Young artists make their mark at Birmingham gallery this autumn
Make a Mark, a free exhibition of work by neurodivergent artists aged 16 to 24, opens on Friday 23 October 2026 at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery. Visitors can drop by the community corner of the Made in Birmingham gallery at Chamberlain Square to see work created by students from Pinc College. The display is scheduled to remain until 31 December.
The exhibition gives local visitors an opportunity to see a year of ideas and creative work brought together in a museum setting. It also marks a milestone for students whose work, as one put it, once felt like a fun hobby and is now being shown at a venue they had not imagined reaching.
What visitors will see
The exhibition features creative work made by Pinc College students. The specialist college supports neurodivergent young people aged 16 to 24, with campuses based at Aston Hall and Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
Pinc’s campuses are situated in galleries, museums and other cultural settings. Students develop creative skills in those spaces and work towards Level 2 and Level 3 University of the Arts London diplomas. That setting connects the work on display with the way students learn: through hands-on activity and exploring their interests in cultural spaces.
One student described the display as a chance to see the result of everyone’s effort and feel, “I’ve done it and it looks cool.” The exhibition therefore offers visitors more than a collection of finished pieces: it shows a moment in the students’ development, as their work moves from making to public display.
Why the display matters to the students
Pinc assistant head of programmes Vicky Rollins said exhibitions such as Make a Mark recognise growth alongside creative skills. She described confidence, independence, making friends and feeling more comfortable sharing ideas as milestones that can develop along the way, as well as the qualifications students achieve.
Birmingham Museums Trust participation manager Andrea Bonnell said the display gives visitors a feel for young people finding their voices through making and learning. The exhibition is organised by Pinc College and Birmingham Museums Trust, bringing the students’ work into the museum’s community corner for the public to see.
Plan a visit to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
The exhibition opens Friday 23 October 2026 and is due to remain on display through Thursday 31 December. Admission is free, and the source says visitors can drop by to view it. It is located in the community corner of the Made in Birmingham gallery at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DH.
No event time is listed. The source does not provide booking, transport or accessibility details, so check Birmingham Museums Trust’s event information before setting out if you need those specifics. The Trust’s source story provides the exhibition announcement and visitor details.
Source: Birmingham Museums Trust Stories
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Event dates, venue, admission and student details are drawn from the Birmingham Museums Trust announcement.
- Checked the stated opening date and end date.
- Checked the venue and gallery named in the announcement.
- Checked the free admission and drop-in wording.
- Checked the student age range and organiser names.
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- Birmingham Museums Trust Stories
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- Birmingham
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- 2026-10-15 11:06
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