‘Where Art meets Health’ Symposium
Birmingham School of Arts presents ‘Where Art meets Health’. This interactive symposium that brings together expert from a range of art related fields all working at the interface with health. With panellists from differing backgrounds offering varied perspectives this will facilitate a lively discussion with critical corners. Each panellist will in their 5min address pose, and shed light on, a central question which, in turn, becomes a prompt for the panel discussion that follows.A guided tour of our School of Art Creative Health Exhibition is also on offer.Invited panellists and their central questions:Each panellist will in their 5min address pose, and shed light on, a central question which, in turn, becomes a prompt for the panel discussion that follows.Regan McDonald is a Public Health Research Officer leading on Ikon Gallery’s Creative Health programme in collaboration with Birmingham City Council Public Health. Through partnerships with Birmingham’s universities, libraries, health spaces and prisons, he is working to develop an evidence base for, and bring community-led research on arts and health, to the forefront of gallery practice. McDonald has recently co-curated What are the Odds? Ikon Creative Health.Question: What does ‘good’ look like when curating an exhibition where art and health meet?Jaskrit Dhaliwal-Boora is a visual artist with a socially engaged practice, working with communities on global issues. She is interested in celebrating underrepresented stories while examining visual representations of gender, ethnicity and place. Her practice highlights how creativity can positively impact health and wellbeing, as seen in Fractured Landscapes and how we heal, her current exhibition at The New Art Gallery Walsall.Question: How can the intersections of nature, creativity, and recovery help us heal from trauma?Dr. Pamela Whitaker is a researcher and lecturer in Art Psychotherapy at Belfast School of Art. She specialises in creative and cultural health, ecologies of care and promoting environmental assets for health promotion.Question: How does public practice art therapy inform creative health?Stephen Stapleton launched Healing Arts in 2020 in collaboration with the World Health Organization to support an art-world response to the pandemic; and in 2023, co-founded the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, to measurably improve health and wellbeing through the arts at a global scale. He is interested in an artist-led model which bridges cultures as well as promoting healing, empowering artists to bring their ideas from the edge of society to its centre.Question: Why include health and wellbeing as a pillar of 21st century arts education?Jason Bruges is a multidisciplinary artist and designer, based In London. Since 2021, he has been Visiting Professor to Birmingham School of Arts. His studio creates interactive, technology driven artworks for the built environment including transport and healthcare settings, amongst others. Using a mixed-media palette, his artworks bring a sense of wonder and curiosity to the everyday experience, with a focus on restoring calm and wellbeing in urban spaces.Question: How can we create a sense of wonder and awe in healthcare settings to help reduce anxiety and promote healing?Don’t delay – Register today!!
An Evening with Susie Wolff: Driven
Join former racing driver and Managing Director of F1 Academy, Susie Wolff, as she lifts the bonnet on her incredible journey to the top of motorsport.From the moment her parents first sat her in a go-kart, Susie felt it: the thrill of speed, the spark of something bigger. A little girl who dared to dream of racing on the grid.The journey was tough, one of grit, instinct, and refusing to quit, but one day she was handed the opportunity of a lifetime—25 laps in an F1 car. She knew chances like that didn’t come often, and when they did, you had to grab them.When her time behind the wheel ended, Susie didn’t stall—she pivoted. Taking over a struggling Formula E team, she took it from the back of the grid to championship contention and demonstrated her skills as a business leader.F1 Academy became her next mission: to inspire young women to enter motorsport and help shape the future of the sport she loves.Now, to celebrate her debut book Driven, Susie tells her story in her own words. From the driver’s seat to the boardroom, she offers a rare, first-hand look at motorsport at its highest level. She reflects on the triumphs and setbacks of her career, her bold move into leadership, and how she’s balanced ambition, motherhood, and her relationship with her husband Toto Wolff.Told with clarity and grace, hear the inspirational story of a woman determined not just to compete—but to redefine the race.Every ticket sold will include a paperback copy of Susie Wolff’s memoir: Driven
Watch Us Lead – BSL tour
Experience Watch Us Lead through a Deaf perspective in this guided tour led by Chisato MinamimuraThrough British Sign Language, Chisato will guide you through the exhibition, sharing insights into the artworks, objects, and stories that shape it. Together, you will explore themes of identity, representation, and lived experience, reflecting on how disability, race, and history intersect. The tour will also consider how stories are communicated, understood, and felt across different perspectives.The exhibition combines these stories with stained glass and drawings by Christopher that reflect significant moments in the lives of the individuals featured.
ISMO: Perseverance Tour
ISMO is an internationally acclaimed comedian, author, rally driver and master of wordplay. Freshly recovered from a broken back, Finland’s funniest export is back on stage and better than ever! ISMO: Perseverance Tour blends clever wit with Finnish grit for a comedy experience that’s smart, surprising and seriously funny.Globally recognized as THE voice of all second -language English speakers, ISMO has won over audiences in person and online with his sharp takes on language, culture and life’s absurdities.ISMO: Perseverance Tour kicks off in 2026 with all new material and observations in the Finnish spirit of SISU – having a stoic determination, tenacity, and resilience in the face of adversity. Perseverance. ISMO plans to bring the Perseverance Tour to the U.S. Canada, Australia, Europe, Middle East, South Africa and Asia in 2026.Since moving to the U.S., ISMO has made numerous TV appearances on NBC, CBS, Just For Laughs, Top Gear Finland. His debut, iconic stand up set on Conan went viral with over 135 million views. The following year he was invited to perform on The Late Late Show with James Corden, sparking massive growth across social media.
Watch Us Lead: In Conversation with Christopher Samuel
Join us at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery while artist Christopher Samuel shines a light on unseen members of our communities, revealing the hidden experiences of Black and disabled people whose lives have gone unrecorded and successes uncelebrated, both historically and now.This conversation reunites Christopher with Rebekah Mall, who took part in his Watch Us Lead project at Birmingham Museums. They talk with Dr Ian Sergeant, Senior Curator (Global Majority Collections), about their lived experience as disabled people of colour, and how Christopher‘s new work for Birmingham’s collection addresses a significant gap in representation and reveals hidden stories.
Brum Transport Fest
It’s a Mystery
join Tim as he delves into why murder mysteries surge in popularity through times of societal strife – what is there about these stories that ignites the inner detective in us all? And ultimately, what is the mystery we’re all trying to solve?