Ode to the Midlands (OttM) is an ambitious, cross-regional programme delivered over 18 months by Contemporary Visual Arts Network East Midlands (CVAN EM) and Contemporary Visual Arts Network West Midlands (CVAN WM) to enrich cultural life in the Midlands by investing in local talent and publics.
Rooted in equity, collaboration, and digital innovation, OttM builds cross-regional connectivity by fostering relationships between artists, organisations, and audiences across the East and West Midlands. OttM is seeking up to 10 partner organisations, split across both regions to commission up to 10 Global Majority, Disabled, d/Deaf, and/or Neurodivergent mid-career artists to produce digital works that explore, celebrate, and reflect the Midlands’ rich cultural and geographical identity. Central to the programme is a unique pairing process that will see visual arts organisations (large or small) work with artists from their neighbouring region to strengthen collaboration and exchange.
OttM champions sustainable artist development through commissions, mentoring, peer learning, and professional support, while also investing in organisational development, helping partners build the confidence, skills, and frameworks needed for inclusive digital commissioning.
With the East and West Midlands historically underrepresented in the national visual arts narrative, low in creative employment, and among the least funded regions in the UK, OttM responds to sector needs by supporting artists to create and present new digital artworks. Presenting artworks online, in galleries, and in public spaces, it expands access for rural, Disabled, and time-poor audiences, creating lasting connectivity and a legacy of inclusive digital arts across the region.
Grounded in the core work of our Network hosts, New Art Exchange and DASH, OttM ensures creatives from marginalised backgrounds and historically excluded from immersive and digital practice gain visibility, resources, and networks. An Advisory Group of Midlands-based audiences, artists and arts workers will help guide the programme and selection process, embedding inclusive practice and shared decision-making.
Through collaborations with regional universities, OttM will deliver a free public workshop series designed to share digital skills, foster experimentation, and build sector confidence. These workshops, led by locally based artists and technicians, will support both artists and wider publics to engage meaningfully with new technologies and inclusive creative practice.
In partnership with Corridor8, OttM will also platform critical and creative writing from Midlands-based arts writers, offering reflective responses to the commissioned works and further amplifying regional voices.
Ode to the Midlands is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.