Putting community at the heart of our work.

Artcore is a visual arts charity based in Derby whose team is driven by a passion for arts and culture, as they strive to foster a city of culture in Derby.

Its work ranges from activity-oriented programmes and workshops for all sectors in the community to supporting artists in Derbyshire and beyond.

We found out more from CEO, Ruchita Shaikh, who has been a trustee supporting local charities such as Derby Theatre, Community Action Derby, Sahahra group and the Local Neighbourhood Board.

Ruchita was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Derbyshire in 2021 and was recognised with the award for Most Inspirational Women in Arts 2017 for Derby and Derbyshire. In 2020, she received an award by the High Sheriff of Derbyshire, for making a significant contribution to the life and well-being of our local communities.

Artcore operates across 2 sites in Derby; its Community Hub is located on the edge of Normanton where it runs a number of community workshops and its Cultural Hub, comprising of Gallery, Shop, Café and Studio spaces is located in the heart of the city, on Osnabruck Square.

It first began in 1995 when Zahir Shaikh, just out of art school in Vadodara, India, got together with a few like-minded friends and created Artcore, a space by the artists, of the artists and for the artists. In 2009, Artcore came to Derby, registering itself as a Fine Arts Charity in Derbyshire.

Over the last 25 years, with the efforts of Ruchita and Zahir; Artcore’s projects have engaged and supported local communities and received funding to support the work through various local trusts and foundations as well as governments grants.

How did Artcore come to be in Derby?

In 2006, Zahir and Ruchita Shaikh accompanied by their young son moved to the UK. After working in London as an artist for 3 years, Zahir saw an immense opportunity for transplanting Artcore (still active in Vadodara) successfully in the UK. After scouring areas in the neighbourhood that would offer fertile soil for such a transplantation, a friend suggested Derby up north, a town sandwiched between two large metros – Nottingham and Leicester – affordable, unexplored, ripe to be awakened by a gentle storm called Artcore!

How has Artcore evolved/grown over time?

As Artcore began to make an impact as an active and innovative Fine Arts Charity, Zahir began to move ahead and explore the prospect of working with British artists by establishing a gallery in Derby. In 2010, working with an Indian curator, he brought Artcore’s first exhibition to Derby. From then onwards, there was no looking back and Artcore went from strength to strength, organising back-to-back exhibitions with young and talented artists as well as established senior artists, organising artists’ residencies, collaborating with prestigious institutions, getting the support of Arts Council funding for various seminal arts projects, and making Derby a significant centre for the arts community in Derbyshire.

Artcore’s contribution to the cultural life of Derby has been acknowledged by many including the Derby City Council. Artcore’s new Gallery space, situated on Osnabruck Square, in city centre Derby, has now come alive as a thriving cultural centre.

Artcore was awarded Derby’s Communities Respect Award in 2019 in recognition of outstanding work in communities.

Today, what does the organisation offer? For example, workshops, residencies etc.

Artcore plays an important role in the community. It delivers a range of accessible creative arts workshops for people from diverse backgrounds and culture, of all ages and abilities. They believe in the power of art to build relationships in the community and aid social cohesion by engaging people from every part of the society and developing a harmonious relationship amongst them.

All of its projects and workshops aim to bring different groups of participants together to break down barriers and develop shared understanding; this enables people to explore their creative side which helps to create a society that is fairer, more caring and more inclusive. Projects round the year have been very well received and engaged with by the local communities.

Artcore offers various Artist Residencies throughout the year both UK based and internationally. These are aimed at contemporary artists and makers at all stages of their careers. Artists in residents are given the time, space, freedom and financial and mentoring support to create new work and focus on their artistic development.

Artcore Gallery is newly located in Artcore’s second building in Derby’s city centre, which opened to the public in August 2019. This is a base for its contemporary art activities. The gallery is a versatile space, and the busy exhibition programme of various shows each year supports the development of emerging artists from Derby and the East Midlands, as well as featuring the work of more established UK and International artists.

How does Artcore complement and enhance Derby’s arts scene?

Artcore has retained its passion to improve the lives of people in its communities and support artists and creatives. It has focused on activities designed to deliver its vision to work together to inspire, to share and to care for cultural heritage.

The team has focused on improving the mental and physical health and wellbeing of its community, which is at the heart of Artcore’s values. They have been able to engage with diverse communities in Derby through various programmes at the Community Hub in Normanton. These include programmes that are inclusive and highlight the importance of using art as a universal language, breaking down barriers to communication whilst supporting mental health and wellbeing. Its programmes for young people aged 6-15 years, use meaningful creative activities to support building self-esteem whilst some projects focus on key ideas around the environment and sustainability.

Artcore works closely with cultural partners in the city, collaborating with prestigious arts and non-arts institutions. It is working with other organisations within the city, alongside the local authority, to make Derby a more vibrant place to live, work and enjoy.

Recently, Artcore exhibited for the first time at Marketing Derby’s Derby City Lab.

Earlier this year, Artcore partnered with Kunstraum Hase29, gallery in Osnabruck (Derby’s Twin City), for the Building Bridges residency.

Two artists from Derby, Caroline Ainsworth and Martin Hyde, spent the week exploring the city of Osnabruck and creating artwork. The artists had the exciting opportunity for intercultural sharing of experiences and ideas whilst developing artworks that serve as a bridge between the two communities. Selected artworks from the Building Bridges exhibition were exhibited at Marketing Derby’s City Lab during September. This was a great opportunity for members of the community to view the artworks, who may have missed the exhibition when it was at Artcore Gallery. They were able to reach out to a wider audience who were yet to learn about Artcore and the programmes and exhibitions that we deliver.

Is there a particular project/exhibition Artcore has been involved in that it is particularly proud of?

Artcore has been developing links with Derby’s twinned city of Osnabruck in Germany. After establishing a line of contact with the Ambassador to Derby in Osnabruck, the directors of Artcore visited Osnabruck in February 2020. Through this visit, Artcore established a network of excellent connections whose collective discussions facilitated ideas for a cultural exchange which would celebrate the visual arts in both cities.

Artcore Gallery partnered with Kunstraum Hase29 this year to offer a residency opportunity for two artists from Derby. The residency took place in Osnabruck, Germany in May. The aim was to provide artists with a chance to develop international connections and benefit from cross-cultural experiences while creating artworks that serve as a bridge between Derby and Osnabruck.

During 2023, the twinning ambassadors in Osnabruck have been celebrating the 375 years since the peace treaty for the 30 Year War was signed in the city.  The ambassadors developed a project to create ‘375 Squares for Peace’ where they have collected 375 handmade textile squares from people all over the world and produced 6 artworks to commemorate the anniversary.

The team was proud to have its participants at Artcore and other local communities in Derby take part in this project. The artwork has been exhibited in Osnabruck throughout summer and has been brought to Derby to be exhibited at Derby’s Council House during Peace Week in September and beyond, where we celebrate our twinned city.

Artcore looks forward to developing the creative and cultural conversation further with Derby’s twinned city of Osnabruck in the future.

Going forward, are there any projects/exhibitions on the horizon we should be looking forward to?

You can keep an eye out on Artcore’s social media channels and website https://artcoreuk.com/ ) for regular updates on new and exciting projects and exhibitions. It is hosting a Winter Craft Fair this November, featuring the work of local innovative artists. It also has Terra exhibition opening on December 1st, showcasing the ceramic artworks of its current artists in residence.