Ikon presents the first major survey exhibition of Guyanese-British artist Donald Locke (1930– 2010). Locke was born and raised in Guyana and first moved to the UK in the 1950s to study at Bath Academy of Art and Edinburgh School of Art. He then lived between London and Georgetown for the next twenty years, before settling in the United States in the late 1970s.

The exhibition at Ikon Gallery explores the development of his work across Guyana, the UK and the United States over five decades, from the late 1960s to the early 2000s. It features over eighty works, from early ceramics that evoke human and natural forms to mixed-media sculptures and monochromatic black paintings from the 1970s. Also included are several large-scale paintings from the 1990s that incorporate found images along with ceramic, metal and wood elements

Artist Christopher Samuel explores themes of stigma, belonging and agency in a new exhibition about stories missing from history at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.

Through nine newly recorded interviews for the city of Birmingham’s collection, Watch Us Lead highlights the experiences of disabled people of colour in Birmingham, particularly Black individuals, combining these stories with stained glass and drawings by Christopher that reflect significant moments in the lives of the individuals featured.

The Bothy is a permanent outdoor installation set in the Minerva Apothecary Garden on the Grand Union Canalside, and is part of Whittle’s long-term artist project with Grand Union titled Congregation: Creating Dangerously.

Created by British-Barbadian artist Alberta Whittle, along with Birmingham-based women’s organisations and MJM Bespoke, the structure is modelled on a traditional Scottish both, which provides temporary, free shelter for anyone to use, and is intended as a place for people to rest and take in views of the sky and surrounding land.

This new exhibition marks a new chapter in London-based Pakistani artist Saba Khan’s practice, exploring environmental transformation, displacement and migration.

Rooted in South Asian water histories, it features paintings, interviews and an installation examining the impact of the Mangla Dam’s construction in the 1960s, which led to the mass migration of people from Mirpur, Pakistan, to Birmingham.

Founded in 1880, The Lapworth Museum of Geology is one of the oldest geological museums in the UK.

Housed in the Edwardian Grade II listed Aston Webb Building at the University of Birmingham, the institution houses collections dedicated to everything from dinosaurs and volcanoes to diamonds and fossils, offering a fascinating insight into how life began and changed through time.

Whether you’re a calligraphy fanatic or more of a fairweather fan, the Pen Museum is a somewhat unlikely but fun afternoon out for all ages.

During the Victorian era, making steel pen nibs was a major industry, with 129 companies employing 8,000 workers across Birmingham. Throughout the museum, you’ll find a wide variety of objects that tell the story of the city’s pen trade, with a range of interactive activities along the way, including writing with quills and ink, using graphology to analyse your handwriting and even the opportunity to make your own nib.

Over at Warwick Arts Centre, Japanese ceramic artist Takuro Kuwata hosts his first UK solo exhibition. Renowned for his radical approach to traditional ceramics, Kuwata fuses traditional Japanese pottery techniques with bold and experimental sculptural processes. His signature use of vivid glazes, distorted silhouettes, and explosive textures has garnered international acclaim and redefined the boundaries of contemporary ceramics.

Paul Lemmon: Through the Screen interrogates our relationship with the online realm, from social media and screen exposure to wider internet culture and the promises of algorithms.

All based on digital videos of film, TV and social media, which Lemmon disrupts and remixes, more than 40 handmade paintings foreground the illusory effects, and shapeshifting qualities of the internet and screen culture to shape the exhibition.

A new exhibition coming to the RBSA Gallery celebrates an exciting collaboration between the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

RBSA members were invited to sit in on BRB rehearsals to form sketches and photographs, which will be displayed alongside the final pieces they formed. The resulting work explores the movement and poise of the ballet dancer, offering visitors a unique and rare insight into the artists’ process as well as the backstage world of ballet.