Yorkshire Artspace

Listing Name: Yorkshire Artspace
Address: Persistence Works, 21 Brown Street, Sheffield S1 2BS
Area: City Centre
Tel: 0114 276 1769
Fax: 0114 276 1869
Email: info@artspace.org.uk
Website: www.artspace.org.uk

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Welcome to Yorkshire Artspace

Yorkshire ArtSpace Society strives to be a centre of excellence for the support and nurturing of a broad range of visual artists and craftspeople in their diverse and innovatory professional practice through the provision of affordable and sustainable studio space, professional support, facilities and services.

We want to welcome and engage people both in the enterprise and creativity of Persistence Works and all Society members, and in the broader arena of the visual arts and crafts as awhole.

History of Yorkshire Artspace

Yorkshire ArtSpace Society was established in Sheffield in 1977 by a group of artists and craftspeople in order to provide affordable studio space. In 1979 the Society took over one floor of Washington Works on a short term lease and then in 1982 secured a 10 year lease on Sydney Works, a four storey cutlery factory on Matilda Street owned by Sheffield City Council. It took more than eight years to convert the premises to provide 30 studios with office and gallery space. Yorkshire ArtSpace was the first arts organisation to move into this part of the City centre that has subsequently been designated the Cultural Industries Quarter. By the mid 80s the Society was the largest artspace in the country outside London, with staff employed to handle the administration, education and exhibition committees and a gallery offering affordable space for exhibitions.

In 1992 Yorkshire ArtSpace secured funding for a new post of Director from Yorkshire Arts (now Arts Council England Yorkshire). This marked the beginning of a new era of growth as an organisation. A further post was created to run project activity, an external Board of Directors was appointed in 1995 as the Society became a Company Limited by Guarantee and a three year Business Plan was launched covering 1995-1998.

This organisational maturity could not have been more timely. Just as the Business Plan highlighted the inability of Sydney Works to offer a secure, long-term, accessible studio space to meet the level of demand we were experiencing, the National Lottery was launched. A survey of the needs of artists in Sydney Works plus a further 30 artists on the waiting list for studios resulted in a property profile that was very demanding. With the huge variety of processes and materials used by Society members, spaces were needed from 18-70 m sq, light needs swung from natural north light to bright sun or virtual darkness, and good access and working conditions were rightfully demanded by all. In addition, as an organisation we needed space for education activity, space to show artwork effectively to the public and an administration base. It was clear that an existing building could not meet all these requirements and the bold step to create the UK’s first purpose-built studio complex for artists and makers was taken.

A site within the Cultural Industries Quarter was identified and secured for us by Sheffield City Council. From 1996 to 1999 we went through the various stages of funding applications for site investigations, feasibility studies and the design and development of the new premises with the appointment of Feilden Clegg Bradley Architects (see Building section below). At the same time we developed as an organisation securing European funding for a business support post and programme, increasing our outreach activities and meeting the demands of the capital project as a staff team. Finally in December 1999 the funding was in place - £3.7m from the National Lottery through the Arts Council of England and £1.8m from the European Regional Development Fund and the contract to build Persistence Works was signed.

Persistence Works opened in October 2001 with 100% occupancy. 68 artists and craftspeople work in 51 studio spaces with an education and public art space for project activity, a meeting room, a reception/display space and offices for the staff team that now numbers 7. Persistence Works is widely seen as a model for the provision of workspace for visual artists setting a standard of accommodation and essential support services for future projects. In 2003 we hosted two major National conferences funded by the Arts Council - Opening Doors and Making Space – that brought together studio managers and event organisers from across the UK to celebrate the studio movement and to set the seeds for new networks. Yorkshire ArtSpace was also part of the steering group for a third conference held at Tate Modern in July 2003 – Creating Places – the first National conference to promote artists studios as a dynamic tool for urban regeneration.

Opening Times:
Persistence Works hosts a programme of exhibitions in its Reception area. 
These are open to the public from Monday to Friday 10.00am to 5.00pm (except on Thursdays when we open at 10.45am)

Admission:
FREE

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