How Rogue Artists flourished in their new home with support from Capital&Centric
When Capital&Centric first bought Crusader – the towering Victorian mill in Manchester’s burgeoning Piccadilly East neighbourhood – it was already home to a group of creatives.
The heavy industry that occupied it during the heyday of Manchester’s cotton industry may have been long gone, but in its place were Rogue Artists’ Studios. Housed there since 2000, it had grown over the years, with established practitioners and new graduates working side-by-side in a wide variety of disciplines within the red brick walls.
Whilst the bones of the historic building were beautiful, the set-up was far from ideal. The artists were working in poor light, the place was super cold in the winter and, most of all, it was dangerous, with parts of the ceiling collapsing in places. Whilst, naturally, the artists had a lot of love for Crusader, the situation wasn’t sustainable.
Tim Heatley, co-founder at Capital&Centric, said:
“We had big plans to save the mill and invest millions in giving it a new future – the owner occupier community it subsequent became. Doing nothing wasn’t really an option, it would have gone to rack and ruin. But we were acutely of aware of the value Rogue Artists brought to Manchester and how, as a group of creatives, it was getting harder and harder for them to find spaces to work as the city grew.
“We knew we had to do right by them and struck up discussions as soon as we become custodians of the mill to explore what they needed and how we could help.”
The solution took collaboration. Capital&Centric worked with Rogue Artists’ Studios, Manchester City Council and Arts Council England to find a permanent new home that would be fit for purpose. Enter the former Varna Street primary school. The charming, Grade II listed Victorian school building in Openshaw boasted loads of rooms, high ceilings, great light and a mix of flexible spaces that could inspire their next projects.
At nearly 60,000 sq.ft, the school had bags of space for the artists to put their own stamp and greatly expand what they could offer. As well as studio space for creatives, they could also had more flexible zones like ‘Project Space’ – a gallery for shows, exhibitions, installations and community outreach activities.
David Gledhill, Co-director at Rogue Artists’ Studios, recently took a look around the restored mill. He said:
“Crusader was on its last legs and starting to decline really rapidly. The end of the time we were here in 2017, anyone who wasn’t committed to their art just couldn’t bare to come here. There were shut studio spaces that we couldn’t salvage, they were regularly flooded out.
“Capital&Centric were the first to see the potential. Other property developers were not interested in saving the building, but Capital&Centric were. We didn’t have the resources to save the building. We were beating this drum for Manchester, Rogue Artist Studios are ambassadors for Manchester.
“Coming back to Crusader, we’re absolutely gobsmacked, we’ve been looking around the apartments and it’s stunning. We’re in love with the building, it wasn’t just studio space for 100 artists. We were heartbroken to see it falling to bits. Capital&Centric came in, saved the building, offered to help us find another building - which they did - and preserved this building for Manchester people.”
Tim Heatley added:
“Social value is becoming a bit of a buzzword, but we’ve long said we’re all about social impact. Swooping in to do something special with Crusader but leaving Rogue at risk was never on the table, we knew we had to help them secure a future.
“The end result was way better than expected and it’s been a massive privilege to watch them blossom in their new space.
“Art plays such a significant role in the cultural fabric of a city and, whilst the plot of land where artists work may change, we need to ensure there continues to be safeguarded spaces where they can create. It’s critical that these spaces are fit for purpose, financially viable to help keep the groups afloat but, if they can, provide long-term stability to prevent them having to move every year or so.
“Thanks to all the partners involved with Rogue, we’ve shown it can be done, and it can be really successful.”
To this day, Capital&Centric is one their principal supporters and patrons – we’ve supported them on a rebrand; lent our spaces for events and exhibitions; and displayed some of their work in our finished communities – all-in-all helping them grow to over 100 artists.
In 2016, Rogue Artists’ Studios hosted an exhibition named ‘Progress’ before leaving Crusader Mill, which explored the history of the building and the role of artists in society. Thanks to their secured move, they continued this progress and wrote a new chapter in the group’s story – one that allowed them to reach an even wider audience.