ROSE HILL NEW COMMUNITY CENTRE PROJECT

2012-2016 Rose Hill, Oxford

Between  2012 and 2016, seventy-two residents of Rose Hill participated in The Rose Hill Art Project devised by us to support community consultation for the development of the new Rose Hill Community Centre.   This phased development of artwork and workshops formed the basis for a series of designs and artworks that we were able to apply and integrate into the fabric of the New Community Centre building.  
Working for over a year with pupils from Rose Hill Primary School, residents of Alice and Margaret House, the Asian and Arabic Women’s group, the local Youth Group and the Children’s Centre, Tiffany Black engaged with participants who were invited to make work in response to thoughts and memories of living in Rose Hill, The Oval and the Old Community Centre.  
Each group created art reflecting their own experiences of being part of the culture and community; of activities that had taken place growing up in Rose Hill and how these important years could be reflected in the new centre. Two Oxford Brookes University Fine Art students also joined the project at different stages as part of their Placement in the Creative Industries module.
The £4.76m flagship building opened in January 2016, as the new home of Rose Hill and Donnington Advice Centre, Rose Hill Junior Youth Club, and Rose Hill Social Club. brook & black provided consultation services for the an interior design and colour scheme that stemmed from the art workshops which is throughout the building and in addition, artwork from the workshops was fully integrated in different ways.    This included large scale, abstract colour window vinyls, an interior wall design, children’s framed artwork for the corridors and two photographic print collections by brook & black, for the new Social Club and meeting rooms.  
Whilst there was support for a new community centre to be built, the four year Art Project contributed to the inclusion of residents in the decision making process and has resulted in a building where the integrated artwork and colour scheme hopes to acknowledge the past and reflect the vitality of its future.

Commissioning agent:  Oxford City Council
Architect: ADP Oxford
Construction:  Beard Construction Ltd
Date: 2012-2016
Budget:  15k
Photos:  brook & black
Acknowledgments:  This project would not have been possible without the support of all those who joined in the workshops and helped us in developing ideas for the final colour scheme,  designs and artworks throughout the building.

Further info/ https://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article/129/new_476m_rose_hill_community_centre_set_to_open