A regional peer network supporting collaboration between visual arts organisations and individuals across the West Midlands. The Forum aims to strengthen the region's visual arts infrastructure, visibility and sustainability through shared knowledge, collective action and practical support.

The Forum brings together gallery, museum, project space, studio and freelance curators working across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire. It provides a space for colleagues to build relationships, share expertise and work collectively on issues affecting the region's visual arts sector.

Devised and delivered by colleagues at Grand Union, Warwick Arts Centre & CVAN WM, the Forum meets twice a year for focused, in-person gatherings, hosted by partner organisations across the region and facilitated by arts consultant Jenny Peevers. Meetings offer a platform for colleagues to connect across organisational and geographical boundaries to engage in collective discussion, practical collaboration and knowledge sharing.

The Forum aims to:

• Strengthen collaboration across the region: Connect organisations and individuals to share knowledge, resources, expertise and opportunities, building stronger relationships and a more connected regional visual arts sector.
• Foster a culture of support, not competition: Encourage open conversations, shared programming information and practical action that can reduce duplication, help avoid clashes and create opportunities for organisations and individuals to work together.
• Build regional visibility and collective impact: Identify shared priorities, strengthen advocacy for the visual arts and develop useful outcomes that contribute to the infrastructure, profile and sustainability of the West Midlands sector.
• Be action-focused: It is not simply a space for conversation, but a way for colleagues to activity work together on tangible priorities and shared outcomes.

Who is the Forum for?

The Forum welcomes gallery, museum, studio, project space and freelance curators with an active curating practice in the West Midlands.

We welcome and colleagues at different career stages and encourage participation from emerging curators and those whose voices and experiences may be underrepresented in regional conversations.

Form Membership

There is no formal membership application process. The Forum is built through relationships and peer invitation, with existing members encouraged to introduce West Midlands-based colleagues and peers who have an active curating practice.

If you would like to join the Forum, please contact Colette Griffin, Director of CVAN WM at colette@cvanwestmidlands.co.uk to find out more about how to engage.

Terms of Reference

The Forum's Terms of Reference provide further information about its purpose, commitments, shared principles, membership and ways of working.

Read the West Midlands Curators Forum Terms of Reference.