Artists draw confidence from creative bootcamp

COURSE AIMS TO HELP GET BUDDING CREATIVES 'GALLERY READY'

- STAFF REPORTER

A CREATIVE Midland 'bootcamp' has seen budding artists achieve their dream of displaying work in top galleries here and abroad.

'Get Gallery Ready' at Solihull College has helped 20 artists get a leg-up in a world that is notoriously hard to access for regional creatives.

The 10-week-long bootcamp was funded by West Midlands Combined Authority.

A first cohort completed a bootcamp earlier this year, while another 21 artists are currently participating in the second.

The latest course will culminate in an exhibition titled 'Winter Folk' at The Courtyard Gallery at The Core, in Solihull.

The courses have been delivered by Birmingham-based art curator and author Ruth Millington.

She said: "The art world is fiercely competitive and difficult to navigate for artists, particularly those without connections or inherited wealth. On top of that, art school doesn't tend to teach artists how to 'get gallery ready.