eventslist1

Discover Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and celebrate all that’s wonderful about beer.

1. Pick up a drink from six different venues – there are 26 to choose from!
2. Collect six stickers for your JQ Beer Weekend Sticker Book
3. Exchange for a free T-shirt from one of our six sponsor venues

Sponsor venues include:
Temper & Brown
The Rectory
The Rolling Mill
The Wolf
The Barrel Store
Indian Brewery Taproom

Find out more at: www.thejewelleryquarter.org/beer-weekend/

Canal
Philip has been exploring the canals around Birmingham for the last year. He is enthralled by the silent presence of water in the city and the mechanisms that make it all work. It is these physical features that he has captured, often close-up. The ageing materiality is a focus of his gaze.

This is the first of a series of exhibitions and forums that the work will be shown in, as it is an ongoing body of work.

Exhibition closes: Saturday 28 March 5.00pm

Featured image: Steve Carse ARBSA, Canal1

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.00pm

Chris Salmon RBSA graduated from Camberwell College of Art with an MA in Printmaking in 1999. He was part of print studios in Morley, Artichoke, Greenwich, and Southbank Printmakers where he worked on creating etchings.

He is also a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers and has shown at the RBSA Summer Show several times, as well as with the Royal British Society of Artists, and at numerous art fairs over the years.

Since moving to Birmingham, Chris has set up a print studio in his home where he works in a variety of mediums. He inherited a portrait class from his mother, Mary-Rose Salmon RBSA, which he still runs to this day.

This is a collection of paintings, monotypes, etchings, and drawings from the last few years, all of which interpret his unique view of the world through an eclectic range of materials.

Exhibition closes: Saturday 28 March 5.00pm

Featured image: Chris Salmon RBSA, Jugheads

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.00pm

The RBSA Print Prize is part of the Society’s programme of prize exhibitions which give artists whose practices are rooted in a variety of different media and techniques regular opportunities to exhibit their work in the Gallery.

With a significant number of print works held in the RBSA Permanent Collection, print-making forms an important part of the RBSA’s history, and there are many printmakers within its Membership.

Last held in 2024, the RBSA Print Prize celebrates the diversity of printmaking whilst also introducing the public to the myriad of different printing techniques used today, including screenprinting, linocut, monoprint, etching, woodcut, lithography, and dry point. Visitors to previous Print Prizes have been delighted to see the range of approaches on display and this exhibition promises to offer visitors that same exciting experience

Entries for RBSA Prize Exhibitions come from professional and emerging artists based locally, nationally, and internationally, and all entries are judged anonymously.

The following prizes will be awarded:

• First Prize £1000 sponsored by GMC Trust
• Second Prize £500 Anne Judd Award
• Third Prize £250 sponsored by Judd Medical
• Up to six highly commended certificates will also be awarded.

Preview Evening: Thursday 26 February 6.00pm – 8.00pm

Exhibition closes: Saturday 28 March 5.00pm

Featured image: Luke Reidy, Sunrise

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.00pm

The first heritage exhibition of 2026, Colour: Shades, Tints, And Hues, Artworks From The RBSA Permanent Collection, is an exploration of the works held in the RBSA Permanent Collection, each chosen because they feature one dominant colour. With the artworks arranged on a colour wheel, visitors will be able to experience the feelings and emotions evoked by each piece, providing an insight into why artists choose to work with certain colours.

When humans created the first artworks, cave paintings dating back as far as 45,000 years ago, colour would have simply been the result of the materials available. As time went on, palettes gained more colour and artists began employing different hues for reasons beyond simple necessity. For example, during the middle ages, Renaissance, and early modern period, ultramarine blue, made using semi-precious lapis lazuli, was used to demonstrate wealth and status, as the pigment was often more expensive than gold.

In the Victorian era, a ‘colour revolution’, driven by discoveries of new minerals and advancements in techniques, meant that the number of colours available to artists grew enormously, and today there are up to 150 different pigments on the market. This ever growing selection has allowed the modern artist the freedom to use colour for a variety of different reasons, including the representation of specific emotions and moods, or to convey thoughts and ideas, free from the restrictions of cost or limited options.

The artworks selected for this exhibition date back throughout the Society’s history and demonstrate the huge growth in the number of pigments made just in the RBSA’s lifetime. Visitors can see the vast differences in how artists have used colour throughout that time, from early realistic studies to more modern works employing colour in a highly expressive way.

While some visitors may be familiar with certain works, this exhibition affords them the opportunity to see pieces from a new perspective, juxtaposed with works they may not otherwise sit next to, shining new light on these precious artworks and the collection as a whole.

Preview Evening: Thursday 26 February 6.00pm – 8.00pm

Exhibition closes: Saturday 28 March 5.00pm

Featured image: Glyn Griffiths, Colour Of Summer, 1963 

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.00pm

Following a career in social housing and urban regeneration, Ed Isaacs decided to convert his lifelong love of sketching into a more developed artistic practice.

