BAMER Creative Network (BCN)

Open to any creative individual from a BAMER community living or working in the Borough of Rotherham who wants to connect with other creatives for:

• Support

• Encouragement

• Opportunities

• Collaborations

• Learning

• Advocacy

• Representation In The Sector

Rotherham has not invested within its cultural life for many years, the theatres are no longer fit for purpose, there is no art gallery and the museums are undergoing huge change. 

After the Jay Report and the local authority being under special measures, one of the recommendations was to create a Culture, Sport and Tourism department based on community consultation. This has happened and there is much greater ambition for the Borough using culture as a tool for regeneration. This is starting with the Creative People and Places project, Flux Capacitor, funded by the Arts Council which sees £2 million of new money for culture in Rotherham. There is a significant priority of engaging with BAMER communities in that project. 

Combined with the recovery period post the CSE scandal and the current Black Lives Matter movement, NOW is the right time for the BAMER artists and creatives to redesign the future.

There was a general feeling that there are many talented creatives in Rotherham, particularly from the BAMER community, that are not getting the opportunities available. Zanib Rasool began to have conversations with REMA and ROAR about the best way to address this. That is the inception of the Network. 

ROAR are an Arts Council funded organisation (NPO) that support the professional development of artists ( creatives) in any media. They does through a free membership scheme, offering 1:1 advice and support, training and opportunities, studio spaces, connections to the wider sector, and can represent your values and views in strategic meetings. ROAR have agreed to assist in the development of this network through providing administrative support, until such a time the network can support itself, if that is the ambition. 

Current support:

• zoom meeting co-ordination

• maintain contact list

• seek and secure a brand designer

• create a webpage for network members

• general admin

• grant and financial management

Terms of reference:

All members will:

• receive invitations to any meeting via zoom.

• have web presence if they supply an artist statement and 2+ images

• be sent relevant opportunities

• be able to apply to ROAR for membership