A joint collaboration is to take place between Walsall Society of Artists and poets of Walsall, which is to be named ‘Creative Walsall’.It is intended to provide a platform for all forms of creativity in the Walsall area to work, perform and demonstrate together.
A launch event will take place at The Crossing Coffee House on Thursday 21st September from 6.00pm till 8.00 pm, which will be an evening of art and poetry on display, as well as live performances by Walsall poets. A further event will take place, again at The Crossing, on Saturday 23rd which will have additional activities of poetry workshops, art demonstrations, an open mike event where the public can participate in poetry reading, soundscapes and YouTube.
Eventually there will be opportunities for a full range of creative arts to come together, including film makers, writers, performing artists and musicians – this is the objective of Walsall Society of Artists’ Chair, David McGuire, and Ian Henery who was the Mayor of Walsall’s Poet Laureate 2021-2022. David makes the point that ‘so much damage was caused by the pandemic to the arts in general and we need to pick up the reins again. The additional constraints triggered by the current economic situation makes the need for opportunities even more urgent.’
Ian, who believes that volunteering is a positive force for change, has a history of working in the voluntary and community sector. He has also collaborated with The Art Yard in Cradley Heath on similar collaborations called "PoARTry" and believed the Walsall project had potential.
Ian explains "I had an email out of the blue from the chair of the board of directors at The Crossing at St Paul`s in Walsall. Their challenge was to increase the number of groups using the centre and to turn it into a hive of community activity. The chair was keen to promote arts and culture and she noted that I had been Mayor of Walsall`s Poet Laureate 2021 - 2022 and involved in the poetry scene in Walsall. She wanted a chat to see if we might perhaps work together and suggested collaborating on a project with Walsall Society of Artists who were due to stage an exhibition at The Crossing".
"I set about recruiting a commando team of poets who could deliver quality work and performances at short notice" he said "and would be a pleasure to work with at The Crossing. Each poet I recruited have marked excellence in their practice and would add value to the project.
The poets include Tina J Cox, Laura Jane Round, Steven C Davis, Sara Meredith, Leanne Cooper, Mark Ingram, Ian Davies, Gerald Kells, Phil Buckley, Glyn Phillips, Mickey Angel, Al Barz, Laura Liptrot, Brendan Hawthorne, Jane James, Anthony J Ball, Lisa Johnson, Al Monde and Angela Garratt.
For example, "said Ian "some of the poets performed at the recent Wolverhampton Literature Festival, others at the Wolverhampton Arts Festival, some at the Walsall festival of Words in the Walsall Arboretum, some at the Raising Steam Festival and some at Lakeside Live in the Walsall Arboretum. All of them are regulars on the local spoken word scene and appear at festivals. Ian Davies hosts Voices from the Fountain each month in Walsall and Sara is this month`s headline poet on 5th September. Al Barz hosts Spoke at the Lamp ion Brownhills. Tina hosted poetry workshops at Arts All Over The Place in Birmingham for National Poetry Day. Mark Ingram is hosting a poetry charitable event in Walsall in aid of Vasculitis UK at Delves Baptist Church in Walsall on 9th September. What we have here is a collaboration of some of the finest wordsmiths around and it is an honour and pleasure to work with each and every one of them."
Those who are interested and would like to contribute to future events should contact either David McGuire da.mcguire@virgin.net or Ian Henery ian@ianhenery.com