This exhibition is a survey of his work, most of which was created since 2023. He takes his inspiration from a broad range of sources and has a particular fondness for the art of Chardin, the Dutch masters, and the English Romantics.

Ed’s studio work focuses on highly representational drawing. He takes an image that attracts him, and through meticulous examination and mark making, reproduces it, often on a large scale. The time taken and deep observation is a vital part of his artistic process and invites the viewer to similarly slow down and look into the image. Ed continues his urban sketching and his sketchbooks will be on display as part of this exhibition.

Ed is the current president of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists.

Exhibition closes: Saturday 11 April 5.00pm

Featured image: Ed Isaacs PRBSA, Lud’s Church (Dog Portrait)

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.00pm

Working at a single focal length challenges the photographer to consider the relationship between foreground and background, and encourages a deeper awareness of how distance, framing and movement shape visual meaning.

In this exhibition, six photographers from a range of genres were invited to produce five images at their chosen focal length, using a fast-aperture prime lens from the Sigma Art range, spanning focal lengths from 14mm up to 135mm.

The result is six distinct bodies of work that reveal not only the character of each lens, but the personal way each photographer has chosen to see through it.

Exhibition closes: Saturday 11 April 5.00pm

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.00pm

Following a career in social housing and urban regeneration, Ed Isaacs decided to convert his lifelong love of sketching into a more developed artistic practice.

This exhibition is a survey of his work, most of which was created since 2023. He takes his inspiration from a broad range of sources and has a particular fondness for the art of Chardin, the Dutch masters, and the English Romantics.

Ed’s studio work focuses on highly representational drawing. He takes an image that attracts him, and through meticulous examination and mark making, reproduces it, often on a large scale. The time taken and deep observation is a vital part of his artistic process and invites the viewer to similarly slow down and look into the image. Ed continues his urban sketching and his sketchbooks will be on display as part of this exhibition.

Ed is the current president of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists.

Exhibition closes: Saturday 11 April 5.00pm

Featured image: Ed Isaacs PRBSA, Lud’s Church (Dog Portrait)

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.00pm

Working at a single focal length challenges the photographer to consider the relationship between foreground and background, and encourages a deeper awareness of how distance, framing and movement shape visual meaning.

In this exhibition, six photographers from a range of genres were invited to produce five images at their chosen focal length, using a fast-aperture prime lens from the Sigma Art range, spanning focal lengths from 14mm up to 135mm.

The result is six distinct bodies of work that reveal not only the character of each lens, but the personal way each photographer has chosen to see through it.

Exhibition closes: Saturday 11 April 5.00pm

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.00pm

The RBSA Candidates Exhibition features the work of artists wishing to be elected to the Society, either as Associates or, for existing Associates, full Members. The current Membership is able to view the exhibition and vote for the artists they would like to see successfully elected. The exhibition is also open to the public, which provides an exciting opportunity for visitors to see the high standard of work by prospective RBSA Members and Associates.

All candidates are asked to submit six works as part of their application. Existing Members and Associates who visit the exhibition are able to vote for their choices in a secret ballot. To be successfully elected, each candidate must receive 50% +1 of the total votes cast in favour of their candidature.

Last year, the Society welcomed 16 new Associates, and four Associates progressed to become full Members. All new additions to the Membership help strengthen the Society and ensure that it is able to continue supporting artists and promoting the visual arts. Those artists elected as full Member also donate a diploma piece from their exhibited works to the RBSA Permanent Collection, cementing their part in the Society’s long history.

Exhibition closes: Saturday 2 May 5.00pm

Featured image: Laura Adkins ARBSA, Industrial Dragon

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10.30am – 5.00pm

Poetry’s Got Form

A creative writing workshop looking at poetry from different perspectives
Join Rick Sanders from Verve for a workshop exploring poetry in all its forms. This workshop is for novice or experienced poets, or poets with a good understanding of writing poetry who want to develop specific skills in writing form poetry. This is for adults (+16yrs) only; and only suitable for those who have experience of writing poetry.

What to Bring:
Bring your passion for words, an open heart, and a willingness to explore the world through poetry. Please bring something to write on and something to write with. All other materials will be provided.

The workshop is 2 hours in duration. Please arrive ten minutes before the session as the Hive closes at 3.30 pm and you may not be able to gain access after that.
And if you like poetry, you can return later in the day to attend the Verve Open Door, a free open mic poetry event that takes place at the Hive during the evening – you might even want to perform your poems!

Have a go at making your own piece of jewellery with the help of our friendly learning team in this special children’s jewellery workshop activity.

Design and create either a bracelet or pendant, learn and use real jewellers’ techniques like texturing metal, hammering, stamping and enamelling to make something unique and personal to take home with you.

