A cross-regional commissioning programme investing in artists, organisations and audiences through digital contemporary art.

Ode to the Midlands (OttM) is led by CVAN EM and WM. It brings together six mid-career artists and six commissioning organisations from across the Midlands to develop ambitious new digital artworks exploring the cultural, historic and geographical identities of the region.

The programme responds to long-standing underinvestment in the Midlands' visual arts ecology by creating opportunities for artists, strengthening regional connectivity and supporting new approaches to digital practice. Through a cross-regional commissioning model, OttM builds relationships between artists and organisations from neighbouring regions, encouraging collaboration, knowledge exchange and new ways of working.

Supporting artists and inclusive digital practice

OttM prioritises artists from Global Majority, Disabled, Deaf and/or Neurodivergent backgrounds, supporting greater visibility, experimentation and sustainable career development within digital and immersive arts practice.

The programme recognises the importance of providing artists with more than a commissioning fee. Alongside the development of new work, artists receive mentoring, peer learning, access funding, editorial writing and professional development opportunities.

The commissions explore the cultural identities and experiences of the Midlands, creating opportunities for artists to develop work that responds to the region's histories, communities and places.

Cross-regional collaboration

At the heart of OttM is a commissioning model that pairs artists with organisations from across the East and West Midlands.

These partnerships support the development of new work while enabling organisations to build relationships, share knowledge and develop confidence and capacity around equitable and accessible digital commissioning.

The six commissioned artists and their commissioning organisation pairings are:

• Aisling Ward with British Ceramics Biennial
• Andy Harper with Meadow Arts
• Kim Thompson with Herefordshire Museums & Galleries
• Antonio Roberts with Film and Video Umbrella
• Marley Starskey Butler with Arts Collective
• Natasha Taheem with Hub

The commissions are being developed and delivered between May 2026 and April 2027.

Digital artworks may take the form of exhibitions, performances, installations, web-based projects, participatory experiences, moving image, sound, creative coding, artificial intelligence-based work or hybrid digital installations. This range of approaches supports opportunities for work to be presented online, in galleries and in public spaces, expanding access for rural, Disabled and time-poor audiences.

Embedding Equitable Decision-Making

The Advisory Group played a vital role in shaping OttM’s artist-centred and equitable approach to commissioning, helping ensure the programme reflects the creative values, needs and diversity of the Midlands.

Comprising eight Midlands-based artists, arts workers and audience representatives, the group brought together diverse lived experience, critical insight and regional knowledge. Working with a facilitator across four sessions, members to:

• Refine and shape open call documents and selection processes.
• Review and select commissioning organisations.
• Review, select and pair commissioned artists with commissioning organisations.
• Reflect and provide feedback on the programme’s challenges, limitations and successes.

By embedding shared decision-making throughout the commissioning process, the Advisory Group strengthened OttM’s commitment to equitable practice. Its contribution helped ensure that decisions were informed not only by creative ambition, but also by care, context and a deeper understanding of the Midlands’ visual arts communities.

Beyond the commissions

OttM creates opportunities for wider sector learning and public engagement alongside the artist commissions.

The programme includes a free public workshop programme in partnership with regional universities, supporting digital skills, experimentation and confidence in new technologies and inclusive creative practice. It also includes critical and creative writing commissioned through a partnership with Corridor8, amplifying Midlands-based arts writers and generating reflective responses to the commissioned works.

Building a more connected visual arts ecology

OttM is designed to create impact beyond individual commissions. By investing in artists, strengthening organisational partnerships and supporting shared learning, the programme contributes to the development of a more connected and inclusive visual arts sector across the Midlands.

Through its artist-centred and equitable approach, OttM aims to create new pathways for visibility, experimentation and career development, while supporting partner organisations to develop their approaches to digital commissioning and audience engagement.

Read more on Ode to the Midlands news, updates and public outcomes.