Birmingham and the West Midlands have quietly been making their mark on the contemporary arts map. Birmingham might not spring to mind as a centre of excellence for contemporary visual art, but as with other major post-industrial cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle/Gateshead, during the past 10 years a revolution has been quietly taking place. And this week, Birmingham plays host to the first public discussion about a proposed museum of contemporary art for the country's second city.

The amount and quality of contemporary art on view in the city is now the best it has ever been, and is matched by a small but vibrant and internationally mobile arts community. Birmingham's achievements, however, should be read as part of a wider growth within the West Midlands, that is a result of local authority investment, Arts Council and Lottery funding, and European regeneration initiatives dating back to the early 1990s. Enough time has passed to be able to acknowledge that great progress has been made - today, the West Midlands holds its own as a destination for visual arts tourism.

Contemporary exhibitions can be found across the region in civic and local authority museums, galleries and arts centres from Solihull to Rugby, Wednesbury to Shrewsbury, Hereford to Worcester. Some good artist-run spaces and studios also pop up around the West Midlands, with Pitt Studio in Worcester currently hosting a group show by emerging curator Charlie Levine; Airspace in Stoke-on-Trent presently showing Ecce Homo Tesco; and Bang! Bang! You're Dead! At Eagle Works Gallery in Wolverhampton.

The Art of Ideas II: A New Museum for the 21st Century
Wednesday 8 July, 6 – 7.30pm, Baskerville House, Centenary Square, Birmingham, B1 2ND. Free attendance. RSVP: Arts Co, info@arts-co.com, +44 (0)20 7723 0285.

The talk is chaired by Tim Marlow, Director, White Cube, with guest speakers: Jonathan Watkins, Director, Ikon Gallery; Matthew Slotover, Co-Publisher Frieze and Co-Director, Frieze Art Fair; Frances Morris, Permanent collections curator, Tate; Teresa Gleadowe, Curator; Rita McLean, Head of Museums & Heritage Services, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.

Visual, an exhibition of contemporary art from the West Midlands, organized by Arts & Business as part of The Art of Ideas II, is on at Baskerville House until 12 July.

Source: The Guardian, 8th July, 2009