Multistory

I’ve been one of the artists taking part in this year’s Blast! Residency Programme produced in partnership between Multistory @multistory and Wolverhampton School of Art. @wolverhampton_school_of_art The residency brings together five Black Country-based artists working across different practices: from painting, filmmaking and illustration to sculpture, socially engaged work and photography, creating space for exchange, experimentation and shared learning. What I appreciated most about the programme was the focus on process rather than polished final outcomes, allowing the exhibition to hold work still developing, shifting and finding its form. I’m grateful to have shared this experience alongside Abraham Babajide Cole @coleabraham , Sonia Levesque @hello_levesque , Bag Lord @b4g_lord , and Rumbidzai Savanhu @marykeepsgoing This time gave me space to slow down and rethink the way I work. Since becoming a mother, my relationship with photography has changed a lot. I no longer move through the city in the same way I used to when I was constantly photographing streets and everyday life in West Bromwich. My world became smaller, more domestic. During this residency I found myself returning to old images and working with them physically instead. Cutting, folding, repeating and reconstructing photographs became a way of thinking about migration, memory, absence and belonging. A way of reconnecting with places I still feel attached to, even if I experience them differently now. I’m especially grateful to the team at Multistory and Wolverhampton School of Art for their support, patience and understanding throughout the residency. The flexibility and care they showed made it possible for me to take part and continue developing the work during a period where balancing art practice and motherhood was not always straightforward. The exhibition is still open and the works can still be viewed until 19 June 2026 at Wolverhampton School of Art foyer. Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm.

We are excited to be part of Three 15, Sandwell’s Place Partnership programme, working together to bring culture closer to home in Tipton, Smethwick and Wednesbury, and supporting wellbeing through creativity. As lead partner for Wednesbury, we will be working with The Caravan Gallery between May and October 2026, on The People’s Map, where they will be in residence in the centre of Wednesbury. Led by artists Jan Williams and Chris Teasdale, the project will culminate in the creation of a collaborative map and an evolving community exhibition. By engaging residents, schools, and local businesses through photography and storytelling, the project will celebrate and document Wednesbury’s industrial heritage, local identity and contemporary life, to create an evolving portrait of the town created by and for its residents. Inspired by the fifteen minute city idea, the programme makes it easier for people to take part in high quality arts and cultural experiences within a fifteen minute walk of where they live. Three 15 builds on more than a decade of place based creative work in the Black Country and focuses on wellbeing, connection and long term sustainability through creative collaboration. The programme is led by Creative Black Country and delivered in partnership with Black Country Touring, Multistory, Your City and Metropolitan Hospital Charity, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Black Country Housing Group, Black Country Together, Birmingham Opera Company and RSPB Sandwell. Three 15 Sandwell Place Partnership is funded by Arts Council England. For more info head to the link in our bio. 🔗 Images courtesy of The Caravan Gallery. @aceagram @creativeblackcountry @the_caravan_gallery #Three15Sandwell #SandwellCreates #CultureCloserToHome #SandwellPlacePartnership #CreativityInSandwell

We would like to extend our congratulations to the 2025/26 Blast! Artists in Residence and a huge thank you to those who joined us for an evening of artist talks and for the exhibition launch at the Wolverhampton School of Art on 29 April. It was a wonderful evening spent celebrating the hard work of artists Abraham Babajide Cole, Sylwia Ciszewska-Peciak, Sonia Levesque, Bag Lord, and Rumbidzai Savanhu. This year the launch was punctuated with performances as well as artist talks; Sonia did a performative reading of her new text Eulogy to the School of Art and introduced her new participatory artwork, which invites students to share their visions for the art school in 2046 as part of an evolving, interactive installation, and Bag Lord premiered his band’s new song ‘What’s Going On’, a humorous anthem about coping in late-stage capitalism. The exhibition will run until 19 June, and can be found in the Wolverhampton School of Art foyer. Visiting hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Rather than presenting work in its final state, the exhibition shares work in progress, reflecting the programme’s commitment to supporting practice as research, and providing space for artistic experimentation and play. Photo credit: Tegen Kimbley @coleabraham @sylwia_ciszewska_peciak @hello_levesque @b4g_lord @marykeepsgoing @wlv_photo @wlvcreativeindustries @aceagrams @tegenkimbley #BlastCreativeNetwork #ArtistDevelopment #BlackCountry

