Picturing High Streets was a national programme, led by Historic England. Projects unravel the narratives of the nation’s high streets and engage with local communities.  GRAIN led a distinct programme in Walsall, West Midlands to accompany the national touring exhibition. The activities took place with the town’s storefronts as the backdrop, celebrating the unsung champions of the high street, encapsulating the familiar scenery, and inviting viewers to consider the worth and significance of their local high street.

In Walsall the outdoor exhibition ran until October 2023 and showcased 65 photographs celebrating high street life. These photographs were contributed by members of the public through a national call-out and via photowalks in the town centre led by GRAIN with Anand Chhabra, Black Country Type and Stephen Burke.

Three winning photographs of contemporary Walsall high street life were selected from over 400 entries in Historic England’s recent Picturing Walsall competition and were displayed in the exhibition. The winning entries and seven runner-up photographs all became part of the Historic England Archive.

The winning photographs were chosen by a panel of judges including Annabel Clarke,
Senior Communications & Marketing Executive at The New Art Gallery Walsall, Stephen Burke, Project Producer at GRAIN Projects, and Tamsin Silvey, Cultural Programme Curator at Historic England.

Winners:
Alishah Iqbal 
Anu Gamangari 
Jay Mason Burns 

Runners up:
Sherrie Edgar
Joanne Kendrick
Julia Holding
Jack Babington
Sylwia Ciszewska-Peciak
Marlene Little
Harriet McDevitt-Smith

Picturing Walsall is part of the national Picturing High Streets project commissioned by Historic England and delivered by Photoworks, as as part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones Cultural Programme produced in partnership with Heritage Fund UK and Arts Council England.