The GAP

We are sharing an important update about the next chapter of The GAP Arts Project.  Over the coming weeks, we will be moving into a new space within The Old Print Works. As part of this transition, we will no longer be operating the MIX café.  This decision has been made after much careful thinking and consultation and will allow us to focus our energy and resources more fully on what we believe is most needed right now. Our move creates space to prioritise and expand our arts education work with young people. At a time when creative critical thinking is more important than ever in the UK, we are committed to developing a pedagogy that nurtures possibility, solidarity, and humility. We believe young people need environments where they can ask questions, take creative risks, and explore new ways of seeing the world. This next phase of The GAP is about deepening that commitment—creating meaningful, artist-led learning experiences that respond to the moment we are in. We are excited about what this shift makes possible and look forward to welcoming you into our new space soon. Thank you for your continued support. To keep following our journey, look for updates here and sign up for our mailing list via the link in our bio. @oldprintworksbrum are looking for a new partner to run the café, you can get in touch with them and also follow them for more news about the future of the MIX café.

Before we share more exciting updates about our recent move to a new space, we wanted to take a moment to look back at the journey we’ve been on since first moving into The Old Print Works building nearly 10 years ago! 🏠 Part 1/2…. Back in 2017, we found a home for The GAP in a unit at the front of The Old Print Works, as part of our mission to establish a new space dedicated to young people’s creativity. This was perfect for us, as we were looking for somewhere that could be easily accessible from the street and bus routes, and that was based within a local neighbourhood and already part of a creative community. However, the space was far from ready! It took many dusty and sweaty hours to transform the warehouse-like space into one that was usable for welcoming the public into. We delivered many projects, workshops, events and exhibitions with children and young people in the space. Then, in Spring 2019, we had a wonderful opportunity to take over the running of the cafe that sat next to our venue, and which had previously been run by Ort. We knocked through some doors to connect our spaces and re-branded the cafe as The MIX. Our goal was to continue nurturing a welcoming space for the sharing of food, culture and creativity, that would also increase visibility and support within the local community for our artistic work with young people.  To be continued... Part 2 coming soon 👀 #thegap #themixcafe #theoldprintworks #balsallheath #youtharts

Part 2/2, picking up where we left off… When Covid hit in 2020, we were lucky enough to receive some funding from The Clothworkers Foundation that allowed us to make further renovations to our venue by knocking down the wall that separated The MIX from The GAP, effectively merging the two spaces into one larger space. We also got a new kitchen and furnished the cafe area into the cosy and colourful ‘home away from home’ vibe. Alongside our primary focus of arts projects with young people, we continued to keep The MIX Cafe going in various iterations across the years up until now - from volunteer-led, to dedicated paid staff, to collaborating with independent businesses. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to all the countless people who have been involved in this journey - staff, volunteers, young people, community members, cafe customers (sorry we don’t have pictures of you all, but you know who you are!). Whilst we will continue to work with young people, artists and local families in our new space, we will no longer be running a cafe. As such, we’d like to say that it was an absolute pleasure and privilege to have had this opportunity to meet so many incredible people through The MIX cafe, and to hold space for and be held by the local community of Balsall Heath. We learnt so much about the importance of ‘hospitality’, and will continue to imbue that in our new space going forward. Follow @oldprintworksbrum to keep up to date with what happens next in the cafe. #thegap #themixcafe #theoldprintworks #balsallheath #youtharts

We’re looking for a new Chair/Co-Chair to join us at The GAP. As we move into an exciting new chapter, relocating to a new venue, developing a fresh organisational strategy centred on arts education and embedding our new three-way directorship, we’re looking for someone who shares our vision and values. If you believe in creativity, community and collaboration and connect with our values of Solidarity, Humility and Possibility, we’d love to hear from you. We encourage anyone interested in becoming a trustee to visit The GAP before applying, if possible. To arrange a visit or an informal chat about the role, please contact John Bloomfield, Director (Executive), at [email protected] Application deadline: 14 June 2026 Find out more via the link in our bio.

Don’t let these election results dishearten you. Allow them to remind you where real power lives and that’s in grassroots organising and in people continuing to show up for one another. While there is much to be deeply concerned about there are also signs that organised communities can shift power locally and begin building change rooted in justice. That matters. It shows that people coming together consistently and collectively can make a difference. On 30th May, we gather again to sing and resist collectively. This month we’ll continue building space for older children too with crafts, banner making, and ways for them to actively participate alongside our collective singing. #birmingham #protest #palestine [Image description: Blurred photo of people singing in background. Handwritten poster with text that reads: Please join us for the next Family Sing Political, Saturday 30th May 2-4pm @ The GAP, Basall Heath. All ages. All voices. All welcome. Sing along songs, Dabke dancing, Crafts, Jewellery making, Food & drink.]

