State of the Arts

Joining our host, Noor Salih is William Martin, Found and Creator of The Abstraction. The Abstraction is a solo metalcore project hailing from Rotherham, UK. The project is themed around life experienced and aims to collaborate with other artists to have a diverse sound, while later staying true to the core metalcore sound. For fans of Architects, Wage War, Polaris, Sleep Token and Oceans Ate Alaska.The first track, Jaded, from the upcoming album ‘The Fear Of Feeling Nothing’ was released last month, being featured on BBC Radio 1 and BSBTV, and the second single ‘Insomnia’ is out on all streaming platforms as of 04/04/2025.

Join Children's Capital of Culture's Grace Bower and Abi Cobb talk about the young people of Rotherham's Call to action. How Rotherham has turned a group of young people into their own Dragon's Den of decision making for the world's very first capital of culture led and produced by young people. The two young people discuss the luxury cinema seats at The Arc, climate change and ROOTs - Rotherham's parade on environmental change.

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?

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. Leonie Briggs is director of Amazelab, a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, maths) educational resource provider. Amazelab use creativity to teach these subjects with the aim of making them accessible to all. Noor Salih is a Yemeni-British woman who embodies excellence, creativity, and inclusivity. Her passion for grassroots initiatives and her dynamic personality makes her an instantly recognisable figure in her hometown of Rotherham. Noor's vibrant wardrobe and her powerful voice on women's rights and inclusion have won the hearts of many in her community. Best known for her work at FLUX Rotherham and WOW Rotherham.

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.

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. They’ll discuss ways of going into events, self-development and reflection. Uzma is a Rotherham based multi disciplinary artist who began her practice in abstract impressionist painting to explore her British-Pakistani heritage, her spirituality, and love for nature. Her work has been exhibited online & in person exhibitions.She believes in the transformative power of art for wellbeing. Her work has involved social engagement with local community groups, organisations & festivals in South Yorkshire. This has included, Arabic calligraphy, abstract nature, Islamic art workshops & exploring identity and place through her projectsAmy Lilley joined Rotherham Council in Summer 2023 as the Creative Programming and Manager of the Events Team. The team are responsible for delivering large and small-scale events across Rotherham Town Centre with a range of local partners, including the council’s flagship cultural events Rotherham Show, the Christmas Light Switch On, UPLIFT and WOW Rotherham. As well as offering communities and independent event organisers advice, small grants, commission opportunities and equipment to deliver their own unique events, the team collaborate with a range of services and partners such as Flux Rotherham, Children’s Capital of Culture and Rotherham Music to bring a rich variety of free cultural experiences to Rotherham’s residents. Since joining the team Amy’s favourite moment was starting a new event, Roots: Rotherham Street Carnival, which saw giant puppets parading across the town centre with thousands of visitors and businesses enjoying the spectacle. Community groups, creative workshops, performances and educational stalls explored our individual and Rotherham’s role in helping to tackle the climate crisis and brought the high street and public spaces to life, both of which are personally important to Amy. Amy has joined the team with over 10 years of experience delivering multi-venue events, commissioning artists and programming for arts organisations in Wakefield, including Artwalk Wakefield, The Art House, Long Division Festival, The Hepworth Wakefield and Wakefield Council.

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. Clifton Park Museum are a proud National Portfolio Organisation who work with communities to create important programming such as the ‘Days of Laughter, Days of Pain: The Miner’s Strike in Rotherham, 1984-85’. Plug in, grab a brew and listen about Rotherham’s Famous Sausages, police riot gears, the gamble of painting an entire space red, moving from a café to collections. 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. Rotherham Museums, Arts & Heritage is a National Portfolio Organisation and uses the Arts Council funding to provide creative opportunities for the people of Rotherham and artists. Through a programme of engagement, temporary exhibitions and co-production, the service creatively explores the heritage of Rotherham and the people who call it home. Part of Jenna and Rebecca’s job is to look after the 70,000+ objects in the collection that span from Social History and Fine Art to Natural History and Archaeology. They are also responsible for creating the hugely popular temporary exhibitions at Clifton Park Museum, most recently ‘Days of Laughter, Days of Pain: The Miner’s Strike in Rotherham, 1984-85’ and the upcoming exhibition ‘Our Habitats, Our Home’ which opens on 20th July 2024 with the return of Marco the bear. Jenna and Rebecca have differing education and work experience, not always knowing they wanted to work in museums or with collections, but use their knowledge and enthusiasm to help tell the stories of Rotherham in new, creative and fun ways. 

This month 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 3 rd WOW (Women of the World) Rotherham Festival. WOW Rotherham’s annual celebration of women, trans and non-binary people is a hub of creativity and joy where 1000s of people come together and have honest discussions. We met loads of people at the festival who have stories to share, things they want to get off their chest or something they want to celebrate. 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.