RAT forthcoming!

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You’ll probably have already seen the link on our main RAT webpage, but we’re pleased to announce that the programme for the Spring 2025 Rossendale Art Trail is now at the printers….however, you can download a pre-press copy now, directly from the website.

Special call out to Scott Sadler for his amazing work on co-ordinating the event, as well as putting together this years programme. It’s full of exciting work, some familiar names but also a large number of new and up-coming artists. Remember the dates – 30th May through to 1st June, and don’t forget to pick up or download the programme!

2025 UPDATE!

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After a few years of change at the Art Trail, Scott Sadler is now taking a lead on managing the Art Trail programme in 2025.

The first big change is to hold a Spring Arts Trail which will take place over the weekend of the 30th May to 01st June 2025. As usual we are inviting all Rossendale based artist to get involved by opening their studios to the public or displaying/performing their work in other public venues (to be arranged by the artist). 

In addition to the usual visual arts that the Art Trail is well known for, this year we would like to invite artists of all kinds to participate. Are you a performance artist, a musician, band, poet, writer? We’d love to hear from you. These events can be in the daytime or evening.

Let Scott know if you’re interested or have any questions email him at info@horseandbamboo.org – mark the email RAT25. Thank you.

Dave Pearson Book Launch

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Dave Pearson’s ‘The Ritual Year’ book is being launched at Todmorden’s Centre for Folklore, Myth and Magic on Saturday 24th June.

The Centre is on the main road to Hebden Bridge, in the centre of Todmorden. Postcode his OL14 5BB. Dave’s close friend Margaret Mytton will be saying a few words about the Calendar Customs work of the 1970s which form the basis of the book. The event is being organised by Folklore Tapes (recently at Analogue Farm in Whitworth) and the evening will include music by their Folk Root band.

Please join us!

The Art Trail is coming!

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The weekend of the 26th and 27th November will see the return of Rossendale Art Trail.
Venues will be open from 10am until 4pm.

There’s some new features this year including Stubbylee Greenhouses in Bacup hosting the Rossendale Collective Group. There will be 12 different venues in all, and 30 artists are showing their work. Hot food and drinks will be available at The Whitaker, Horse & Bamboo and Stubbylee.

Ella Cole has compiled a smart brochure with support of all the participating artists – you can pick up a copy from the RAT venues. There’s information in the brochure about a host of events and workshops associated with the Art Trail. These include Wagon Tales at Irwell terrace, Bacup; The Whitaker’s contemporary art exhibitions; Screen Printing with Matt Davies; Mandala Drawing at Valley Artists – and more!

RAT 2022?

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I’ve been asked by a couple of local studio venues about our plans for an Art Trail in 2022.

I’m not able to take a lead on it this year, largely because we’re moving from our farm to Haslingden to Dave Pearson’s old studio. So far as I can tell the final stages of the move will be in October, which appears to remain the preferred time for RAT. I’m also keen on others taking the lead on the organisation of the Art Trail, so this is likely to be the perfect opportunity!

After last year’s November dates, opinion gathered from the feedback was that October was definitely the preferred date. It would be particularly useful to hear from the main venues, including the Whitaker and the Boo, to find out what they’re planning this year. Remembering that on the whole participating artists liked the idea of a longer Art Trail, perhaps a couple of weeks and 3 weekends long, and individual artists and studios opening whenever suited them within that period.

I’m happy to act as a go-between for this and pass on any group messages. Of course this website is now well established and artist’s addresses can be found on it, so it’s easy to communicate with one another.

Artist Residency Opportunity

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Mary from Analogue Farm in Whitworth has written to tell us that they are now open for a funded Artists Residency this summer at their farm.

Go to their website for full details and the info pack, at https://www.analoguefarm.com/artist-residencies

Drawn to Rawtenstall

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We’ve heard from Stephie Jessop of Culturapedia that they are organising a follow-up event to ‘Drawn To Rawtenstall’ last October and that there’s a call out for artists.

Stephie says:

We want to turn Rawtenstall into an outdoor public gallery. Working mainly off Bank Street we want to fill empty walls and interesting side nooks with banners (or other weather durable reproductions) of your art.

Ideally, the artwork will be of Rawtenstall or the surrounding area. The idea is that these banners will encourage people to take a moment to see their local area in a new way. We are, however, open to all styles and interpretations!

We have scouted out some interesting spots already (bricked up doorways, and windows that could frame a piece, empty walls on the side of shops, hanging banners from trees, lamp posts or railings) but we are also open to other suggestions if you have a spot in mind that you’ve always wanted to fill with art. The only caveat is that the space must be in Rawtenstall, and open to the public. 

The idea is that we will reproduce your artwork, onto weather durable, high-quality banners. This is important as we are hoping the “exhibition” will remain in place for several months and will need to endure all the weather of Rossendale. We may produce several banners of the same piece of art to display in different areas/sizes etc.

Fee

We are offering a fee of up to £100 per artwork to artists who have something they are happy for us to reproduce in this format. The banner will also credit the artist and have room for either a social media handle or website. We are still confirming how long the banners will be up but we are imagining around 3 months. Once the exhibition has finished we are happy for you to then keep the banner. There may be further opportunities in the future, for these banners to be used in other ways, but we will come back to you to discuss this, and further fees, if those opportunities arise.

How to apply

If you are interested in submitting a piece of art work for the exhibition, we ask that you email Stephie stephie@culturapedia.co with a photo of the piece, or pieces, you’d like to put forward by Friday 22nd April. We have a limited budget for reproductions and we can not guarantee that every piece submitted will make it into the final exhibition, but we will reply to everyone the week commencing Monday 25th April.

FULL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THIS PAGE