Between May and July 2012, acclaimed novelist, Margaret Drabble, and local author and performance poet, Emma Purshouse, toured the Black Country by bus to meet with local women and listen and document their stories about their lives. The stories were presented in a magazine, produced by Multistory. called ‘Black Country Women’ that paid homage to magazines like ‘My Weekly’, one of many popular magazines for older women. Margaret visited a number of local places including: Teddy Gray’s Sweet Factory in Dudley; Crossroads Café in Willenhall; Susan’s Hairdressers in West Bromwich; and Pat Gorman’s Pork Pie Factory in Bloxwich. The stories that were written were later performed and recorded by Emma Purshouse. Emma Purshouse features in the first of our 20 Stories short, filmed interviews by Tegen Kimbley, where she discusses her collaboration with Margaret and Multistory and the importance of community based arts. Head to our website to listen to Emma Purshouse read three short stories from this project. Link in our bio.🔗 Artist bio: Emma Purshouse is a freelance writer, performance poet and novelist. She was the first Poet Laureate for the City of Wolverhampton (2020 – 2022). Emma performs her work nationally, and is a published author (for adults and children) and poetry slam champion. She has a degree in English, and an MA in creative writing, enjoys writing flash fiction and has won, been placed, shortlisted, longlisted and commended in various writing competitions. In 2022 Emma came 3rd in the National Poetry Competition. Dame Margaret Drabble was born in Sheffield in 1939 and was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge. She is the author of eighteen novels including A Summer Bird-Cage, The Millstone, The Peppered Moth, The Red Queen, The Sea Lady and the highly acclaimed The Pure Gold Baby. She has also written biographies, screenplays and was the editor of the Oxford Companion to English Literature. She was appointed CBE in 1980, and made DBE in the 2008 Honours list. She was also awarded the 2011 Golden PEN Award for a Lifetime’s Distinguished Service to Literature. @emmapurshouse @aceagrams @tegenkimbley #MultistoryTurns20

Tonight! Artist talks to launch the 2025-26 Blast! Artists in Residence exhibition💥 Join us at the Wolverhampton School of Art this Wednesday from 6:00pm to 8:00pm for a free evening of artist talks, performances, and complimentary drinks and snacks, all whilst exploring this year's Blast! exhibition. Can't make it for 6? Drop in from 7:15pm to explore the new exhibition and enjoy complimentary snacks and drinks. Tickets are not required from 7:15pm. Wednesday 29 April 🔗 Ticket link in our bio Image credit: 'Eulogy for the Art School; a Wounded Carcass', 2026 © Sonia Levesque @hello_levesque @coleabraham @sylwia_ciszewska_peciak @b4g_lord @marykeepsgoing @wlv_photo @wlvcreativeindustries @aceagrams #BlastCreativeNetwork #ArtistDevelopment #BlackCountry

In 2009, we launched a new programme centered on people’s lives and experiences in the Black Country; a series of arts projects that highlighted and celebrated the cultural life of the region. Our first commission was with Martin Parr, a photographer who worked in colour, close-up and with humour. Martin’s work helped us to create a foundation for the development of the programme over the next ten years. Between 2010-2014, Martin Parr was invited by Multistory to make a photographic portrait of the Black Country, (Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Dudley), visiting pubs, working men’s clubs, nightclubs, pork pie and scratching factories, Gurdwaras, Mosques, Churches, supermarkets, christenings, summer fayres, high streets, markets, dog shows, and much more. Martin also documented the fast disappearing traditional Black Country industries, a tannery and the leather goods factories in Walsall, chain makers and the drop forges in Cradley Heath, aluminium foundries in Wednesbury, brick manufacturing in Dudley. As we worked, we met many people who shared their stories with us, and we decided to make a series of four short films; Teddy Gray's Sweet Factory, Mark Goes to Mongolia, Tudor Crystal and Turkey and Tinsel. Visit our website to discover more and watch Martin's films. As a tribute to Martin Parr, who died last year, Flatpack Film Festival will present two of his Black Country Stories films on Saturday 16 May at Mockingbird Cinema. Tickets are still available - link in bio to book. Image credits: Black Country Stories © Martin Parr @martinparrstudio @aceagrams #MultistoryTurns20

Abraham Babajide Cole has made a film documenting his time as a Blast! Artist in Residence. Developed during a residency at the Wolverhampton School of Art, Terrains of Memory builds on the artist’s ongoing exploration of identity, memory, and the body through abstraction. Shaped by time spent in the Black Country, the work reflects on how place, history and material leave traces on the human condition. Edited by Abraham Babajide Cole. Filming by Sodiq Odusile. To learn more about Abraham's practice, and to hear the other artists talk about their research and the work they developed during their residencies, join us for for the launch of the residency programme group show on Wednesday 29 April. At the Wolverhampton School of Art, 6-8pm ✨ To book your tickets to the artist talks visit the link in our bio 🔗 Or just drop in to see the show between 7.15 - 8pm - a selection of drinks and snacks will be served. @coleabraham @sylwia_ciszewska_peciak @hello_levesque @b4g_lord @marykeepsgoing ✹ @wlv_photo @wlvcreativeindustries @aceagrams #BlastCreativeNetwork #ArtistDevelopment #BlackCountry

