SMETHWICK IMAGINARIUM
Smethwick Imaginarium is a place-based arts programme celebrating the cultural diversity, canal heritage and community spirit of Smethwick.
Smethwick Imaginarium:
A celebration of Community, Culture & Canal Heritage
Delivered in partnership with North Smethwick Development Trust, Brasshouse Community Centre, the Smethwick Interfaith Friends Group, Smethwick Library and six commissioned artists, the initiative invites local people of all ages to connect creatively with the Galton Valley Canal.
The Project
Supported by Arts Council England and funds raised by players of Postcode Lottery, the programme offers a series of free artist‑led walks, workshops, family activities and creative sessions taking place throughout the year. Highlights include a summer pop‑up canalside art school and a community programme finale.
Building on a successful 2023 pilot, the project aims to strengthen the relationship between the Smethwick community and the Galton Valley Canal. Through photography, performance, sculpture, research, graphic design and socially engaged practice, the six selected artists will explore how people connect with the canal and with one another, while addressing barriers identified in the pilot such as access challenges and limited awareness of the waterway’s potential.
The six commissioned artists are: Anneka French, Sarah Barton, Juneau Projects (Ben Sadler & Philip Duckworth), Beth Derbyshire, Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora, and Sharonjit Sutton, working across photography, performance, poetry, graphic design, sculpture, and curation.
The programme launched in February 2026 with free creative workshops at Smethwick Library. Workshops during the Easter break saw the delivery of Canal Week, with canal activities in partnership with us here at Brasshouse Community Centre. Smethwick Interfaith Group delivered a Canal Fun day as part of their Vaisakhi Celebration weekend.
There is so much more to explore from the Floating Art School coming in July, with activities through Summer and Autumn, artists will share their work along the canal and in local venues, culminating in a celebratory festival in September 2026.
A place where people come together
Henriette Breukelaar, our director for West Midlands, said: “Our canals have always been places where people come together, and Smethwick Imaginarium builds on that legacy by inviting local people and boaters to explore, create and discover. We’re delighted to support a programme that showcases the area’s rich cultural heritage and highlights the wellbeing benefits of spending time by water.”
Jennifer Harrison, Chief Executive Officer, North Smethwick Development Trust, said: “Being involved in a project like Smethwick Imaginarium is about building relationships, sharing stories, and discovering the value of the place we all live in. When people come together around creativity and the canal, new connections form between neighbours, cultures, and the environment. This project shows how community, art, and heritage can inspire pride, wellbeing, and a deeper sense of belonging for everyone in Smethwick today and we are proud to be a part of it.”
Celebrating diversity
Syed Ali, from Smethwick Interfaith Friends Group, said: “The Smethwick Imaginarium celebrates our vibrant diversity using the canal as a historic bridge to connect us all. By helping to open the doors to this ‘green-blue corridor,’ we are also breaking down barriers between people—fostering genuine relationships and ensuring everyone from all backgrounds and abilities can share in the peace and spirit of our local waterways.”
Julie Mckirdy, Library Manager at Smethwick Town Libraries, said: “All the staff at Smethwick Library are really looking forward to being part of the Smethwick Imaginarium project and we are excited to be part of and working with this fantastic community project.”
Meet the Artists
Juneau Projects
(Ben Sadler & Philip Duckworth) have a participatory practice embedded in creative empowerment and shared learning. They have worked extensively with communities in urban planning, natural landscapes, and ecological settings through temporary, digital, and permanent sculpture.
Beth Derbyshire
An artist and educator working with social practice, sculpture and storytelling. Her work explores interconnecting themes of togetherness, displacement, loss of identity and active citizenship through temporary, time-based works and performances in non-art alternative spaces. In the 2023 pilot, she invited participants to create terrariums with waterway plants, sparking discussions about the canal’s value to the community.
Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora
A Birmingham-based socially engaged artist working with photography. Previous work includes tender family portraits at Lightwoods House, Smethwick, as part of the BLAST! festival. (2019), and Aurat ki Himmat (A Woman’s Strength), a co-created publication with women from Birmingham Crisis Centre exploring the world through their eyes. Jaskirt grew up in Sandwell, bringing a personal connection to Smethwick.
Sharonjit Sutton
A Birmingham-based emerging multidisciplinary artist, designer and co-founder of the South Asian Arts Collective (SAAC). Her practice involves graphic design for community, education and heritage projects, paintings, videos and emerging conceptual projects. In the 2023 pilot, she created an ecological activity connected to water mythology at Smethwick Library.
Anneka French
A curator and writer based in Halesowen with family roots in Smethwick. She produced the 2023 pilot project and has worked with Coventry Biennial on new commissions connected to canals and the River Sherbourne. She has worked at Tate Modern, Ikon, and Wolverhampton Art Gallery; curated exhibitions at Grand Union and Croome (National Trust); and served as Director at New Art West Midlands (CVAN).
Sarah Barton
An artist, educator and Director of Stirchley Art Room CIC with over 20 years of experience in secondary arts education and community arts. She specialises in designing and delivering collaborative creative projects that bring together schools, local communities and cultural partners, and develops community forums that create space for shared voices and collective expression. Her own artistic practice weaves together social engagement and folk art traditions, drawing on storytelling, heritage and the textures of everyday making.
Discover how you can get involved?
There are lots of ways to connect with this exciting new project. Join in with the variety of free workshops and events exploring themes of heritage, ecology and wellbeing. Activities are designed for everyone: families, individuals and community groups.
Click on the link below, to take you to the Canal & River Trust (CRT) webpage to keep up to date the latest workshops and opportunities.
Here at NSDT & Brasshouse, our dedicated Facebook and Instagram pages and WhatsApp Community Channel will keep you up to to date, as well as our What’s on calendar.
We are also looking for volunteer support for the project. Whether this is about leading a canal walk, canal clean up’s, supporting events and activities or being part of our Brasshouse Canal Explorers that promote water safety to children, young people and their families get in touch by emailing us at info@nsdt.org.uk for more information.
Connect also with Smethwick Library and the Smethwick Interfaith Group for other activities, workshops and festivals.
“Smethwick Imaginarium” themed arts and Crafts sessions coming soon?
Save the following dates – Ben and Phil from Juneau Projects will be here at the Brasshouse Community Centre on the 5th and 19th June working with community members of a special piece of art. More details of how to join will be posted soon.
Sarah from Stirchley Art Room will will be here at the Brasshouse Community Centre on the 9th and 23rd June working with community members of a special piece of canal art. More details of how to join will be posted soon.
So what’s happened so far?
Our Gallery gives a flavour of some of the activities that have taken place so far. From creating Canal Creatures, to Mask Making, Castle and Roses, right through to Wellbeing Walks, Litter Picking and Watersports, it has all been taking place and with so much more to come, we wonder how we can fit it all in.
We plan to add more images and details as the project grows, so keep coming back for more. Thank you.