During the Easter holidays, we invited The Culture Collective to join us in an exploration of ‘Possibility’ through creative activity, cultural criticism and conversation 🌀✨  We used our organisational value ‘Possibility’ as a lens to reflect on this current moment of transformation for The GAP as we move into a new venue and re-focus within our work, as well as considering how ‘Possibility’ opens up space for us to understand the world we live in today, where hope often feels out of reach. See below for further insight into what we got up to, and 👉 Join us this Balsall Heath Second Saturday to contribute towards this creative conversation around ‘Possibility’! 👈 🔴 Slides 1 - 5 - On Day 1, we tried to define the slippery concept of Possibility, and identified what constraints show up in our lives. We examined the painting Liberty Leading the People (1830) by Eugène Delacroix, asking ourselves ‘what do you see?’ and ‘where is possibility here?’. We used drama to further explore this, and also to create our own ‘statues of liberty’ for the present day that we imagined being placed in Birmingham City Centre in the square outside Waterstones. 🔴 Slides 6 - 11 - On Day 2, we spent the day out and about in Birmingham City Centre considering Possibility in relation to public space. Clipboards and pencils in hand, we made observational drawings of our surroundings in several public squares again asking ourselves ‘what do you see?’, ‘what constraints exist here?’ and ‘where can I see possibility here?’. We visited the square outside Waterstones and imagined what might be different if our ‘statues of liberty’ were actually here. We also visited BMAG and Ikon Gallery, to think about the importance of public spaces dedicated to art and education. 🔴 Slides 12 - 14 - On Day 3, we got hands-on through crafting, painting and design to begin shaping our new space into one that embodies Possibility, putting into practice some of the thinking we’d done together over the previous two days.

We’re very excited for this month’s @balsallheathsecondsaturday . We have three, yes three things on offer!  🌞 Our new venue at The Old Print Works will be open to the public for the first time. Come find us in the Drawing Room to see what we’re up to in this early stage of this new chapter and creatively explore what possibilities lie ahead 🌞 Free craft activity as part of Believe in Balsall Heath! Create a piece of bunting to add to our collective artwork celebrating and decorating our local neighbourhood. 🌞Enjoy the sun in the Peace Garden as we open it up for the first time this year! Our Green Spaces Guardian, Jamshaid, will be around doing some planting and maintenance - pop by to say hi! See if you can spot any creatures, and listen to some audio recordings of nature-themed poetry read by Kohinoor. And don’t forget there is a plethora of other activities going on at @oldprintworksbrum too.  See you soon! #BHSS #TheGAP #ArtSpaces #Crafts

A joyful sunny day yesterday with @familysingpolitical and @the____gap singing, a dabke, giant banner making, collages, making bracelets, snacks, Palestinian stories and childrens books. We will keep showing up and we will keep raising our voices. Thank you everyone who made it ❤️ Join us for Family Sing Political - every last Saturday of the month!

We are looking for a Chair or Co-Chair to support our work at The GAP. The Chair/Co-Chair will lead our board of trustees during an exciting moment of change as we move to a new venue, embark on a new organisational strategy prioritising arts education and continue to embed a new three-way directorship. If you are excited about the work we do, passionate about our values of Solidarity, Humility and Possibility and believe you have something to contribute to our organisation, please click the link in our bio to find out more. We strongly encourage prospective trustees to visit The GAP in advance of applying, if possible. To arrange a visit or an informal chat about the role, please email John Bloomfield, Director (Executive) at [email protected] Deadline for applications: 14 June 2026

Only one week to go until we gather again in Birmingham to sing in solidarity together! This month some of our members will be taking Family Sing Political to London, joining the @togetheralliance march and carrying our songs with them. While they raise their voices there, the rest of us will be holding the space here singing in solidarity from Birmingham to London, from community to community. During this session we’ll also be making protest signs with older children and ending the session with a mini march into Moseley 🎨🥁🪧 Our voices travel, our resistance is shared and our freedom is tied together.

A beautiful evening of community and connection 🌙✨ Thank you to everyone who joined us for Iftar at The GAP. Moments like these remind us of the power of coming together, of building understanding, and deepens our commitment to hospitality and to the work of creatively imagining and building a more just future for all.  Wishing everyone who observed Ramadan a peaceful and fulfilling month, and a very Happy Eid 🤍 Thank you to @baytalyemeni for catering This grant is funded by UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). #Community #Iftar #Ramadan #TheGAP

Join us in the MIX Cafe to make your own piece of bunting inspired by Balsall Heath using paint, fabric, vinyl and more. Your artwork will be added to a metres-long bunting piece created collectively over the next several months as part of the Believe in Balsall Heath project. Once finished, it will be displayed on the streets nearby to celebrate and decorate our beloved neighbourhood. This workshop is free and part of @balsallheathsecondsaturday We will also have our strings / group exhibition by the gap’s art circle on display. 🧵 strings is a group exhibition exploring connection and community, metaphorical and material alike. through a variety of different artistic disciplines, and developed and co-designed with the gap art circle over summer–winter 2025. poster design by @abigailvillarroel.art #TheGAP #Exhibition #Workshops #Creative