Hello and welcome to this special edition of The Grateful Web: Rogue Studios 30@30 celebrating 30 years of Rogue Artists’ Studios in Manchester. During the 30 day run-up to our annual Open Studios, I’ll be sharing a daily short podcast featuring one of our studio members, highlighting the incredible diversity of practices that make Rogue such a vital creative community.   

✨ Today on  Rogue Studios 30@30 we’re thrilled to introduce you to Lynn Setterington🧵✨

Lynn is a textile artist whose work weaves together community, history, and storytelling. She creates tactile social history documents with local and global communities — raising awareness of social issues and amplifying overlooked voices.

In the 1990s, Lynn gained recognition for her hand-sewn embroideries and kantha quilts, and today her work is held in major museum and private collections worldwide. She’s also undertaken numerous commissions, and her practice continues to evolve in powerful ways.

Her PhD from UCA draws on E.P. Thompson’s idea of “history from below” 📖, focusing on the sewn signature as both method and approach — old and new. You can find Lynn’s work at https://lynnsetterington.co.uk and @lynnsetterington 

Join us at Rogue Artists’ Studios on Saturday 20th September 12-8pm for our 30th anniversary Open Studios and the launch of  exhibition Soft Proof. The exhibition features work from current and fomer studio members and runs until 5th October at rogue Studios Barrass Street, Openshaw, Manchester M11 1PU.

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Welcome to this special edition of The Grateful Web: Rogue Studios 30@30 celebrating 30 years of Rogue Artists’ Studios in Manchester. During the 30 day run-up to our annual Open Studios, I’ll be sharing a daily short podcast featuring one of our studio members, highlighting the incredible diversity of practices that make Rogue such a vital creative community. 

Today, I’m delighted to welcome painter and printmaker Ian McKay. For over 18 years Ian ran the hugely successful Gorton Visual Arts group for older people and those with disabilities curating shows and winning awards along the way. You can visit Ian in studio G6C on the ground floor at Rogue or at https://www.mckayart.co.uk or instagram @mac_art2002 

We look forward to seeing you at 2–6 Barrass Street, Openshaw, Manchester m11 1PU on Saturday 20th September from 12–8pm

Listen to the podcasts @the_grateful_web on ACAST, Spotify and Apple music or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to this special edition of The Grateful Web: Rogue Studios 30@30 celebrating 30 years of Rogue Artists’ Studios in Manchester. During the 30 day run-up to our annual Open Studios, I’ll be sharing a daily short podcast featuring one of our studio members, highlighting the incredible diversity of practices that make Rogue such a vital creative community. 

This year, Rogue marks its 30th anniversary with a special Open Studios and the launch of Soft Proof—a group exhibition curated by Short Supply, celebrating the unfinished, the in-progress, and the unapologetically imperfect.

Today, I’m delighted to welcome musician, musical instrument maker and photographer Christian Weaver to talk about his work. Do come and visit Christian in his basement studio during open studios where you can see examples of his work and chat about his connections to Cuba and why he makes and donates drums to musicians in Cuba. You can view his photography at http://christian-weaver.pixpa.com/ and his music at https://soundcloud.com/latimbala  

Listen to the podcasts @the_grateful_web on ACAST, Spotify and Apple music or wherever you get your podcasts.

Join us at 2–6 Barrass Street, Openshaw, on Saturday 20th September from 12–8pm to explore over 100 artists’ studios inside the historic Varna Street School. The exhibition runs until the 5th of October.

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On todays episode I’m delighted to be joined by artist Luce Bergman

Bergman's autoethnographic work springs from arts-based research in response to museum collections, social history and personal story. She works across a broad range of media including moving image, music, performance, words, graphic design and book art. For her current solo show Apologues at The Whitaker, Museum and Art gallery, Bergman has used 3D illustration as a way of making visual puns that represent common narratives in uncommon ways, constructing small scale sculptural installations from old found objects and archives to explore gender and the human condition.

Do try and get to Luces wonderful exhibition at the beautiful Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery, Rawtenstal on until the 21st September 2025 opening times are Wed - Sun: 10am - 4pm with a  Late night opening on Thursdays until 8pm. You can also follow her on Instagram @lucebergman or on her website RHEUMS.ME

If you enjoyed this episode please , follow, share, spread the word and look out for more brilliant conversations coming soon. You can find the grateful web on ACAST, spotify, AND apple podcasts, You can also find and follow us on Instagram @the_grateful_web and @jo_clements

This podcast has been made possible with generous support from GMCA Inspire Fund and by an a-n Artists Bursary.

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In this episode I’m joined by artist  Mishka Henner. Born in Belgium and living in Manchester UK, Mishka’s work challenges conventional perspectives and encourages viewers to reconsider their relationship with the world, technology, and the lasting imprint of human activity.

His multidisciplinary practice moves through digital terrain, uncovering the cultural and geopolitical forces that shape our present. Through books, films, photographs, and sculptural works, he explores the industrial and cultural infrastructures that underpin daily life, drawing on extensive documentary research and meticulously reconstructed imagery sourced online.

Mishka’s work has featured in exhibitions at some of the world’s most renowned institutions, including MoMA and the Met in New York, the Pompidou centres in Paris and Metz, the V&A in London, FOAM Amsterdam, the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing and Turner Contemporary, Margate among others. In 2013, he received the Infinity Award for Art from the International Center of Photography, and was shortlisted for both the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize and the Prix Pictet.  for his large-scale works focusing on landscapes carved by the oil and beef industries of America.

