Creatives at Jamaica Street Studios fear building will be snapped up by a developer if they don’t raise funds in time
The studios have been offered the chance to buy the building but the artists are worried that if they don’t raise the funds in time the building could be put on the open market and snapped up by a developer.“I painted for 10 years in a barn on a hill in Somerset, totally on my own. I had a huge space but I didn’t have the camaraderie that keeps you going when you’re down and the crits when you need it. I think we all do better because we’re here, because we have each other.
The studios have been awarded £500,000 from the UK government’s community ownership fund but must raise another £125,000 to access the pot to buy the building, which is housed in, a photographer, film-maker, and mixed media artist, works on the top floor. As well as enjoying views of the bustle of Stokes Croft she can gaze across to the hills that Bristol nestles beneath. “It would be a shame to lose this,” she said.
The studio manager, Rosie Bowery, said: “There’s kind of a spirit of self-organisation here, which is really magnificent. There are more than 35 artists here and some have been here for 20 plus years, which is so lovely and quite unusual.”Stokes Croft still has the air of a place of independent creativity. But there are strains. Other landmark buildings have been turned into flats and the prospect of gentrification and commercialisation are constant threats.
She said: “Our aim is to keep these studios affordable. It’s really important that people who are from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have the ability to rent a space. Spaces like this shouldn’t be just for artists who can afford to pay large sums. Stokes Croft is special – it has an independent spirit led by interesting creative people. We want it to stay like that.”to try to raise the money. People who contribute are in line for rewards such as mugs, T-shirts, prints and art tutorials.
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