The Great Stirchley Sketchbook Circle

The Great Stirchley Sketchbook Circle is an ambitious six-month project based in Stirchley Library, aiming to engage people of all ages and sectors of the community, seeking to nurture a collective sense of pride in Stirchley's cultural heritage through the power of art.

Through art workshops enriched by local artists and storytellers, participants will celebrate the cultural identity of Stirchley from shared starting points.

​Comprising a sketchbook circle, artist workshops, takeaway packs, family storytelling and craft sessions, the project encourages maximum participation, fostering intergenerational connections and community cohesion.
The project culminates in a community exhibition and a co-produced and locally printed cultural Almanac of Stirchley, featuring the artistic contributions and stories of the community.
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Booking via Eventbrite
This is the first of three artist workshops brought to you by Stirchley Art Room as part of The Great Stirchley Sketchbook Circle which is funded by Birmingham City Council - Beyond 2022

Jen Dixon is a local artist whose interest is in the material journey of place which can include physical, imagined or historical journeys. She use collage, artist book-making, and photography to explore this theme.
Participants will be invited to think about different kinds of journeys and to consider artists who explore journey as part of their practice. 'Journeys' could include an “A to B” journey, journeys through time, how a place has changed, journeys of emigration, or life events such as parenthood. In the words of Paul Klee, the act of drawing is in ‘taking a line for a walk’, so any kind of mark making can also represent a journey.
Participants will have the opportunity to either produce folding addendums to an existing sketchbook (which for our Sketchbook Circle participants could be one of the books they are working in for that project), or to make new folded books. Journey ideas can be then mapped out in the books using collage and markmaking materials.
This fortnight's Sketchbook Circle theme is 'Journeys'.
Download the Journeys theme as a pdf
File Size: 2823 kb
File Type: pdf
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'Green Man' Takeaway packs now available to pick up from Stirchley Library.
Download the Green Man theme as a pdf
File Size: 977 kb
File Type: pdf
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make_an_elastic_band_sketchbook.pdf
File Size: 384 kb
File Type: pdf
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Instructions for Sketchbook Circle Participants:
Download the instructions as a pdf
File Size: 713 kb
File Type: pdf
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