Councillor Ian Ward has stated in a Birmingham Post article that a new event would happen this year to replace the festival and celebrate the opening of the new library:

“It has been decided to roll the arts festival into a festival for the opening of the new library on September 3 and I have spoken to the major arts organisations in Birmingham, and the Arts Council about putting together a new festival to provide a showcase for the best that Birmingham can offer.”

Apparently this new arts festival will bes starting from 2014, but will see the £130,000 budget for Artsfest going down to £80,000; although it has been suggested that the Arts Council may look to matching that bid if it goes forward. Maybe.

Artsfest has been a mixed bag over the past few years, but negative aspects aside, it is a shame for the city to lose such a large outlet for the arts and creatives, and also for for those visiting to see what Birmingham has to offer. Hopefully this will work out for the best and the new events that unfold will be an even better showcase for the city’s talents.

If you have any updates or any more information, let us know by contacting or putting in the comments below.

The Flyover Show is taking place this Saturday, 18th of August, and are looking for a few extra pairs of hands to help out. Each year the space under the Hockley flyover is transformed into an arena for this day of hip hop, reggae and jazz. For more information please email Clare Edwards

Light House Media Centre in Wolverhampton are searching for Ambassadors. In return for a range of benefits Ambassadors promote the venue to their friends, colleagues and online networks.

Every year Oxjam Brum takeover a bunch of city centre venues to put on a one-day festival of live music with local bands and artists, with all proceeds going to Oxfam. They are always on the lookout for all kinds of creatives, including photographers, designers, artists… and even cake decorators, who would like to help them put on a bigger and better show. If this sounds like you please contact them here.

One of the highlights of the local festival season due to it’s chilled out vibe and wonderful location, Moseley Folk Festival returns on the 31st August and 1st and 2nd September. They are currently recruiting a team of friendly, motivated stewards to help the weekend run smoothly. In return for two 4 hour shifts volunteers can enjoy the rest of the 3 day festival. Find out more here.

Artsfest is the annual weekend of all things artistic in Birmingham, when the city attempts to show off the breadth and depth of it’s creative and cultural sector. It advertises itself as the UK’s biggest free arts festival, and relies on a team of volunteers. Taking place during the second weekend in September, which this year is the 7th to the 9th, applications for volunteers have closed but if you’d like to add yourself to the reserve list details can be found here.

TEDxBrum brings the renowned series of talks and ideas by inspirational speakers to Birmingham. After a successful inaugural event this year they are currently recruiting a team for 2013. Among roles in production, marketing and communication perhaps of interest is ‘Non-Speaker Content Curation’ which will help expand the performances and exhibitions which will take place on the day.

Finally, another music festival, Supersonic, is looking for volunteers. Taking place in Digbeth in October, Supersonic is curated by Birmingham-based promoters Capsule. For more information contact volunteer@capsule.org.uk

Meanwhile, I’m covering what’s going on in the Dance Marquee today. You can follow all of that on the Dancing for the Games website.

The programme for Artsfest 2011 is now online (in addition to the PDF brochure that came out a few days back).

As ever, there’s an unfeasibly huge amount happening. I’ve not had time to have a proper browse, but here’s what I’ve spotted after a swift glance through the listings:

• 2 for 1 entry to the Home of Metal exhibition at BMAG all weekend
• Birmingham Young Poet Laureate, The Library Theatre, Saturday at 2pm – performances by the shortlisted poets
• Birmingham Royal Ballet, Centenary Square, Saturday at 6.30pm – doing excerpts from their autumn season
• Classical Fantasia, Centenary Square, Saturday at 8.15pm – the CBSO, Birmingham Opera Company and fireworks
• BE Festival presents Move Me, Broad Street Stage, Sunday at 2.30pm and 5.30pm – an interactive contemporary dance event hosted by Barbara Nice.
• Best of Birmingham from Kerrang & Q Radio, Centenary Square, Sunday from 5pm – with The Guillemots headlining
• In Conversation With… is a whole strand of interviews with the likes of Tindal Street Press, Michael Seal, Ian Emes, Paul Kaynes, Keri Davies, David Massingham and Rosie Kay
• The film strand at the Crescent Theatre is usually good too.

I’ll be spending Saturday in the Dancing for the Games-sponsored Dance Marquee before nipping off to the (not Artsfest-affiliated) The Boat That OxJamBrum Rocked, returning to catch the end of Classical Fantasia.

Looking at that list it’s mainly the bigger names that have stood out, which means there’s probably loads of decent stuff I’ve missed – let me know if you’ve got any recommendations.

Sutton Coldfield based artist Michael Goodrum, aka, Visionary Glass, was another of the exhibitors in the Victoria Square marquee during Artsfest. Using individually hand-cut fragments of glass, Michael creates a range of stunning sculptural glass canvases depicting the abstract forms from nature and landscapes.

Recorded at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham bands led by Ben Markland and Percy Pursglove played at the special edition of Rush Hour Blues. The show is currently still available to listen to on BBC iPlayer.

Take a look at this post on the Birmingham Jazz blog to read a bit more about it.

Louise Blakeway is another of the artists who exhibited work in the ArtSpace tent at Artsfest.

Consisting mainly of drawings, paintings and prints, her work is largely concerned with natural or found objects, architecture, landscapes and the human figure.

Don Henderson and Katherine M. Waters from Corpus Gallery were showcasing some of their work in the ArtSpace tent at Artsfest the other weekend.

Don (above) is a painter and mixed media artist working on canvas, while Katherine’s work in sculpture and paintings are concerned with the development and advancement of traditional laquering techniques. Below is one of her Birmingham Babies.

Picked this up at Artsfest. I can’t find much about it online, but it looks interesting.

20 – 22 September at The Victoria, Green Gorilla Presents – Polite Assassins – A play celebrating an almost forgotten heroine air-brushed out of history, Mary Seacole. Starting at 7:30pm, tickets are £7/ £5 concessions.