Author: Heba Yonis

Community Invited to Create a Unique Artistic Map of Balsall Heath

As part of this year’s Balsall Heath Festival, the Museum of Islamic Arts & Heritage (MIAH) is inviting local residents to help create a one-of-a-kind illuminated map celebrating the people, places, and stories that make Balsall Heath special.

Inspired by the rich artistic traditions of the Ottoman Empire, the collaborative artwork will combine traditional Islamic art forms – including geometric patterns, illumination, biomorphic designs, and decorative drawing – to create a beautiful, community-led map of the neighbourhood.

The project is open to everyone, regardless of age or artistic experience. Whether visitors have five minutes or an hour to spare, they are welcome to drop in and contribute in a way that suits them. Participants will be invited to identify places in Balsall Heath that hold personal meaning, sharing memories and local landmarks while helping to build a collective artwork that reflects the area’s rich heritage and diverse communities.

Once completed, the map will become a lasting celebration of Balsall Heath and will help inspire a future heritage trail highlighting the neighbourhood’s history, culture, and community stories. The artwork will also be displayed at MIAH as part of its ongoing gallery programme.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to explore Under the Sultan’s Shadow, MIAH’s current exhibition, which examines the artistic and cultural world of the Ottoman Empire through objects, stories, and visual traditions.

The workshop is free to attend, with no previous artistic experience required. Everyone is welcome to take part and leave their mark on a collaborative artwork celebrating one of Birmingham’s most vibrant communities.

“Under the Sultan’s Shadow”: Ottoman Exhibition and Curator Talks in Balsall Heath by MIAH Foundation

A fascinating new exhibition has opened in Balsall Heath, offering visitors the chance to explore one of history’s most influential empires.

Facsimile of Sultan Suleiman’s illuminated poetry (Muhibbi Divani) and maps by Matrakçı Nasuh. © MIAH Foundation

The Museum of Islamic Arts & Heritage (MIAH) Foundation’s latest exhibition, Under the Sultan’s Shadow: How Imperial Identity Shaped Ottoman Life and Culture, examines how the Ottoman Empire consciously built its identity by drawing upon different historic empires, and wider Islamic traditions of the lands it ruled. Through objects, manuscripts, maps, and artwork, visitors can discover how these influences shaped Ottoman society, culture, and public life.

Highlights include a facsimile Qur’an copied by the renowned Ottoman calligrapher Sheikh Hamdullah, maps by the famous explorer Piri Reis, and a sixteenth-century tile from the Dome of the Rock that once adorned al-Masjid al-Aqsa

Based in the gallery space in Moseley Community Hub on Moseley Road (which used to be the Old Moseley School of Art) the exhibition brings together objects from private collections that are being displayed together for the first time. Alongside the exhibition, MIAH is delivering a programme of workshops, talks, and family-friendly activities throughout the summer.

The exhibition is currently scheduled to run over the coming months, with hopes of extending its stay should additional funding be secured.

Visitors can find out more and book tickets here: https://miahfoundation.com/events/exhibition-under-the-sultans-shadow

Monthly Curator Talks

For those keen to explore the exhibition in greater depth, MIAH is also hosting a series of monthly curator talks. The next session, Ottoman Art, will explore how Ottoman artists drew inspiration from Byzantine architecture, Persian motifs, Chinese porcelain, and Abbasid calligraphy, transforming these influences into a distinctive Ottoman visual language during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

Future talks in the series will cover Ottoman art, architecture, and the later Ottoman period, giving visitors a deeper insight into the exhibition’s themes and the process behind its creation.

To register for upcoming curator talks, visit:
https://miahfoundation.com/events/under-the-sultans-shadow-curator-talk-in-person-ottoman-art

Who are the MIAH Foundation and how can you find us?
Founded in 2020, the MIAH Foundation works to promote awareness and understanding of Islamic arts, heritage, and culture through exhibitions, education programmes, workshops, and events. Its long-term aim is to establish the UK’s first independent museum dedicated to the arts and heritage of Muslims and the Islamic world.

We are located on Moseley Road in the Moseley Community Hub:

MIAH Foundation Islamic Arts & Heritage Gallery
496 Moseley Rd
Balsall Heath
Birmingham
B12 9AH

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For all enquires email us at co*****@************on.com.

We look forward to welcoming you all to our gallery!

Introducing Believe in Balsall Heath and our Commissioned Artist

Believe in Balsall Heath is a community arts and heritage initiative brought to you by local organisations to celebrate the people, culture, and history of Balsall Heath.
As we mark the area’s 750th anniversary, the project invites everyone – residents, visitors,
and communities – to come together in honouring its rich heritage and vibrant diversity.

Who is involved?
Funded by Birmingham City Council, this collaborative project brings together:
● The Old Print Works
● The MIAH Foundation
● The GAP Arts Project
● Fruit & Nut Village
● Balsall Heath Local History Society

Together, these organisations are working to bring renewed pride to the streets of Balsall
Heath through community events, workshops, and street planting initiatives.

What to expect
One of the project’s most visible and exciting outcomes will be a series of commissioned
street banners, installed across Balsall Heath’s high streets. These artworks will celebrate
and commemorate the area’s history, identity, and community pride – making heritage
something you can see and experience in public space.

Our commissioned artist: Faisal Hussain
Last month we were excited to announce Faisal Hussain as the commissioned artist for the
Believe in Balsall Heath project and we received a wonderful response from the community:

“I’m an artist based in Birmingham. My work spans public art, film, archive,
sculpture, audio, and text. I create work that questions perceptions, challenges
lazy stereotypes, and highlights missing histories and overlooked stories.”

Faisal brings not only a multidisciplinary artistic practice, but also a deep personal
connection to Balsall Heath:

“I’m particularly excited to be working in Balsall Heath as I have generational
roots there – from my grandfather sharing a house with workers in the 60s, to my
mother’s shop on Stratford Road in the 90s, to working in my family business in
the 00s. I have memories of music, food, Qur’an classes, functions and raves
here. It’s a special place – often overlooked – and I’m looking forward to creating
something that reflects its people, past, and future.”

Looking ahead

Over the coming months, Faisal will develop a series of street-based artworks to be
exhibited across Balsall Heath. Drawing on the area’s rich history, culture, and lived
experiences, these works will form a bold and public celebration of the neighbourhood.

To stay updated with the project, follow us on Instagram (@believeinbalsallheath) and sign up to our Newsletter and contact us on be*******************@***il.com



Heba Y
Project Coordinator – Believe in Balsall Heath