CVAN West Midlands (CVAN WM) is the Contemporary Visual Arts Network for the West Midlands, representing Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire. Established in 2010 (formerly New Art West Midlands), it is hosted by DASH and forms part of the national CVAN network.
CVAN WM advocates for the contemporary visual arts across the region, working to safeguard the future of artists, arts workers and the wider sector. Through partnerships across the West Midlands and beyond, it creates opportunities for artists and arts workers to develop sustainable, ambitious practices through distinctive, critically engaged programmes, while championing the strength and diversity of the region’s visual arts ecology.
The network is supported by a Steering Group of experienced arts workers from across the West Midlands, bringing together expertise from a range of organisations, disciplines and independent practice. The Steering Group helps shape the network’s strategic direction, ensuring its work reflects the needs, opportunities and challenges facing artists and the visual arts sector across the region.
Current highlights include Ode to the Midlands, an ambitious 18-month cross-regional programme led by CVAN EM and CVAN WM, supporting ambitious new digital commissions and building stronger connections across the regions; and Creative Workspaces: A Research Project & Action-led Report for Birmingham, responding to the growing loss of affordable studio and production spaces in the city. Both are supported by Arts Council England.
Image credit: The Art of Care, 2025. In partnership with DASH and Sandwell & Birmingham NHS Trust. Credit Tegen Kimbley