YOUNG PEOPLE CHART A NEW CREATIVE ROUTE THROUGH THE WEST MIDLANDS
Ikon is excited to launch Slow Boat 2026, the gallery’s annual floating arts studio and residency space supported by Freelands Foundation. Travelling over 150 miles of the West Midlands canal network, Slow Boat hosts free workshops, conversations and creative collaborations with young people, communities and contemporary artists.
The Slow Boat route has been designed by members of Ikon Youth Programme (IYP) – emerging artists, curators, musicians, writers and creatives aged 16–21. Inspired by the Victorian craft traditions and post-war design innovation of the region’s art school heritage, the 2026 programme explores themes of heritage, place and shared creativity.
Wherever it docks, Slow Boat becomes a temporary studio – a space for experimentation, risk-taking and making. Workshops are free for young people, with opportunities to learn from contemporary artists, while exploring local histories and co-curating creative projects.
2026 Route and Dates
Wolverhampton 1 April – 1 May
Starting the journey by exploring the city’s long-standing craft and design education traditions.
Tipton 11 May – 24 May
Workshops draw on Tipton’s industrial heritage and its communities of makers.
Stourbridge 1 – 13 June
Reflecting the region’s glassmaking history, participants investigate materiality and making in new ways.
Halesowen 22 June – 4 July
Young artists invite local groups to create collaborative artworks inspired by Halesowen’s landscapes and stories.
Smethwick 11 – 19 July
In partnership with the Canal & River Trust, Slow Boat hosts the Smethwick Imaginarium: Linking Art and Nature, celebrating connections between creativity and the natural world.
Birmingham 27 July – 30 August
A central-city stop celebrating Birmingham’s art school legacy with a full programme of workshops and events.
Coventry 7 – 26 September
The journey concludes in Coventry, a city shaped by reinvention and community-led creativity.