WE'VE LAUNCHED! (digitally)
LAUNCHING YARD
It’s time to introduce you to YARD, MAIA’s home and Ladywood’s best kept secret. We launched digitally on 11th February 2021 and we're working with government guidelines to open to you publicly, in some way soon!
So, what does that mean?
Well, first off, we’ll be launching our podcast 'Talking the Yardest', a series of episodes which
give you the weekly inside scoop, with different members of the MAIA team. We’re an
organisation made up of artists working in different disciplines, so our interests range widely,
and you’ll get to hear what we're up to, both in and out of the organisation. Not only will there be
a podcast, but we’ll also be updating our new YARD playlist each week with the team’s favourite
tracks for you to enjoy.
Alongside hearing the sounds of YARD, we’ll be bringing you videos that let you step inside and
take a visual tour of the building. Keiran, our YARD manager, will be showing off YARD’s shiny
new facilities on all three floors…
Downstairs, we have an open space where we’ll eventually be hosting kitchen takeovers, live
music, gaming nights and exhibitions, as well as getting our local residents from Port Loop,
Ladywood and beyond in for a cup of tea,
food and a chat. We always want to know what
people are up to and how we can support them, so once it’s safe, make sure to come and say
hey.
The first floor is the studio floor, a space for artists to come and play with new ideas and make
new work, be that writing poetry, recording EPs, filming tv shows, you name it.
The top floor is where our artists and guests will come and stay in our bedrooms - rooms which
we’ve commissioned designers to transform into beautiful, immersive experiences for our
guests to interact with.
For obvious reasons, some of these things will take a little longer to open up than others. But in
the meantime, we’ll be recording podcasts downstairs, opening up our brand-new recording
studio on the first floor and getting artists in to stay for COVID-safe residencies. In April, we’ll
be launching Imagination SZN, during which we’ll be showcasing an outdoor exhibition in Port
Loop and recording performances in YARD for you all to stream from the comfort and safety of
your homes.
For those who feel comfortable to attend a safe and socially-distanced tour around YARD, we’ll
be holding open-houses every Wednesday which you can book a slot for by dropping us an
email at yard@maiagroup.co. Most importantly, make sure to sign up here for our mailing list to
be the first to hear about YARD events and updates, as well as being in with a chance of
winning your very own YARD keyring.
In the most challenging and distanced of times, YARD is finding ways to safely host a
community of people to connect, create and collaborate. Tune into our podcast, hit up our
playlist, and watch some of the incredible artists who will be performing from YARD. As we
know, Home Is Where The Art Is, and it’s about time that this arthouse became an art home for
you all.
