ROAR Round Up 2025
Celebrating 2025 at ROAR - and Looking Ahead to 2026
As we come to the close of another busy and brilliant year, we’ve been reflecting on everything that’s happened at ROAR in 2025. From exhibitions and performances to trips, skill-sharing and new spaces, it’s been a year shaped by creativity, collaboration and community - and we’re excited to carry that momentum into 2026.
A Year That Began with Portraits
Our year began with a Portrait Exhibition in January at Buzz Gallery, celebrating work created during the 2024 autumn portrait Skillshare sessions. It was a fantastic way to kick off the year and showcase the dedication and talent of our members.
We’re delighted to be starting 2026 in a similar way, with our second Portrait Exhibition opening on 8 January at Garage Gallery, Grove Road. If you have work you’d like to include, please drop it off before 5 January (note that we’ll be closed from 22 December – 5 January).
Drop-Ins
Drop-ins have continued to be a core part of ROAR, and this year we added Tuesday mornings to our regular timetable. These sessions have produced some truly fantastic work and have been a vital space for members to experiment, learn and connect.
We’re continuing this into the new year with a four-week Still Life programme, starting Thursday 15 January at 6pm, each week offering a different focus:
Week 1 (15th January): Botanical and natural form
Week 2 (22nd January): Chiaroscuro
Week 3 (29th January): Everyday treasures
Week 4 (5th February): Colour and pattern explosion
Return of the Beavers
March was packed with thought-provoking projects. We hosted a screening of Return of the Beavers, a documentary exploring rewilding, biodiversity and natural flood management. This sparked our member brief The Return, which led to some fascinating and unexpected outcomes.
Our current member project, From Fuse to Seed, continues this spirit of inquiry, and we’d love more members to get involved find out more here.
Becoming British
In March, we welcomed Becoming British, a durational performance by ROAR member Lora Krasteva. The theatre space was transformed for the work, and in the weeks that followed, Buzz Gallery was filled with the ephemeral traces left behind - an unforgettable moment in our programme.
Telling Our Members’ Stories
Throughout spring, we partnered with video students from Sheffield Hallam University to create profile videos for ROAR members. The project was a huge success, producing thoughtful and inspiring films that captured the breadth of creative practice within our community.
We’ll be running this project again, so if you’d like to be featured, please get in touch at matt@rotherhamroar.org.
All this years videos are available to watch online.
Skillshares and Learning Together
Skillshares continued throughout the year, covering everything from watercolours and collage to mending, drawing, plein air sessions and portraiture. These sessions are a vital way for members to share knowledge and build confidence, and we’re excited to expand this programme further in 2026.
If there’s a skill you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you.
"Being part of an artistic community gives you the incentive and will to carry on being creative despite the extremely difficult circumstances we are in at the moment. Having conversations with other artists helps to enthuse about projects you are involved with, that straightaway understand you.”
A New Home at Grove Road
May marked a major milestone as ROAR moved into our offices and open-plan studios at Grove Road, just up the road from Westgate Studios. This new space has allowed us to experiment, host exhibitions and gatherings, and think creatively about how best to support our members - while keeping ROAR’s community-led ethos at the heart of everything we do.
We still have some studio spaces available, so please get in touch if you’re interested in joining us.
Exhibitions Across Our Spaces
This year we hosted an exciting range of exhibitions across Buzz Gallery and our new Garage Gallery at Grove Road. These included solo shows such as The Screamers by Sandra Ward, Pride Identity by Julie H. Winter, and DNA by Nicole Rose, alongside group exhibitions including our annual Members’ Show.
September’s site-specific exhibition Burning Blackberries was a particular highlight, evolving over the course of a week and inviting artists to return and respond to change in real time.
ROAR on Tour
Our trips programme has gone from strength to strength, inspiring plein air work and shared experiences. Visits this year included Cromford Mill, Site Gallery, The Hepworth, Padley Gorge, and Liz Baxter’s flower farm. Expect more cultural adventures and creative excursions in 2026.
Creative Research and Inclusive Aging
Our participation in Sheffield University’s Ethnicity and Unequal Aging project, in collaboration with ROAR member Lora Krasteva, formed part of the Festival of Debate. We were proud to host creative sessions at ROAR and to see the resulting exhibition at Buzz Gallery, which explored inclusive aging through powerful creative outcomes.
Community, Food and Friendship
Socials have become a cherished part of life at ROAR this year. Gathering around the summer, autumn and winter equinoxes, these events have strengthened our community, offering space to chat, share food and exchange ideas. We’re excited to continue these seasonal gatherings in 2026.
Clay Space Takes Shape
With the opportunity to reimagine our former office space at Westgate Studios, we piloted - and then officially opened - Clay Space. This new ceramics-focused membership has grown into a thriving community, complete with Monday night pottery drop-ins. December saw a number of kiln firings as members created (and gifted!) beautiful work.
We have a small number of Clay Space memberships available from the new year - read about how to get involved here.
“ClaySpace has been so welcoming and friendly. A place where I can experiment, learn, share and find like minded people.”
Ending the Year on a High
We closed the year with our Festive Art Market at Garage Gallery—an experimental blend of a traditional ‘Christmas Market’ and a more accessible alternative to the conventional ‘Art Fair’. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and our members showcased an incredible range of work and talent. It’s definitely a format we’ll be revisiting.