Rotherham Creative Network’s podcast, State of the Arts, is live! The brand-new podcast brings a 30-minute show which will host conversations between creatives. From hobbies to full-time careers, we’ll explore and have frank conversations about what it means to be creative in Rotherham. This podcast gives us the chance to sit down with local creatives, learn about their practice and all corners of their world. Wherever you are, you can be part of your network with our podcast.
Episode 1: Rotherham is Punk - Noor Salih and Vicky Hilton
Meet Vicky Hilton, founder of Rotherham Creative Network and Noor Salih, Project Lead of Rotherham Creative Network as they sit down and take you on a journey of being a creative in Rotherham.
Episode 2: People make the place - Paul Littlewood and Daniel Whitehouse
Meet Paul Littlewood is a musician and singer-songwriter living in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. His works have been published by Third Side Music (Canada) and released by Xtra Mile Recordings (UK) and Three Sixty Records (US). And Daniel Whitehouse, an multi-talented individual with a career as a session musician, artist and producer, as well as an experienced educator. He has been part of various bands, including Fights (Xtra Mile Recordings), The Rossmann Frister Project (Rhythmetic Records), and Mabel Love (B-Unique).
Episode 3: Rotherham is the new Berlin - Auriel Majumdar and Rian Treanor
Meet your Host, Auriel Majumdar. Auriel is a Creative Coach, Consultant and Educator and the Independent Chair of FLUX Rotherham’s consortium. She grew up in Rotherham in the 1960s and 70s and now lives and works in Sheffield. Meet your guest, Rian Treanor who re-imagines club culture, experimental art and computer music, presenting an insightful and compelling musical world of fractured and interlocking components. Having left a vivid impression with a string of releases on The Death of Rave & Warp sub-label Arcola, his debut album 'ATAXIA' for Planet Mu in 2019 established him as both a disruptive and essential new voice in British underground club music.
Episode 4: State of the Arts – ‘Every time I come to Rotherham, the sun is shining!’
In May we have the wonderful, Penny Lee as our host. We get comfy at Riverside Records in the heart of the town centre for our town’s 3rd WOW (Women of the World) Rotherham Festival. Join us as we chat with some of the creatives involved with WOW Rotherham including, MIMBRE, Big Ideas Speaker – Hazel Oakes, DJ Kativa, Angry Girls by Chol Theatre, Founder and CEO of WOW Foundation, Jude Kelly and Rotherham’s very own Tracey McDermott from Standard Chartered.
Episode 5: State of the Arts – ‘Rotherham's Famous Sausages! - Rebecca Hearne and Jenna Moughton
This month we sat down with Clifton Park Museum to learn about all the creative skills that comes with a job behind the screens of creating exhibits at the museum. Jenna and Rebecca are part of the Collections & Exhibitions Team for Rotherham Museums, Arts & Heritage, mainly working with the object collections belonging to Clifton Park Museum, a local authority museum in the centre of Rotherham.
Episode 6: State of the Arts – Rotherham's National Poetry Day - Noor Salih and Mike O'Brien
Noor Salih and Mike O'Brien sit down to explore poetry culture in Rotherham. Rich spoken word pieces, deep diving into poetry practices and how place shapes creativity. Touching base on FLUX Rotherham's Programme 'Spread the Word'. Poems from Mike O'Brien, Michael Pettinger, Glenn Barker and Paul Dyson.
Episode 7: State of the Arts – Rotherham Open - Amy Lilley and Uzma Rani
This month we sat down with Amy Lilley, Creative Programming and Events Manager at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and a Rotherham based creative, Uzma Rani! They deep dive into Rotherham’s big appetite for visual artist and the creative’s community in our town.
Episode 8: State of the Arts – A space for everyone - Vic Leeson and Ameerah Ali
This month we sat down with Poets Vic Leeson and Ameerah Ali. Both Rotherham based and a love for communities connections to words and their stories, working on FLUX’s Rotherham’s programme ‘Spread The Word’. They talk about the struggles of identifying as a poet, the pressures of publication, and when renewing car insurance solidified them becoming a creative.
Episode 9: State of the Arts – STEM is creative - Leonie Briggs and Noor Salih
This episode our host Community Producer and Rotherham lass, Noor Salih we sat down with the Director of Amazelab, Leonie Briggs. Exploring women in business, STEM skill sharing with creativity at the heart for young people, what success looks like and how it is measured as a woman.
Episode 10: State of the Arts – Becoming British in Rotherham - Lora Krasteva and Noor Salih
This episode our host Community Producer and Rotherham lass, Noor Salih we sat down with the Cultural Producer and activist, Lora Krasteva. A conversation around identity, immigration and her latest touring piece ‘Becoming British’. How much do we change when we move to a new country? What do we embrace, resist, leave behind? Can we really, one day, become "truly" British? And what does that even mean?
Listen to the podcast on these channels:
Fancy getting involved? We have paid opportunities for hosts and guest speakers. To feature on the podcast, creatives and hosts can apply HERE
Any questions, please get in touch with the Project Lead, Noor Salih – [email protected]
This Podcast has been created in partnership with Artful – Make It Happen, Tunedin Music School and Flux Rotherham.