Celebrating 20 years of Multistory with 20 Stories ✨️ 2026 is a big year for Multistory — we’re turning 20 in August! To celebrate, we will present 20 Stories, a series of short, filmed interviews by Tegen Kimbley, commissioned by Multistory, that feature some of the artists and communities who have shaped our programme over the years, plus digital works from our archive. These will be shared on our social media, website and newsletters throughout this year, starting later in April. Over the last two decades, our work has explored the crossover between community building, environmental and social justice and the archiving of untold and everyday stories and we look forward to sharing our collaborations and to celebrating the history and future of Multistory. Here’s to 20 years of working with local communities, artists, creatives and partners in Sandwell and the Black Country, and to many more to come! To mark this milestone, we also commissioned An Endless Supply to redesign our website, which will be live later this month. Logo design: An Endless Supply Image Credit: Multistory Pocket Park launch, 2025 © Tegen Kimbley @aceagrams @anendlesssupply @tegenkimbley #MultistoryTurns20

Join us for an evening of artist talks by the fifth cohort of BCN artists in residence; Abraham Babajide Cole, Sylwia Ciszewska-Peciak, Sonia Levesque, Bag Lord, Rumbidzai Savanhu. Produced in partnership between Multistory and The Wolverhampton School of Art as part of Multistory’s artist development programme, the residency supports five emerging Black Country based artists each year with time, space, funding and critical mentorship. The artists’ presence activates the building as a site of exchange between students and the professional art world; opening access to the school's specialist facilities to the wider arts community, while contributing to a multidisciplinary culture of shared learning. Rather than presenting work in its final state, the exhibition shares work in progress, reflecting the programme’s commitment to supporting practice as research, and providing space for artistic experimentation and play. Talks from 6-7.15pm, opened with a participatory performance in the foyer gallery by artist Sonia Levesque. Booking for the talks is required due to capacity - link in @multistory bio to book 🔗 Stay and explore their work afterwards 💫 Image: Sonia Levesque performs 'Eulogy to an art school', a new permanent artwork on the residency studio wall in invisible ink. @coleabraham @sylwia_ciszewska_peciak @hello_levesque @b4g_lord @marykeepsgoing ✹ @wlv_photo @wlvcreativeindustries @aceagrams #BlastCreativeNetwork #ArtistDevelopment #BlackCountry

ANNOUNCEMENT - Exhibition Launch! Gotta love a glitch apart from when you're trying to read what the text says! So... here's the text :) As part of the 2026 Multistory BCN residency programme exhibition, artist Sonia Levesque is inviting students to share their visions for the art school in 2046 as part of an evolving, interactive installation held in the WSoA foyer. Invisible ink pens will be available for you to write with - come and share where you imagine the art school will be in 2026! You can also contribute online to a special WSOA issue of the Hybrid Art Journal: https://newart.city/show/wsoa Join us for a performative, collaborative reading of 'Eulogy for the Art School' during the exhibition launch event. Written by Sonia on the wall of the BCN studio space during her residency, the eulogy is a love letter and goodbye to the art school as we know it. Launch date: Wednesday 29 April 2026, 6-8pm Book your tix here: /e/blast-residency-programme-artist-talks-and-exhibition-launch-tickets-1986195098005 Exhibition dates: Thursday 30 April - Friday 19 June, Mon-Fri, 9am - 5pm Location: The Wolverhampton School of Art Text by Jess Piette :)

This month’s BCN artist in residence is audio-visual artist Sonia Levesque. Over the past weeks, Sonia has been exploring every corner of the WSoA building - listening to its howling winds, uncovering its histories and in-between spaces. She’s invited students to collaborate on her ongoing project HYBR1D ART J0URNAL, and is developing her new Unreal Engine film ‘Pchum Ben’. Like other artists in residence before her, she has gifted a permanent artwork to the studio space. A eulogy to the George Wallis building written in invisible ink across an entire studio wall, which she performed last night in the studio as part of a work in progress screening event. Students are invited to visit the studio to write their own messages to the school. Excerpt: “The building. It howls. The machines are silent. […] A soft affection for the artists who currently reside within its nooks and crannies. They are as inspired by the 6th floor vista as the building itself has eternally been.” With just over a week of her residency to go - more to come! Pick up a foil-printed copy of the eulogy from the WSoA foyer. About Sonia: Audio-Visual Artist, Thinker & Realtime Filmmaker (Unreal Engine) Forever in pursuit of truth, freedom and play - she appreciates programmes that opens up the art world to the wider public. She firmly believes that art and creative rebellion can make the world a better place, and as such strives to create artworks which inspire others to commit their own mini acts of creative rebellion, to self-express and to use art as a lens to think critically about their world. @hello_levesque @wlvuni @wlvcreativeindustries #BlastCreativeNetwork #ArtistDevelopment #BlackCountry

Artist film screening! Next Tuesday 17 February, artist Sonia Levesque will host an open screening event at the Wolverhampton School of Art, as part of her current BCN residency. Sonia will screen a preview of her new 20 minute short 'Pchum Ben', along with moving image works by WSoA staff and students. SCHEDULE FOR THE EVENING: 5PM - 6PM: FOYER Join us in the Foyer for some ArtPULP 6PM - 8PM: LECTURE THEATRE A series of short film screenings @wlvuni @wlvcreativeindustries @wlv_photo #BlastCreativeNetwork #BlackCountry #WestMidlandsArtists