BCU students fill Snow Hill Square with Black History Month art

Students from Birmingham City University have taken over Snow Hill Square with an open-air exhibition celebrating Black culture, marking the start of Black History Month.

The free exhibition runs throughout October, from 1 to 31 October, in the square outside Snow Hill station in the city's business district. It has been organised in partnership with Colmore Life, the community programme of the Colmore Business District.

What is on show

Students created artworks in a range of media, including photography, collage, illustration, printmaking and painting, all celebrating Black culture and Birmingham's communities. Displaying them outdoors means thousands of commuters, office workers, shoppers and visitors will pass them every day.

What the students said

Tara Obaidy, a student on the MA in Visual Communication, said Birmingham's status as a multicultural city made the exhibition important. "We need to work hard to keep celebrating what makes us and our cultures unique," she said.

Joe Richmond, one of the featured artists, said he valued the fact that the work was being shown in a public place. "Art and creativity should be shared with everyone, especially when it's a celebration of community," he said.

Teaching students to tell stories

Andrew Kulman, professor of graphic art and leader of the MA Visual Communication course, said students were responding creatively to Birmingham's changing cultural landscape and learning to communicate compelling stories about how the city is changing.

Black History Month in Birmingham

Black History Month runs throughout October. Birmingham's programme, now in its 35th year, was launched on Monday at Jamaya on Colmore Row. It is produced by the Blackstory Partnership and includes talks, exhibitions, film screenings, music, theatre, heritage walks and family events across the city.

Black History Month has been marked in the UK since 1987 and grew out of Negro History Week, first held in the United States in February 1926 by the historian Carter G. Woodson, so this year marks a century since those beginnings.

Art in public places

Public art and outdoor exhibitions have become an important part of how Birmingham presents itself. The city centre has a growing collection of murals, sculptures and temporary installations, particularly in Digbeth, the Jewellery Quarter and around the business district, and many have been created by local artists and students.

Business improvement districts, such as the Colmore Business District, often fund cultural events and public art to make their areas more welcoming and to bring people into the city centre.

About Birmingham School of Art

Birmingham City University's art and design courses build on a long tradition. The Birmingham School of Art, now part of the university, was one of the first municipal art schools in the country, and its Victorian building on Margaret Street is one of the city's architectural gems.

Visit

Snow Hill Square is next to Snow Hill station, with trains to the Jewellery Quarter, Moor Street and beyond, and Metro trams stopping nearby. The exhibition is free and can be seen at any time.

More events

Details of Black History Month events across the city are available on the Birmingham Black History Month website and in printed brochures at libraries and venues including the Library of Birmingham, the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Birmingham Rep.