The Library of Birmingham which opens its new library building on 3 September 2013 has been awarded a major £162,000 grant by Arts Council England. It will undertake a 2 year project to create a new strategic hub and network for photography and photographers in collaboration with national and international partners. The project will be called Grain. This is the largest Grants for the Arts Award given to photography in the region.

The Society will be one of the Library's partners and will be supporting the initiative in several ways. More details will be announced early in 2013.  

Over the last 20 years the Library’s Photography Collection Team has responded to the rapidly changing face of public cultural funding by building relationships with the corporate sector to encourage collaboration, sponsorship and philanthropy initiatives that have enabled them to continue to collect historical work, to support the work of mid to late career photographers, to commission, purchase and collect contemporary work and to support the professional development of emerging photographers.

Pete James, Head of Photographs at the Library said, “This amazing award comes at unique moment in the city’s and region’s cultural history. We stand perfectly positioned with the new Library of Birmingham to take a step-change in our work to support and develop photography in the region and to promote the Library as a photography centre of regional, national and international importance. Building on our work to date, we can now enter a two year period of research and development to deliver a of programme of exhibitions, workshops, seminars, portfolio reviews, commissions and networking events with new and existing partners that will provide the very best opportunities to create new work, new audiences, new partnerships and new ways of working that will result in strategic and sustainable future photography and photographers in the West Midlands."

Ros Robins, Regional Director, Arts Council England says: "The Library of Birmingham is one of the city's most exciting developments; it will be a huge part of Birmingham's cultural landscape and a regional photography Hub will help to make it a central point for photographers both nationally and internationally. The Libraries photography collection team have worked hard to develop an exciting collection and Arts Council England are pleased to support their next project so that their good work can continue."