You can find more of Mishkas work at  www.mishkahenner.com  where you will also find a link to his podcast Mishka WHO? Or on Instagram @mishkahenner where you can also find images of  his AI generated exhibition review by the fictional Myra Haven https://www.instagram.com/p/C3p1g8Nor76/?img_index=7

If you enjoyed this episode please , follow, share, spread the word and look out for more brilliant conversations coming soon. You can find the grateful web on ACAST, Spotify, AND apple podcasts, You can also find and follow us on Instagram @ the_grateful_web and at jo_clements

This podcast has been made possible with generous support from GMCA Inspire Fund and by an a-n Artists Bursary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode I’m delighted to welcome someone who sits right at the heart of conversations about how artists survive, work, and thrive in the UK—Julie Lomax, Chief Executive of a-n The Artists Information Company.

With more than 20 years’ director-level experience in arts organisations and national funding bodies, Julie is a dedicated champion of and advocate for artists and their role in the world

With a growing community of over 34,000 artists and arts professionals, a-n (with Julie at the helm) provides support, advice, community and resources for artists in an artworld landscape that can often feel difficult to navigate.

During our conversation Julie reveals even more new resources for a-n members - coming soon!  So Whether you're a new arts graduate, emerging, or mid-career artist this is one of those conversations that you’ll be really glad that you listened to. 

Big thanks to Julie for your insight, your advocacy, and your time. And to a-n for being outspoken champions of the value of artists to society and for your continuing belief in the way that artists connect us, enrich our lives and create wonder for the world. 

And if you're curious to find out more, just head over to a-n.co.uk. If you're not already a member, it's a great time to join and tap into a brilliant range of support, resources, and advice designed to help you thrive.

If you enjoyed this episode please , follow, share, spread the word and look out for more brilliant conversations coming soon. You can find the grateful web on ACAST, spotify, AND apple podcasts, You can also find and follow us on Instagram at - the_grateful_web and at jo_clements

This podcast has been made possible with generous support from GMCA Inspire Fund and by an a-n Artists Bursary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is the brilliant Jenny Steele, an artist whose sculptural practice weaves together heritage techniques and deep emotion. Since 2020, Jenny has retrained extensively in loom weaving, basketry, rush weaving and passementerie, building a tactile, joyful and sensorial language through materials. Her work explores the power of celebration as a rebellious, affirming act, while also holding space for grief which stems from experiencing multiple bereavements from early to teen years

Jenny’s sculptures are made from sustainable, locally sourced materials—from discarded industrial yarns of Northern mills to flora, seaweed and willow—offering a profound connection to place, memory and belonging.

You can find out more about Jenny’s work at https://www.jennysteele.co.uk and on instagram and X @jennycsteele

If you enjoyed this episode please , follow, share, spread the word and look out for more brilliant conversations coming soon. You can find the grateful web on ACAST, spotify, AND apple podcasts, You can also find and follow us on Instagram @the_grateful_web and @jo_clements

So Until next time—keep making, keep thinking, and keep weaving those connections. See you soon!

This podcast has been made possible with generous support from GMCA Inspire Fund and by an a-n Artists Bursary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with the fascinating scientist and writer Matthew Cobb whose books and research cover a wide range of topics from, in no particular order – how we came to understand the process of reproduction, how maggots smell, to genetics, how the brain works, to the French resistance! We explore the imaginative and collaborative nature of both art and science - discussing Matthew’s current work on a biography of Francis Crick (out in Nov 2025), the challenges of communicating complex scientific ideas, and the role of creativity in both scientific and artistic practice.

We talk about the mysteries of consciousness, the power of metaphor in science, and how storytelling shapes understanding. Matthew reflects on the influences that have shaped his thinking, the importance of generosity in academia, and the shared curiosity that drives both artists and scientists. Matthews enthusiastic, wide range of knowledge and insights celebrate not just what we know, but the beauty of what we don’t yet understand.

Works by Matthew can be found online, in bookshops or your local library.

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In this episode I talk to the wonderful artist David Gledhill about his work and upcoming exhibition at Rogue Gallery, Manchester. David has exhibited widely both in the UK and internationally, including Frankfurt, Berlin, Milan and Brussels and was recently awarded a PhD from PAHC at the Manchester School of Art.

In addition to his activity as an artist, David has contributed writing and reviews to numerous artist’s projects and publications. He is co-director of Rogue Artists’ Studios CIC in Manchester, the largest artists’ studios in the North of England. 

David’s recent work centres on the use of both personal and institutional photographic archives to produce sequences of paintings that address historical and political themes through the lived experience of their subjects. Works by David are in the collections of East Sussex County Council, Rank Xerox, Halliwell's, Touchstones Rochdale, Deutsche Kreditbank AG Berlin, and Steven Berkoff.

Please do go and check out Davids fabulous exhibition titled Parties, - the private view is this Saturday June 14th from 2-5pm at Rogue studios, 2-6 Barrass Street, Openshaw, Manchester M11 1PU and will be open to the public every Friday and Saturday 12-5 pm until July 27th. It really is incredible. 

If you enjoyed this episode please , follow, share, spread the word and look out for more brilliant conversations coming soon. You can find the grateful web on ACAST, spotify, AND apple podcasts, You can also find and follow us on Instagram at - the underscore grateful underscore web and at jo underscore clements

This podcast has been made possible with the generous support from GMCA Inspire Fund that has a remit to support the regrowth and strengthening of the creative sector in Greater Manchester and by an a-n Artists Bursary to support artists development in learning new skills, undertaking mentoring or dedicating time to their practice. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.