Crowdfunder launched to improve arts trail accessibility

Birmingham Open Studios, an artistic community celebrating creativity across the city, are launching a £7000 Crowdfunding campaign to help improve accessibility in the upcoming city-wide arts trail.

They are seeking businesses to back them in return for advertising and sponsorship opportunities.

The event takes place annually in autumn, and runs across two consecutive weekends. This year’s event will run between 28 and 29 September and 5 to 6 October.

Birmingham Open Studios is an artistic community event like no other. It allows artists to exhibit and sell their art from their own homes or studios across the city. The collective celebrates creatives of all ages, from all cultural backgrounds, and supports artists with disabilities.

The funds gathered will be aimed towards funding a mobile app that will help visitors navigate the event easier on their phones. The app will offer an artist database, opening times, interactive map - plus images, bios, artistic mediums and more.

They will also commission a local map maker to create a visually-attractive printed map for visitors to navigate the event. This will be included in their free guidebook, available to pick up from multiple locations across the city.

The rest of the funding will be used to improve their website, in terms of design, user experience and speed.

And with their £10,000 stretch target, they aim to expand into North Birmingham, where artists are rather disconnected from the main arts scene in central and south Birmingham.

Meanwhile, television personality and comedian Joe Lycett has been appointed as the ambassador of Birmingham Open Studios.

He said: “Birmingham Open Studios is a very cool and inspiring opportunity to see that art where it’s made – in kitchens, living rooms, garden sheds and beyond.”

Supporters can help back the project for as little as £10 who will receive a pin badge to show support. Larger donations will receive a T-shirt, and be entered into an art gift prize draw, where you can win a voucher to spend up to £250 on art during the event in Autumn. There will also be art prizes, donated by artists.

The largest donation packages are aimed at businesses who wish to advertise through their guidebooks, or even become an official sponsor for the event.

Birmingham Open Studios guidebooks are printed in a minimum run of 10,000 copies, and are distributed widely across the city.

This is a great chance to promote your business to a wide audience, and show your support for ground-root arts and a thriving creative city.

The arts are going through one of the biggest challenges in decades, so please help keep creativity alive in Birmingham for our artists, our visitors, and to inspire future generations.

Pictured: Dr Richa Prisad