Pre-booking is essential as places are limited.

• Recommended for ages 8 and up. For safety reasons we cannot accommodate under-5s.
• Children must be accompanied by one adult. Due to limitations on space, strictly only one adult per booking.
• Workshop lasts 2 hours.
• Please be advised the workshop can be noisy. Ear defenders can be provided or bring your own.

Have a go at making your own piece of jewellery with the help of our friendly learning team in this special children’s jewellery workshop activity.

Design and create either a bracelet or pendant, learn and use real jewellers’ techniques like texturing metal, hammering, stamping and enamelling to make something unique and personal to take home with you.

Pre-booking is essential as places are limited.

• Recommended for ages 8 and up. For safety reasons we cannot accommodate under-5s.
• Children must be accompanied by one adult. Due to limitations on space, strictly only one adult per booking.
• Workshop lasts 2 hours.
• Please be advised the workshop can be noisy. Ear defenders can be provided or bring your own.

Calligraphy classes offer a wonderful opportunity to learn the art of beautiful writing.
Calligraphy has become a popular hobby for many, allowing individuals to express creativity through elegant lettering. For those keen to dive deeper, these structured calligraphy classes offer an excellent way to refine skills and learn new techniques. Indeed, enrolling in a class can significantly enhance your abilities.

Learning Calligraphy
“Quirky” Roman
Roman letter with a modern twist for those interested in producing their own card, invitations etc. You will use Finalisers, Pencils, gel pens etc. as well and being introduced using a pointed dip pen.

Wikipedia
Held at the Pen Museum, the classes are designed for both beginners and more experienced calligraphers. Learn the key elements of calligraphy and take information away to continue developing your style at home. Participate in calligraphy classes to enhance your art. Some materials will be provided, and calligraphy products can be purchased from the Museum shop.

• 12 Spaces are available for each session:
• Session 1: 12:00pm – 1:30pm
• Session 2: 2:00pm – 3:30pm
• £12.75 per session.
• No requirement to book both sessions.
• Museum admission is not included.
• Course suitable for adults only, especially those interested in perfecting their calligraphy skills through these comprehensive calligraphy classes.

Poetry’s Got Form

A creative writing workshop looking at poetry from diff

What to Bring:
Bring your passion for words, an open heart, and a willingness to explore the world through poetry. Please bring something to write on and something to write with. All other materials will be provided.

The workshop is 2 hours in duration. Please arrive ten minutes before the session as the Hive closes at 3.30 pm and you may not be able to gain access after that.

And if you like poetry, you can return later in the day to attend the Verve Open Door, a free open mic poetry event that takes place at the Hive during the evening – you might even want to perform your poems!

Learning the art of beautiful handwriting can be incredibly rewarding, and calligraphy classes are a great way to start mastering this skill.

Calligraphy has become a popular hobby for many, allowing individuals to express creativity through elegant lettering. For those keen to dive deeper, calligraphy classes offer an excellent way to refine skills and learn new techniques. Indeed, enrolling in calligraphy classes can significantly enhance your abilities.

Learning Calligraphy
Anglo Saxon Pointed Minuscule
Anglo-Saxon pointed miniscule refers to a specific style of the Insular minuscule scripts, characterized by a “pointed” or angular appearance. It developed in 8th-century England and was used to write both Latin and Old English texts.

Its notable features include angular curves, triangular serifs, and ascenders/descenders that appear “split” or sharpened.  You will be learning how to write this in a modernised form that is well suited as a calligraphic hand today, and at the same time learning how to use a broad edged metal dip pen.

Wikipedia
Held at the Pen Museum, the classes are designed for both beginners and more experienced calligraphers. Learn the key elements of calligraphy and take information away to continue developing your style at home. Participate in calligraphy classes to enhance your art. Some materials will be provided, and calligraphy products can be purchased from the Museum shop.

• 12 Spaces are available for each session:
• Session 1: 12:00pm – 1:30pm
• Session 2: 2:00pm – 3:30pm
• £12.75 per session.
• No requirement to book both sessions.
• Museum admission is not included.
• Course suitable for adults only, especially those interested in perfecting their calligraphy skills through these comprehensive calligraphy classes.

Come and join us in the beautiful surroundings of Saint Pauls House on St Pauls Square in the Jewellery Quarter.

This exquisite boutique hotel boasts a lovely bar area where we can enjoy drinks with live music.

Whether you’ve been to a Professionals event before or not, this will be the perfect opportunity to meet many of our members allowing you to network and socialise.

No need to worry about coming out alone either, it’s what most people do and you’ll be made to feel really welcome.

Please note that the dress code for St Pauls is smart/casual…so no trainers I’m afraid.

We’ll all meet inside at the bar and hope to see you there.

For those who want to carry on partying later, The Jam House is only across the road.