BCU Tuesdays

Ikon is pleased to announce an innovative new partnership with Birmingham City University (BCU) which enables the gallery to open on Tuesdays for a year (October 2024 – September 2025). With BCU Tuesdays, visitors can enjoy an additional day of free entry to Ikon’s exhibitions, starting with the current show FFriends in Love and War – L’Éloge des meilleur·es ennemi·es.

Ikon, now in its 60th year, was founded in 1964 by a group of artist teachers from Birmingham School of Art at Birmingham City University (BCU). The gallery now welcomes over 200,000 visitors annually, remains free for everyone and works to address key social issues whilst championing arts education and social mobility.

On BCU Tuesdays, Ikon hosts gallery visits from education groups including BCU and regional schools and colleges. Ikon will also facilitate free BCU Explore Days, delivered by BCU Art Design and Media staff to introduce Key Stage 4 and 5 students to the creative industries. In Summer 2025 Ikon and BCU will co-produce a Creative Careers Fair, showcasing professional development and employment opportunities within the West Midlands’ arts and cultural sector. 

BCU has a rich and proud history in Birmingham, stretching back to 1843. With the objective of realising the enormous potential that exists in the city, the University recently launched its new strategy – ‘Rooted in Birmingham, Reaching Beyond’ – that aims to inspire, nurture and unite communities across the West Midlands. Through innovative partnerships and collaboration projects, it will also seek to provide opportunities for young people to learn, grow and thrive.

Ikon is committed to supporting the next generation of cultural workers, encouraging skills development and providing job opportunities. The gallery offers training and employment to a number of students and graduates as: Information Assistants (IAs), with 12-month contracts in the Front of House team, covering key areas of the gallery’s operation and public programme; freelance Artist Educators, delivering activities for children and young people at the gallery and in the classroom; freelance Art Technicians, installing exhibitions at the gallery and off-site; and Artists exhibiting in the gallery, most recently Sally Butcher, Exodus Crooks, Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora and Dion Kitson.