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 […]
Words and Photography by Caroline Thake. What are the stories we tell about ourselves? Who has permission to write them? What does it mean to recover forgotten histories from historically marginalised perspectives? The evening of 29th September brought together Global Majority & Queer writers, artists, filmmakers and performers in a magical evening of poetry, performance […]
September sees The Venue nightclub returning to The Island. Following a successful Spring season while we bedded in a new team, found our feet and had to throw away a lot of out of date drinks stock (😫) following a nearly two year Covid closure, we are now formally re-launching. Our Venue Managers Clara McDermott […]
JOIN OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES & ADVISORY BOARD Artspace Lifespace are recruiting new members for our board. You can find out more about the current board here. Trustee Recruitment The Trustee’s are responsible for the strategic direction of the charity, agreeing plans and budgets, and holding the Company Manager to account for the delivery of […]
In July the Vestibules was proud to host The Coe Gallery’s stunning exhibition featuring paintings by Aboriginal artists, focusing on land and the natural world. The Coe gallery is the UK’s first Aboriginal owned and artist led gallery, founded and curated by Jasmine Coe, a Wiradjuri-British artist and daughter of Paul Coe. Paul Coe is […]
We’re delighted to have finally installed spotlights to our Gallery ceiling and are extremely grateful to the generous donation from artist Luke Jerram who kindly funded the work. Luke came along to the recent ‘Fragile’ exhibition by Ben Anthony to view the paintings and see the spotlights in action. Following the restoration work on the […]
Ever wondered how Artspace Lifespace and The Island started in Bristol? Well now you get to delve further Invisible Circus: No Dress Rehearsal (Feature documentary by Naomi Smyth) was a massive four-year documentary undertaking. It was originally screened at The Brewery Theatre which is sadly now no more, but The Island is still going strong! […]
With great sadness, we announce that our wonderful centre manager Jane Hartoch is leaving the Island after 6 years of incarceration in the Old Bridewell Police Station. We are now seeking a new ISLAND CENTRE MANAGER. We are also looking for Duty Managers for The Arts Mansion. Flexible 3-10 hour shifts – £9.90 per hour. […]
Lost property is retained for 1 month before disposal / donation to local charity shops. The Island Lost Property Please log your item as lost by completing the Island Lost Property Form. You can follow up on your enquiry by emailing info@artspace.uk or calling 0117 3763457 The Arts Mansion Lost Property Please log your item […]
Invisible Circus Directors and Artspace Lifespace founders Wim Penhaul and Doug Francis and Trinity Community Arts CEO Emma Harvey urge other arts organisations to get behind the campaign. The Invisible Circus, Artspace Lifespace and Trinity Community Arts have committed to buying £1000 of shares in the Stokes Croft Land Trust to support the purchase of […]
Artspace Ashton Court welcomes an experimental new sculpture by artist Luke Jerram in the grounds of Ashton Court in Bristol. Situated beside the Courtyard Café of Ashton Court with stunning vistas over Bristol and the iconic Grade I listed mansion sits a giant wooden seed, a sculpture which will slowly be transformed by members of the […]
Join the first instalment of this Performance Art Workshop Series. Creatives Jo Chalkblack, Kevin D’Orso and Jasper D’Orso lead this first installement as we are guided through a day of experimentation on themes of deep ecology through their workshop Second Body.
As of 24 February 2022, most of the remaining COVID-19 guidance in England has ended. You are no longer required to check in to your venue using the NHS COVID-19 or Tested.me app. However COVID-19 has not gone away, please take steps to protect yourselves, others and the NHS Please stay home if you are […]