SHEFFIELD HERITAGE OPEN DAYS
SHEFFIELD HERITAGE OPEN DAYS 17th SEPTEMBER 2020
MUSIC, ART AND ACTIVISM: CULTURAL CREATIVITY AND THE MINERS’ STRIKE
The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign present a night of bread and roses. The strike of 1984/85 brought together protest, music and art. Activists, artists and musicians stand together now as strong as ever. Stand with us by joining our online event.
Join our Zoom Facebook event and enjoy our panel discussions, music, images and films about the heritage, traditions and relevance of art, music and the cultural creativity inspired by oppression and fighting injustice. We have a fantastic lineup of participants.
More information here:
Panel and performer biographies
SAM BROWSE is an accomplished folk musician and political organiser who counts Tony Benn and the singer, Roy Bailey, as key influences. Sam previously worked as a university lecturer and has campaigned and organised many movements for peace, anti- racism and against austerity. Sam is a regular in the pub music sessions of Sheffield and has performed at and organised a number of music and cultural events.
JON McCLURE known as ‘The Reverend’ is the front person for the renowned rock band Reverend And The Makers whose tours, gigs and albums have earned them critical acclaim throughout the world. Jon has argued that music needs a political voice now more than ever, to question the country we live in and the government and to care about the world we live in. An organiser of ‘Love Music, Hate Racism’ and ‘Instigate Debate’ Jon’s vision, music and politics promote working class culture and experience as a force for social change.
MELISSA MADDISON is a horn player and Chairperson of the UNITE Brass Band. There are a large number of women in the band and on the committee who play an integral role in the running of the band. In addition to their role in “The Full Monty,” members of the Unite the Union Brass Band have appeared on worldwide hit records, award winning documentaries and on virtually every mainstream UK television broadcast station. They have played regularly at OTJC marches and events and at the Durham Miners’ Gala.
MIKE JACKSON is one of the founder members of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, recently portrayed in the film Pride, who raised money to support miners and their families during the miners’ strike. Many of LGSM now work to support the OTJC and other political campaigns. As an activist Mike also campaigns to ensure the LGBTQ+ community and the labour movement work together. He is also an OTJC activist and patron of the Friends of Edward Carpenter.
KEN BONSALL comes from a coal mining family and was himself a miner for 30 years. He left school in 1984 at the start of the strike and joined his dad and brother on the picket line, two of the heroic miners in Nottinghamshire that remained in the NUM and stayed out on strike for the full year. With his band, Ferocious Dog, he has headlined tours throughout the UK and Europe and attracted one of the largest crowds at Glastonbury’s Leftfield Stage run by Billy Bragg. Pivotal to the ethos and drive of Ferocious Dog is his steadfast socialism and determination to use music to protest against injustice and unfairness at the hands of the state.
SAM VARDY lectures in Architecture and as an active researcher and through teaching , research and practice explores urban spatial politics, art and architecture. Sam is also a founder along with Paula McCloskey of the independent art and spatial research practice; A Place of Their Own who make performances and audio-visual art and research. They recently organised a highly successful walk and performance and political art event over the political and geographical landscape of Orgreave and Treeton.
PAULA McCLOSKEY has worked as a researcher on several arts and health projects and in family therapy. More recently, her research has focussed on borders. Brought up between Ireland and the UK and regularly travelling across the border, Paula and Sam Vardy’s A Place of Their Own practice started an ongoing multimedia research project involving site-specific performances, sounds and experimental film practice including their recent Orgreave /Treeton art event with anti-fracking, OTJC and other justice activists.
CRAIG OLDHAM runs the designer and creative consultants practice – Office of Craig, working across numerous disciplines including books, websites, films, exhibitions, and objects, also teaching, writing and consulting for various clients and audiences, receiving national and international regard and recognition. Craig’s dad Mick was wrongly arrested at Orgreave and Craig produced the acclaimed book ‘In Loving Memory of Work: A Visual Record of the Miners’ Strike 1984-85′ and various artworks for leaflets, posters and banners for the OTJC and activist exhibitions.
YUEN FONG LING is an artist, researcher, lecturer workshop facilitator, exhibition curator, publication editor, and art director whose practice explores issues of intersectional identities, historical omission, non-permanent forms of public memorial and socially engaged art practice, using a variety of media and methods including drawing, photography, video, sculpture and performance. A recent and touring exhibition of Yuen’s ‘Towards Memorial’ (involving Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners and the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign) explores the legacy of class, clothing, LGBT+ rights, social justice and political campaigning.
O’HOOLEY & TIDOW are the dynamic Yorkshire folk music duo singer-songwriter Heidi Tidow and singer-songwriter and pianist Belinda O’Hooley. Their albums and live performances have received many rave reviews and their song “Gentleman Jack”, from the album The Fragile features as the closing theme for the recent celebrated television drama series Gentleman Jack. Their thoughtful and inventive music is greatly influenced by their Irish backgrounds and has strong themes of class, community and diversity with many moving references to many issues including industry, migrant workers, war, motherhood, love and sacrifice.
KATE FLANNERY is Secretary of the OTJC, ex Women Against Pit Closures and one of the founders of the Friends of Edward Carpenter. She has also performed key roles in feminist and anti racist activism. Kate has many years experience of working in local government, the voluntary sector and Trade Union movement and the OTJC, initiating and organising many political, historical, arts and public awareness campaigns and events.
JOE ROLLIN was brought up in a mining community, is an activist, UNITE Trade Union organiser and anti fascist campaigner who has played a key role in organising to support workers during the covid pandemic. He is Deputy Chair and one of the founders of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign. His valued and leading role in promoting OTJC involves him creating, organising and facilitating a number of high profile events and activities.
CHRIS PEACE has worked as a legal aid lawyer, a teacher, a councillor and was Labour‘s Parliamentary Candidate for North East Derbyshire. She currently works for the GMB Union. Brought up in a rural mining community, Chris is an activist who plays a key and essential role in the OTJC, initiating and organising events and activities and ensuring the campaign maintains its profile and political links with other organisations.
SOPHIE WILSON is a Labour councillor who represents a mining community. She is one of the youngest Councillors in the country and was a Labour parliamentary candidate for Rother Valley. She has a passion for the development of Council Housing and publicly owned public services, is an activist in OTJC and is also a National Director of the member led community based union ACORN.
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