Spanning 50 rooms, laden with imagination, and stuffed full of passionate local artists, Bath Artists’ Studios has been sparking creativity throughout the city since 1996. India Farnham catches up with the Studios’ trustees and in-house artists to find out why it’s more important than ever before to support this well-kept, well-loved secret…. Words by India Farnham
Bath Artists’ Studios is one of those cultural institutions that is so deeply woven into the fabric of the city’s creative landscape that its impact is almost impossible to measure.
Perhaps we’ll start with the facts. Entirely self-sustaining since 1996, the Studios (currently based in central Bath on Upper Bristol Road) is home to over 60 local artists – from painters to sculptors to printmakers to illustrators and ceramists – all creating and collaborating under one roof. This makes Bath Artists’ Studios the largest studios in the region, and a considerable player in retaining creative talent in the South West.
But Bath Artists’ Studios is more than just a place to work. As a registered charity with a mission to advance the education of the public in the appreciation of the arts, many of the Studios’ resident artists are also experienced educators, welcoming in members of the public for workshops and courses. The charity also offers a yearly studio placement to a local Bath Spa graduate, an initiative the team hopes to expand in the future.
And if that wasn’t already enough, the Studios is also home to The Roper Gallery, a highly respected exhibition space with a commitment to championing emerging talent.
The art school for everyone
Phew! Now, if that feels like a lot of impact to take in, then fear not, because two of the Studios’ trustees, Fran Forsyth and Richard Fell, are here to break it down for us.
“It’s important to understand that we have three different functions. The first is running the studios, the second is delivering outreach and education, and the third is fundraising,” Richard tells me.
“As a charity, we’re also self-sustaining,” Fran continues. “What we mean by that is we run on the money we earn ourselves, through, for example, studio rents and the running of classes in our teaching rooms, instead of relying on regular funding.”
Fran and Richard both have first-hand experience with the outreach function of the Studios; Fran, who is a solicitor by training, runs sustainable textiles classes in the teaching space and Richard, who works as a TV drama executive, originally discovered the charity through attending their sculpture class.
The Studios estimate that a whopping 200 members of the public attend a class on the premises every week. Why, I wonder, is it so important for the Studios to run classes for the general public, instead of just being a hub for established artists?
“Our classes are affordable, which means they’re accessible to people who would not otherwise be able to participate in professionally run sessions. Last year, for example, we piloted holiday activities for children. Finding the funding for private classes can be difficult for some families, but we want everyone in Bath to be able to experience art, if they wish,” Fran tells me.
“Our outreach work also helps to bring people into the building, which in turn creates a really special atmosphere here. The Studios feel full of people from different backgrounds and groups. The atmosphere is like an art school, except that everyone gets to experience it, not just undergraduates. I love being able to enter this extraordinary space and focus for a few hours for the sculpture class. I hadn’t done sculpture since I was eighteen, and I wouldn’t have been able to without these classes,” Richard enthuses.
Another Bath Artists’ Studios outreach programme is the Bath Patchwork Project in collaboration with The American Museum & Gardens. Charities and individuals have embroidered silk squares in celebration of Bath or aspects of their daily lives. The completed patchwork will be exhibited at the American Museum & Gardens on the evening of Thanksgiving, 26 November, 5-7pm, and the following weekend. It becomes, in effect, a Thanksgiving to Bath.
Studio living
A shining example of the Studios’ classes are those run by Funky Art House. Set up by Bath-based sisters Jo Lovell and Amy Milford 16 years ago, Funky Art House aims to allow local children to explore creativity.
Whilst the sisters also run events around the South West including in primary and secondary schools, museums, parties, parks and community settings, their space at Bath Artists’ Studios is their base, foundational to their business. Seating 10 children comfortably, Jo and Amy use their studio space not only for teaching but for prepping classes and storing equipment too.
Funky Art House’s Amy told me a bit more about what Bath Artists’ Studios has facilitated for her and the business.
“Bath Artists’ Studios has basically been my whole adult life in terms of work and friends. We started quite small and have built up to now having this space. We can’t imagine Funky Art House anywhere else.”
This notion of the Studios being integral to a creative’s life is shared by many of the artists I chatted to on my visit. Mary-Jane Evans, an award-winning ceramicist, explained this feeling further.
“This is my spiritual home and my creative home. I can’t do what I do here in my house; I’ve got my kiln here, so I fire all my work in this room. Plus, there’s a real sense of community here, and we all look out for each other. The studios really do offer me something special.”
For Ben Hughes, a self-taught landscape and portrait artist, this sense of community has been a definite highlight of his 26 years as a studio member.
“All of us artists will get together at lunchtime and eat together in the common room, and just having that day-to-day contact is massive, because being an artist can be quite solitary. This way, you find out what other people are doing, you get input on what you’re doing, and sometimes opportunities arise from chatting.”
The space he’s able to use here has also served him creatively.
“I can do pretty landscapes anywhere, but the studio has allowed me the space to experiment with bigger, bolder paintings. As an artist, of course you want to continue making work that sells, but you also want to push yourself and develop, which is what I’m able to do here.”
For visual artist Liberty Wright, who specialises in hand-painted lenticular pictures, the Studios have granted her the flexibility she requires as a working mum.
“I have a very young daughter at school, so my days are quite short. This is the only affordable rented space I could find in Bath, so I can justify only coming in during the school hours here. I also work with a lot of scalpels, which is not conducive to living with a small child! So, I feel very lucky to be able to call this space mine.”
The next chapter
The Studios’ next big challenge is finding a new home. That’s right, after 30 incredible and, as we’ve discovered, immeasurably important years, Bath Artists’ Studios’ lease on its current base at The Old Malthouse is up. Now, the charity is looking to find a new, more permanent home, but it needs our help.
“There is a limit to what we can say – because some of our discussions are still ongoing and therefore confidential – but our lease runs out next year and we are actively looking for a new permanent place we can call Bath Artists’ Studios,” trustee Richard shares.
What sort of place are they looking for?
“Of course, we need around 50 rooms like these to house our resident artists,” trustee Fran explains. “But we’d also like to replicate much of what we have here, which means finding somewhere with a decent-sized teaching room and a gallery space. Basically, an adaptable space that can also generate some income that can go back into the charity.”
These aren’t easy requirements to find in a building, so the charity is more than aware that any building they do acquire will need to be adapted.
“The move will inevitably involve money we do not currently have. We will therefore be launching a fundraising campaign in October to facilitate the move and adapt whichever building we go into for our purposes,” Fran explains.
Ultimately, though, the Bath Artists’ Studios team are feeling positive about the move.
“We see it as a chance to move to the next stage, become bigger and more public, embrace different art forms and stamp our identity more visibly on the city,” Richard shares.
How do they imagine the charity developing in a new home?
“Perhaps we could have a café, screenings, talks or social activities – there’s so much more we’d be open to trying. We’ve got that ambition,” Richard tells me.
You heard it here first: after three decades of shaping Bath’s creative landscape, the Studios’ next chapter could prove just as impactful as its first. Watch this space.
To find out more about Bath Artists’ Studios, visit: bathartistsstudios.org
The Bath Patchwork Project visit instagram @bathpatchworkproject26
To keep up to date with the Studios, follow @bathartistsstudios on Instagram, and if you’d like to help with fundraising for the new premises, get in touch with the team here: bathartistsstudios@gmail.com