Rushmoor Spaces

In October 2024, the Culture Connects team hosted a variety of artists and individuals working in the creative industries at a Rushmoor-based networking session. The aim of the networking was for the team to gain a greater understanding of what creatives in Rushmoor needed to feel supported. One of the most consistent areas the attendees highlighted as something they thought would be of great value to their creative pursuits, was more spaces to operate from, whether a studio, a workshop space or a place to perform and practise.

With this in mind, the Culture Connects team started to develop the Rushmoor Spaces project – a project open to artists, creatives, art organisations and artist collectives living or working in Rushmoor who need space to develop their practice. A range of venues was available across Rushmoor, and artists who successfully applied were matched with spaces depending on needs and availability. The application process highlighted that the programme was committed to working with artists who engaged in Arts Council England’s Investment Principles. Hampshire Cultural Trust also partnered with Rushmoor Borough Council to include a refurbished container space within the Union Yard regeneration project, named Makers’ Yard.

In total, the programme produced seven successful applicants, all subsequently assigned to spaces that are now being utilised to support the delivery of their work over the next six months. Two artists requested a unit at Makers’ Yard, and five were assigned to spaces at the West End Centre and the Boyce Room at Aldershot Military Museum.