May was a whirlwind of a month for Artspace Lifespace advocating for cultural spaces in our cities. Here are some reflections from our Company Manager, Kathryn Chiswell Jones. On May 11th-12th, we celebrated our first year since Sparks Bristol opened to the public. Thanks to Arts Council England for extending our funding, enabling us to […]
Global Routes, (Mis)fortunes and a festival of International Culture at Artspace Lifespace this June. – https://mailchi.mp/49137420cd5c/artspace-lifespace-june-newsletter
Sparks Bristol turns one, Diaspora! Festival and Monstrous Tales in our May newsletter.
Exploring the Historic Transformation: Behind the Scenes at Bristol Beacon. In March we held our team leaders meeting at Bristol Beacon. We met at the Sound Lounge where we were warmly welcomed by Sarah Robertson, Communications and Special Projects Director, who brought us on a captivating journey behind the scenes of Bristol Beacon. First built […]
Bunnies, Antiques and an Ottopia in our April 2024 Newsletter.
What a difference a grant makes! Funding serves as the lifeblood for organisations dedicated to serving their missions and nurturing thriving communities. However, not all funding opportunities are created equal. Unrestricted funding offered us a breath of fresh air, flexibility and empowerment in a landscape often dominated by restrictive funding streams. In 2023, Artspace Lifespace […]
We’ve been reflecting a lot recently on space for culture and creativity. Our sister company THE INVISIBLE CIRCUS COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY parted ways from Artspace Lifespace when they wanted longer-term security than meanwhile community space could offer. Ironically in the same year that Artspace Lifespace celebrated 15 years of meanwhile space at #theislandbristol, the Invisible Circus received notice […]
Boobies, Broadmead XP and celebrations for International Women’s Day at our buildings this March.
A new development on an industrial estate in St Philip’s may see us lose one of Bristol’s key cultural institutions from the city as the Invisible Circus are pushed out of Unit 15.
In 2023 Artspace Lifespace continued on our mission to recycle vacant, under-used and problem properties into thriving creative resources and took on management of a retail unit in The Galleries, Broadmead, called Broadmead XP. Broadmead XP houses the retro gaming emporium Playback Arcade a freeplay arcade run and owned by enthusiastic long-term gamers and friends, Mark […]
Baumkuchen, beats and longer leases in our Artspace Lifespace February newsletter.
February half term is coming fast. With the unpredictable weather it’s always a daunting week to fill with affordable kids entertainment so here’s some tips for creative days out around Bristol, including good picnic and toilet spots! As a venue who recently held a 90’s crisp buffet night we can’t help but love Zion Space […]
The old Marks & Spencers building in Broadmead saw massive changes in 2023. Now renamed Sparks Bristol, the four-storey department store was taken on by charities Artspace Lifespace and Global Goals Centre. Since opening in May 2023, Sparks Bristol has welcomed over 350,000 visitors. They recently announced that all their hard work has paid off […]
Here are our highlights for January 2024 including Tango, Floorwork and some generational electricity. artspace-lifespace-january-newsletter
Discover the highlights from our 2023 AGM (Annual General Meeting), where we shared the news of our successful Cultural Investment Programme grant, a testament to our commitment to the arts in Bristol. While we celebrate our achievements, we also emphasise the importance of supporting funding for ‘larger’ organizations and how for the first time, Artspace […]
Our December newsletter delivers festive family dance classes, glass workshops and our AGM.
The theme of the Kill the Bill movement was very relevant to the overall objectives of the project, as this is a protest in defence of the right to protest freely in the future.
NOTICE OF MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting of Artspace Lifespace will be held via zoom at 18:00 on Wednesday the 6th December to transact the following business. AGENDA Introductions and welcome from AGM Chair Apologies for absence Minutes of the previous AGM To be agreed and matters arising. Presentation of […]
We’re giving you Love Bites 🫦, Fire Ceremonies and art from Desert Communities across our venues this month.
From Santa’s grotto to a secret festival venue we all love a creative ‘pop-up’ event but what happens to the scenery once the lights go down? Due to its temporary nature the events industry is notoriously wasteful. While there’s a lot of work going on to reduce the majority of waste generated by food and […]
October brings a Tango festival to Arts Mansion, an exhibition by UWE’s Unconventional Computing Lab and a 💩 load of electronica to The Island Venue.
Artist Alaric Hobbs is interested in how politics affects our built environment and surroundings. Following his residency at The Vestibules, and subsequent exhibition at Centrespace Gallery, Artspace Lifespace caught up with him to chat about his work and the experience of holding a solo exhibition. ASLS: Hi Alaric, your recent exhibition explores themes of hostile […]
Sparks Bristol – Putting the Art back in Department Stores On the 13th May, in partnership with Global Goals Centre, we launched Sparks Bristol, the groundbreaking project that merges art, education, shopping, and sustainability. Revitalising the old Marks and Spencers building in the heart of Broadmead. The grand opening witnessed an incredible turnout of over […]
On the 10th and 11th March 2023 2nd year fine art students from The Bristol School of Art will present their exhibition inspired by the history of The Island. We caught up with contributing artist Jeanette Read to find out more… Q, How did the idea of an exhibition based around The Island building come […]
Along with our partner Global Goals Centre we’ve been busy at our new project, Sparks Bristol, getting our heads around all the things that come with taking on a new building such intruder alarms, access keys and codes, plumbing and some urgent repairs. We were delighted that the community champions came to take a look […]
Queering Masculinity was a week long exhibition with Brook Tate & Daniel DeWolfe at The Island gallery with a series of workshops and performances running alongside. Both Brook and Daniel grew up as Jehovah’s Witnesses and use their work to explore identity and sexuality. Our inclusion officer Caroline Thake was in the audience for the […]
Our annual Impact Report is now ready to view. Through a very intense period of time we’ve managed to keep running our three buildings, supporting artists by providing low cost creative spaces, holding residencies, exhibitions and events . The theme of our report is mycelium as they are connective and resilient. The network and foundation […]
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the fourth Annual General Meeting of Artspace Lifespace will be held via zoom at 17:30 on Wednesday the 7th December to transact the following business. AGENDA Introductions and welcome from AGM Chair Anthony Elliot Apologies for absence Minutes of the previous AGM To be agreed and matters arising. Reports and accounts […]
Artspace Lifespace to work with Global Goals Centre to create exciting new art and sustainability hub in Broadmead – Sparks Bristol.
We caught up with resident Island artist Rachelle Aaronson who recently held her exhibition ‘Looking Up, Looking Down’ at The Vestibules. The exhibition followed Rachelle’s photographic journey. Starting with `looking up’ to manmade structures that dominate our skylines then ‘looking down’ to the more ephemeral objects, the perspective eventually developing into `involuntary` sculptures. How lucky […]