An exhibition has opened at Clifton Park Museum showcasing the heritage of Rotherham’s cooking cultures and the historic Rockingham pottery.
Clifton Park Museum, which is run by Rotherham Council, has launched its new temporary exhibition ‘The Dishes of Rotherham’ which will run until spring 2023.
In this display, artist Simon Grennan has creatively brought together food made by ten cooks from contemporary Rotherham and presented them on the precious Rockingham tableware from the Museum’s collection.
The exhibition features a group of cooks from different cooking traditions, including Pakistani, Sudanese, Guinean, Ukrainian, Czech, Yemeni, Chinese and British. Each participant has personally chosen a piece of Rockingham tableware from the collection and then cooked, styled and served their dishes on the Rockingham crockery.
The project is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Arts Council England.
Councillor David Sheppard, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, said: “It is wonderful to see how Rotherham Council’s Clifton Park Museum are combining contemporary and traditional elements by putting resident’s food creations onto the famous Rockingham tableware in this vibrant exhibition uniquely portraying Rotherham’s past and present.”
“This exhibition illustrates that cooking, dishing up and eating together are important community activities throughout history and across cultures, providing benefits to mental health and physical wellbeing, and empowering everyone to lead fulfilling lives.”
During the 1820s, 1830s and 1840s one of the most well-known and spectacular ways of serving food was provided by the porcelain tableware made by The Rockingham Pottery at a kiln in Swinton, Rotherham.
The Rockingham factories made some of the most colourful, exuberant, lavish and expensive tableware available at that particular period of time.
The ‘Dishes of Rotherham’ exhibition runs from Saturday 3 December 2022 to spring 2023.
Find out more information about the Clifton Park Museum here
