Past Exhibitions
Days of Laughter, Days of Pain: The Miners’ Strike
Temporary Exhibition
January 2024 to June 2024
2024 marked 40 years since the historic miners’ strike of 1984 to 5. Days of Laughter, Days of Pain explored the year of the strike from the organisation and mobilisation of pickets, rallies, and support groups in the spring and summer of 1984, through the intense struggle of autumn and winter, to the mass march back to work in March 1985.
Working in collaboration with Silverwood Colliery Heritage Group, the exhibition focused on how the strike is remembered across the borough, through archive and museum collections, and loans related to this historic event.
Giants of Rotherham
Temporary Exhibition
July 2023 to January 2024
Giants of Rotherham celebrated Rotherham’s larger-than-life characters. The inventors, entertainers, creators, daredevils and changemakers who have had big ideas and made enormous efforts and contributions to our borough.
This exhibition was a collaboration with internationally acclaimed performance storyteller, author and playwright Richard O’Neil, and Lydia Lapinski aka Thoughts Make Things; a Sheffield based illustrator, art director and designer.
UEFA 2022: From Grass Roots to Glory
Temporary Exhibition
June 2022 to October 2022
This exhibition charted the powerful and personal story of women’s football across Rotherham, inspired by the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Championship which was hosted in Rotherham. This was a way for people to discover where it all began; from the grassroots of Rotherham playing fields to the international pitches of European Championships.
We heard from local lionesses recounting their achievements, as well as women who have strived to give the game the centre stage it deserves.
The (Un) Common People of Rotherham
Test Space
2024
Inspired by Clifton Park Museum’s exhibition Giants of Rotherham, local artists Chris Slater and Ken Horne decided the common folk that make up our community deserved a mention too.
Chris and Ken have worked together before, approaching the creation of portraits and self-portrait in different ways. In this exhibition they decided to challenge themselves by working in collage and using recycled materials.
A story of Hard Work, Pride and Solidarity
Test Space
2023
Silverwood Colliery closed in 1994 but is still very much a part of the communities surrounding it. This exhibition was created by the Silverwood Colliery Heritage group, who are proud of their coal mining heritage and wanted to ensure the story of the place is remembered for generations to come.
Through collecting objects and personal stories from the Silverwood coal mining community, they shared insights into the dangers surrounding the coal mine and what everyday life was really like for miners and their families.