£2m ARTS PROJECT FOR ROTHERHAM GAINS MOMENTUM WITH LOCAL SUPPORT

£2m ARTS PROJECT FOR ROTHERHAM GAINS MOMENTUM WITH LOCAL SUPPORT

Rotherham residents are being encouraged to share their views on local arts and culture as part of a new Arts Council supported programme called Flux Rotherham.

Our borough is home to a vibrant culture of art, heritage and performance, although we know not everyone has easy access to these creative opportunities. That’s why Flux is creating an ambitious programme of opportunities to support a thriving cultural scene in Rotherham. Residents will have more access to high-quality creative activity, the existing arts offer will be strong and visible and our communities will be the driving force in our cultural programming.

Earlier this year, Helen Jones and Ben Walmsley were recruited to Flux as Programme Director and Independent Chairperson respectively. We are now working with Laura Stead, a Rotherham-based marketing expert, and Wickersley born Chris Rushbrooke, who is the Managing Director at design agency Northern Bear. Laura, who works as a marketing advisor and trainer, is helping to develop a communications framework for Flux and brings 20 years’ worth of marketing expertise. Chris, who alongside running a successful design agency, has published his very own children’s book, won a competitive pitch to develop the visual identity and website for Flux.

‘I’m really pleased to welcome Laura and Chris onto the team – their expertise will help Flux to communicate a wealth of creative and cultural opportunities for people in Rotherham. I’m looking forward to seeing ideas from community members and groups, which will inform the design of the website and brand.’

Helen Jones – Programme Director

As we continue on this exciting journey, we are looking to create a website, brand and social media accounts, building a new marketing and communications strategy that has local residents’ ideas and feedback at the very centre of the design.

At the heart of our work is co-creation, making sure activities are informed and influenced in a fair and equal way by local communities, organisations and resources. The brand consultation is a key part of this- making sure that we are creating communication tools that are relevant, appealing and easy for people to use.

‘I was born and raised in Wickersley, so Rotherham holds a very special place in my heart. I’m delighted to be working with the Rotherham Flux team and it’s especially exciting to be working on a brand and website that is co-created with the community. I can’t wait to see what we create together.’

Chris Rushbrooke – Northern Bear

Get involved!

We’ll be sharing and promoting all creative and cultural opportunities for people in Rotherham; in order to promote these opportunities in the most effective way, we would love to gather your thoughts and ideas. To get involved with the brand consultation, please fill out our short survey: https://flux-rotherham.mailchimpsites.com/. You will also have the option to sign-up for future updates.

‘I’m thrilled to be working with Flux Rotherham. I’m passionate about Rotherham and I’m excited about the opportunities Flux will bring for future generations. We hope the brand consultation opportunity will encourage local people to work with us in creating an inspiring brand image for Flux that is shaped by the whole community.’

Laura Stead – Marketing Expert

We are also keen to increase our network of artists and find out about current creative practices around Rotherham so that we can share all commissioning opportunities in the future. If you are an artist, creative practitioner or arts organisation, we would love to hear from you about your work: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=eNmEaIz4bU–tcMFzJP_1f47pZ7GTytGnLHJTrJH31dUMUlBR09OUkk2VldENTJIQlRTN1ZYRTI4VC4u&web=1&wdLOR=cF8FE9A0C-1E3C-4CE4-81FC-A2CC61DDBD0C

Additionally, we are interested in hearing from groups that may like to receive a visit as part of the consultation, or who can circulate our information through their networks.

For more information on Flux Rotherham, visit our website: https://flux-rotherham.mailchimpsites.com 

Flux Rotherham is an Arts Council England supported Creative People and Places programme.

It is led by a consortium of 5 partners.

• Voluntary Action Rotherham (VAR)
• Rotherham Open Arts Renaissance (ROAR)
• Grimm & Co
• Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust (WWPT)
• Rotherham Council’s Culture Sport and Tourism Department (CST)