Breaking Barriers CIC and Richard Street Studios are pleased to announce a new opportunity for visual artists from Rochdale or the Global Majority, offering three creatives the space, funding and support to develop their practice and present their work to the public.
Each selected artist will receive ten free studio days at Richard Street Studios, with an estimated value of £1,200, alongside a joint exhibition opportunity including a launch event, a materials budget, and technical and marketing support.
The opportunity has been designed to directly address a gap in infrastructure for creatives in the early stages of their careers, providing access to professional studio space at a point where the right environment can make a significant difference.
The initiative is led by Breaking Barriers CIC, a British Pakistani-led, multidisciplinary production company and the lead tenant at Richard Street Studios. It has been made possible with funding support from The Haworth Trust.
Richard Street Studios is part of Rochdale borough’s cross-sector initiative to support creativity and culture across our borough ‘Rochdale Creates’. The studios were developed by Rochdale Development Agency and Rochdale Borough Council as part of an initiative to bring vacant buildings back into use to support the boroughs creative sector, and are operated by Breaking Barriers as part of a ‘Community Wealth Building’ approach.
The exhibition delivered by the three selected artists will form part of a wider exhibition programme at Richard Street Studios, which will feature work by local artists and colleges.
Parvez Qadir, Artistic Director at Breaking Barriers, said:
“We are really excited to offer this opportunity to local artists. There is a vibrant creative community in Rochdale just waiting for the right opportunity.
“Following an excellent programme of activity as part of the Greater Manchester Town of Culture celebrations, we are determined to keep that momentum going by building the infrastructure that emerging artists can lean on for support, opportunity and connections.
“We are big on partnership building and are delighted to be working with The Haworth Trust to keep developing our local creative ecology.”
Artists are invited to apply by sending the following to breakingbarriersprojects@gmail.com:
A C.V.
A portfolio of work or a two-minute video or audio recording explaining why this opportunity is right for them, how they’d use ten studio days, and ideas for the joint exhibition
Application deadline: Monday 31 August 2026 at 5pm
For more information, visit here.