SPACE: TO 2020 AND BEYOND
Old Market Gallery and workshop space announces it will remain open for two more years.
Old Market’s burgeoning reputation as a hotbed of culture seemed under threat with recent closures including the iconic Gin Palace, The Dutch and Trinity Community Arts saying farewell to 6 West Street after Bristol City Council announced they now needed to seek a commercial rent from the building. Happily the arts and community hub has had a reprieve with Artspace Lifespace announcing that they will be taking over the leasehold of 6 West Street until 2020.
Trinity Community Arts took on 6 West Street in 2011 via the city’s Community Asset Transfer (CAT) process on a ‘peppercorn’ leasehold in order to increase arts provision in Old Market at a time when the area was struggling with boarded up and vacant premises. In April 2016, Artspace Lifespace joined Trinity to develop SPACE (sound-performance-art-community-engagement) gallery on the ground floor.
Project Manager, Karina Castro said: “We are very proud of what we’ve achieved with Arts West Side and are sorry that we aren’t able to continue this good work but are glad to see it will continue to be used as an arts space for the next couple of years. Thank you to everyone who has supported us since we took it on it 2011.”
Artspace Lifespace Company Manager Kathryn Chiswell Jones said: “We will miss having Trinity Community Arts as our partner. Thanks to Bristol City Council Property Team for offering 6 West Street to us at a reduced rent and Big Lottery Awards For All Funding for our Lifespace Together community classes, we are delighted that SPACE will provide an affordable gallery and rehearsal space in Bristol’s artisan quarter for another two years. ”
SPACE Gallery is available to hire for exhibitions, rehearsals or workshops.
To enquire about hiring SPACE Contact:
SPACE@theislandbristol.com
07960 691500 (Phone monitored Mon to Wed)