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The Public

Sandwell, Italy

The Public

The Public was a multi-purpose venue and art gallery in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England, at the forefront of a regional regeneration programme which was – by late 2013– to also bring Europe's biggest Tesco, a multiplex cinema, restaurants and a new retail centre. It closed in November 2013. Th

e building reopened as part of Sandwell College in October 2014. Despite indications that the arts centre would be at the forefront of West Bromwich's 'Golden Future', on 9 May 2013 it was announced that Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council was in discussion with Sandwell College to potentially lease The Public for use as a sixth-form college. At that time, the College's own sixth-form was oversubscribed with six applicants for every place. In 2012–13 there were 380,000 visitors to the building from all sections of society – an increase of over 40% from the previous year. The Public's mission was to be a place where people came to create and make things for themselves and to enjoy other people's creativity – an echo of Cedric Price's concept of a Fun Palace. In 2012, The Guardian's Robert Clark described The Public as "a playground for adults" adding that "maybe that's a good role for a...

Listen to the audio guide for The Public Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off

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