As part of Healing Arts Week, MIAH is hosting a special 3-day community arts project where together we will create an illuminated Ottoman-style map of Balsall Heath, inspired by traditional Islamic artistic practices, including geometric design, illumination, biomorphic patterning, decorative drawing, and Ottoman-style visual motifs.
Whether you have five minutes or an hour to spare, you can contribute to the map in a way that suits you. Participants will be invited to identify places and spaces that are meaningful to them and add to the collective artwork in one of two ways:
Add colour, pattern, and decorative detail directly onto the large map using guided materials such as paint pens, gold pens, and inks to help build the shared visual landscape.
Draw a building using provided templates, which will then be cut out and added to the map using fabric and felt, forming part of the layered composition.
Participants will be encouraged to reflect on and discuss the places they have chosen and what they mean to them.
The completed map will become a lasting celebration of Balsall Heath's rich heritage and diverse communities, helping to preserve local stories and inspire future heritage activities in the area. With participants’ consent, it is also intended to help inspire a future heritage trail for Balsall Heath and will be displayed in the gallery as part of ongoing programming.
Your visit also includes free access to Under the Sultan's Shadow, our exhibition exploring the artistic and cultural world of the Ottoman Empire. Click here for more details
🕰️ 25–26 June: 12.30pm–6pm
🕰️ 27 June: 3.30pm–5pm
📍 MIAH Foundation, 496 Moseley Rd, Balsall Heath, Birmingham B12 9AH
🎟 Free and open to all – no experience required (drop-ins welcome, bookings preferred)
Healing Arts Birmingham is a city -wide activation demonstrating how arts, culture, and heritage can transform health, wellbeing, and social justice. As part of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab ’s global Healing Arts campaign in collaboration with the World Health Organization , the initiative responds directly to Birmingham’s core mission to improve health inequalities, increase cultural engagement in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and integrate creative practice into public health across the city. Supported by a coalition of organisations and communities across the Midlands, Healing Arts Birmingham brings together artists, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to tackle health inequalities and embed creative practice at the heart of public life.