It’s official! Culture Club is finally on the go. We have 2 groups of brilliant students who started on the 1st of March 2021, and an incredible team.

As Lead Artist, I, alongside Savhanha Nguyen and Michael Mihoc in support, have brought a 10-week pilot to the online arts scene in Birmingham. As well as connecting arts to our local community and the world itself, we are aiming to introduce more culturally reflective arts to the young people. 

Our programme will celebrate the culture and cultural backgrounds of the participants and it will be based on their experiences. I’ve designed the curriculum, but the young people themselves inform the content. In February, we held 2 taster sessions, building up to last week’s launch, and I’m so excited that we are finally getting stuck in.

In the first sessions we introduced the young people to Alexis Ffrench, a British classical soul pioneer (And best-selling pianist of 2020). The young people found the music calming and enjoyed the piece that was shared.  We then looked at many maps including the map of the world. The discussions by both groups have got me very excited for the weeks to come. The young people then created their own maps of the world and then the map of the United Kingdom.

We used paint, pencils and pens and a little imagination. Both groups produced some excellent artwork and are already asking questions about what the world looks like. 

Next week, we shall be looking at Architecture and Arts buildings around Birmingham and with it being international women’s day on the 8th of March we will be introducing the young people to some incredible female musical talent! Keep your eyes peeled for our weekly posts from Savhanha, Michael and me. Spring is almost here!

Sarah Kaur, Lead Artist