New residential development in Birmingham City Centre teams up with university for community art project

This month marks the official launch of The Silver Yard, a new residential development at Exchange Square. In a unique collaboration, The Silver Yard is partnering with Birmingham City University to highlight local talent through an exciting student arts project.

Award-winning Birmingham artist, Amrit Singh, will join Grainger and Birmingham City University as a guest judge for the project. Students of all abilities and genres of art, whether individuals or groups, are invited to participate. The project will culminate in one large commissioned artwork taking centre stage on a feature wall within the new development, accompanied by a £3,000 cash prize.

The brief for the project asks students to create artwork that visually portrays “What does Birmingham mean to you?” This theme encourages students to explore the city’s food, people, history, and culture, capturing what makes Birmingham special.

The chosen artwork will be commissioned by Grainger and installed in the lobby of the new build-to-rent development. A panel of judges, including Kate Easterling (On-boarding Manager), Lewis Morris (Resident Services Manager) from Grainger, Sara Harris (Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media at Birmingham City University), and Amrit Singh (Creative Director from Rebel Creatives), will evaluate the entries.

An exclusive unveiling event will take place in August to showcase the winning artwork.

Lewis Morris, Resident Services Manager at Grainger’s Silver Yard, expressed his excitement about the project: “The Silver Yard is our second development in Birmingham, following the launch of Gilders Yard in 2022. We wanted to try something new to really celebrate the city within our newest development. We put the community at the heart of everything we do at Grainger, and the launch of our exciting arts project is no exception. Working closely with Birmingham City University and their talented pool of budding art students, we hope to support talented up-and-coming artists. We can’t wait to see the amazing entries.”

Sara Harris, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design, and Media at Birmingham City University, added: “Partnering with Grainger and The Silver Yard on this new exciting project is a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their work. We and our students are extremely passionate about the city, and we’re confident our talented students will create some beautiful pieces celebrating what Birmingham means to them, to really commemorate the city we all call home.”

Amrit Singh, a well-known Birmingham-born artist, commented on the high calibre of submissions: “The calibre of submissions from the students at Birmingham City University was incredibly high and made our decision-making a tough choice. Competitions like this are so important to give young budding artists the chance to really hone their craft and showcase their work to the public. You never know who might see it!”

The Silver Yard, which will create 375 new rental homes in the heart of the city, celebrates Birmingham’s silver heritage. It offers a mix of one- and two-bedroom homes, along with extensive resident amenity spaces, including a large outdoor roof terrace, lounge area, private dining room, flexible co-working spaces, and a fully equipped gym and yoga studio, all designed to foster a thriving community within the building.

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