DIGBETH FIRST FRIDAY – June 2015

The days are longer, the evenings are warmer – there’s no excuse not to get out and explore Digbeth’s cultural offerings for June’s First Friday! Start the evening at Rope Press for a new exhibition and head to A3 Project Space who launch two new projects.

Relax with home made cocktails and pizzas at Edible Eastside before discovering the exciting variety of exhibitions inside the galleries at Minerva Works.

Take a peek at works by RBSA members at The Bond Café Gallery, and don’t forget to book your ticket for the revival of 1975 Digbeth-based plays being performed at Eastside Projects. End your evening with cabaret from ‘Jamirochoir’, live music and South African cuisine at First Friday Frolics at the Edge.

On offer this month:

centrala birminghamRope Press: Greetings from Heterophobia, 10.30am–6.30pm
This exhibition by Ryan Hughes considers distribution and place in the networked-age and features animation, risographs, online content and a new e-book.

A3 Project Space: Sparrow + Castice and Juneau Projects, 4–8pm
A3 Project Space launch two new projects featuring a suite of inter-connecting gallery furniture by Sparrow + Castice that will be used by artists in future exhibitions and find out how you can sponsor a chair stencilled by Juneau Projects.

Edible Eastside: BCU Creative Initiative, 6–10pm
Explore new creative works by Birmingham City University students and visit Edible Eastside’s pop-up art shop supporting local talent. All whilst enjoying a freshly prepared Mojito and oven baked pizza.

Centrala: Dissidents and Dreamers, 6–11pm
Dissidents and Dreamers shows anti-authoritarian art from the East and West by Gee Vaucher and Oskar Kasperek. For June’s Digbeth First Friday Centrala will also present a video installation by Maciej Piatek.

grand union birminghamGrand Union: Aideen Doran: Im Bau exhibition, 6–8pm
Late night opening of research lab Im Bau by Glasgow based artist Aideen Doran. Pay bar open until 8pm.

Stryx: THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE, 6.30–8.30pm
THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE – the final installment of SOUP Part 1: Feminist Residency. Artists include Lucy Hutchinson, Emily Mulenga and Demi Nandhra.

HFWAS: Backbone, 7–9.30pm
“Love isn’t just a word.” Home For Waifs And Strays presents a show on love. Eight artists have been selected from an open call on the basis of the bravery and sincerity of their proposals.

Vivid Projects: 9 Evenings: Redux, 6–8pm
For 9 Evenings: Redux, Vivid Projects has commissioned a group of artists to collaborate, critique, re-work and react to this seminal programme.

The Bond: Invited, 5–10pm
The Bond Café Gallery invites a selection of members of the RBSA to exhibit, highlighting the fantastic talent and quality of art Birmingham has to offer.

eastside projects birminghamEastside Projects: Roger Coward: Birmingham Plays, 6.30pm and 8.30pm
Premiering on June’s Digbeth First Friday, alongside late night exhibition openings Eastside Projects presents a unique revival of two plays originally devised and performed in 1975 during artist Roger Coward’s Artist Placement group project in Small Heath. Tickets £6, advance booking via www.eastsideprojects.org

The Edge: First Friday Frolics, 8pm–2am
An evening of wondrous variety! Join Artists on The Edge for a Cabaret with Tin Can Choir, Jamirochoir and live music from ‘Fanny Jam’ as well as South African food and bar from Ubuntu Kitchen Club. £3 Fundraiser entry.

Maps with details of all events will be available online at www.digbethfirstfriday.com

  • Rope Press: Unit 108, Jubilee Centre, 130 Pershore Street, B5 6ND, 10.30am–6.30pm
  • A3 Project Space: Unit A3, 2 Bowyer Street, B10 0SA, 4–8pm
  • Edible Eastside: 122 Fazeley Street B5 5RS, 6–10pm
  • Centrala: Unit 4, Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street, B5 5RT
  • Grand Union:Unit 19, Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street, B5 5RS. 6–8pm
  • Stryx: Unit 13, Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street, B5 5RS, 6.30–8.30pm
  • HFWAS: Unit 9 Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street, B5 5RS. 7–9.30pm
  • Vivid Projects: Unit 16, Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street, B5 5RS, 6–8pm
  • The Bond Café Gallery: 180-182 Fazeley Street, B5 5SE, 5–10pm
  • Eastside Projects: 86 Heath Mill Lane, B9 9AR, 6.30pm and 8.30pm
  • The Edge: 79-81 Cheapside, B12 0QH. 8pm–2am.

– Digbeth First Friday launched in May 2014 and takes place on the First Friday of each month. The next event will be on 3 July 2015.

– Digbeth First Friday is produced by a group of Digbeth-based arts organisations who are working together to create a critical mass of events and allow visitors to discover the exciting independent culture this unique part of Birmingham offers.