Floating studio aims to get youngsters into art

A canal narrowboat which has been turned into a floating arts studio will travel 150 miles (241km) on the region's canal networks, offering workshops and opportunities for artists.

Slow Boat 2026, launched by Birmingham-based Ikon Gallery, will travel on the canals, mooring up in Birmingham, the Black Country and Coventry.

Designed by members of Ikon's youth programme, workshops will focus on drawing, painting, sculpture, sound, film and digital media along with nature-based projects and collaborations with local artists.

The programme explores themes of heritage, place and shared creativity, linking to the location the narrowboat is moored.

"Slow Boat offers a space where young voices can be seen and heard, where experimentation is possible and where we can reclaim the materials, stories and languages that shape who we are," said Lucy Grubb, Ikon Young Project's coordinator.

"It's a testament to what can happen when young people are trusted, supported and given room to grow."

• Wolverhampton, 1 April to 1 May: Exploring the city's craft and design education traditions

• Tipton, 11-24 May: Workshops to draw on its industrial heritage and its communities of makers

• Stourbridge, 1-13 June: Reflection on the region's glassmaking history, investigating materiality and making in new ways

• Halesowen,22 June to 4 July: Inspired by Halesowen's landscapes and stories, young artists will invite local groups to create collaborative artworks

• Smethwick,11 -19 July: In partnership with the Canal & River Trust, the narrowboat will host the Smethwick Imaginarium: Linking Art and Nature

• Birmingham,27 July to 30 August: Stopping in the centre of the city to celebrate its art school legacy, with a full programme of workshops and events

• Coventry, 7 to 26 September: The journey's conclusion in a city "shaped by reinvention and community-led creativity"

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