gallery-style frames in derelict spaces within the city, framing objects and views that are of aesthetic or cultural value

Their full mission statement is on the very fantastic Wooster Collective blog. As Ammo said, if this inspires you, get in touch.

First up, Theatricalia is the work of the ever-impressive Matthew Somerville. It’s ‘a database of past and future theatre productions’ which makes it no less than IMDB for theatre.

Already it contains archives of plays and performers from the RSC, Bristol University Archive, the Royal National Theatre and Birmingham Rep (1913-1971). You can search by play, person or place and edit entries yourself to help the archive grow.

The potential for Theatricalia is a little mind-boggling.

Black Routes is a new UK wide touring network for African and Caribbean music, with Punch Records as one of the founding partners and chair.

Punch’s Ammo Talwar wrote an article in the Birmingham Post explaining the context for the project, particularly how it fits in with what’s happening in Birmingham at the moment.

In the Birmingham Post yesterday Punch Records‘ Ammo Talwar spoke his mind on what he sees as Birmingham’s neglect of this year’s Black History Month, especially in comparison to the enthusiasm shown over the Staffordshire Hoard:

When do we start pleasing the really big crowds – the ones who aren’t there, the ones who want to see something different? Do we have to get a metal detector down to Handsworth to unearth Apache Indian’s first gold tooth, or lock on to Steel Pulse’s forgotten cymbal set?

It’s Black History Month and there should be real effort and real funding to promote the treasures left to us by Birmingham’s black achievers.

Can’t argue with that.

The Black History Month website has a full run-down of everything happening over October (click the link and scroll down the page). It’s a little tricky to pick things out, although I’ve heard good things of East is East which is on at The Rep and Eric Roberson will be at The Drum on 10 Oct.

In the Birmingham Post piece Ammo mentions a showing of the controversial documentary, Deen Tight:

Filmed on location with Muslim rappers, DJs, slam poets, breakdancers and a graffiti artist in concerts, recording studios, at homes and in the streets. Our story focuses on the perceived conflict between traditional religious ideals and modernity, as well as both the positives and negatives of Western Pop culture on todays’ Muslim youth

That’s at The Drum on 13 October.

Ok, so it’s easy to be cynical about these things (and it’s open season on the Birmingham Post site – all the winners’ profiles are commentable), but there’s little sense in detracting from the recognition given to the following folks who work hard on the city’s arts & culture scene.

So, from CiB (hating the game, not the playa since 2007) hearty congrats go to:

• 18. Dorothy Wilson, Midlands Arts Centre
• 25. David Bintley, Birmingham Royal Ballet
• 26. Amajit Talwar, Punch
• 29. Graham Vick, Birmingham Opera Company
• 30. Soweto Kinch, Musician
• 35. Mark Ball, Royal Shakespeare Company and Fierce!
• 39. Sarah Gee, Indigo
• 43. Sandra Hall, Friction Arts
• 49. Stuart Griffiths, Birmingham Hippodrome

While I’m at it, the Birmingham meeja luminaries who would like to thank their friends, family, deity of choice, etc and so on are:

• 7. Sir Michael Lyons, BBC Trust
• 14. Jon Bounds, Blogger
• 15. Suzie Norton, Screen West Midlands
• 20. Steve Dyson, Birmingham Mail
• 28. Ian Squires, ITV
• 31. Jonnie Turpie, Maverick TV
• 41. Gurjeet Kaur Bains, The Sikh Times

The big list of movers and shakers is on the Birmingham Post website which, like I say, they’ve made an effort to do all nice so you can comment on how brilliant and deserving everyone is.

But feel free to vent your spleen in the comments here if you feel the need.