For our latest annual report, please click here Yorkshire ArtSpace Annual Report 06 07
Peter Griffiths
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 a whole.
ADHOC Metal
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.
The Society is managed and run by a team of seven staff members. They are:
Kate
Dore
Director
responsible to the Board for overseeing the smooth operation of the Society
and developing all aspects of the organisation.
Stuart
Wright
Operations Manager
responsible to the Director for the effective running, maintenance and finance
of the studios, offices and premises of Yorkshire ArtSpace and for overseeing
the staff involved in delivering these services.
Rachael
Dodd
Programme Manager / Education and Outreach
has responsibility for developing and managing the Education and Outreach
Programme which focuses largely on the Artist in Residency programme. The
post holder is responsible to the Director.
Mir
Jansen
Programme Manager / Professional Development
has responsibility for developing and managing the Professional Development
Programme which includes the Artist in Residency programme, the Starter Studio
Programme and the annual Starting Up programme. The post holder is responsible
to the Director.
Viv
Mager
Receptionist
is responsible for the running of the Reception space at Persistence Works,
including the Exhibitions programme and both internal and external communications.
The Receptionist is responsible to the Director overseen by the Operations
Manager.
Anita
Bone
Administrator /Finance
is responsible to the Director for the day to day administration of Yorkshire
ArtSpace Society, overseen by the Operations Manager.
Sue
Pederson
Cleaner
is responsible to the Operations Manager for cleaning, and some maintenance
of, the communal areas of the Society’s premises.
Membership of Yorkshire ArtSpace Society is open to all. There are over 120 members of the Society and 68 of them have studios at Persistence Works.
Link to Membership application form.
You do not need to be a member of the Society to receive our E-Newsletter - this is offered to anyone free of charge and includes invitations to take part in training, work opportunities, surgeries, exhibitions and events.
You do not need to be a member to be on the Waiting List for studio space either. There is a small administration fee to join the list plus a small annual update fee to keep the list current and you will be asked to complete a comprehensive statement of needs so that we can respond quickly to vacancies and accurately gauge the need for additional studio space.
Link to Studio Space Waiting List application form.
You do need to be a member of the Society to have a studio at Persistence Works.
Membership of the Society is most appropriate to those who want to contribute to the organisation and support its Vision.
It is proposed that from 1 April 2006 members will be offered a one hour induction at Persistence Works with a member of staff so that their constitutional rights and the vision and values of the Society can be discussed. Members will be encouraged to:
There are currently nine members of the Yorkshire ArtSpace Board offering skills and expertise to support key areas of activity.
Andrew
Walker
Legal / Governance
Andrew joined the Board in 2002. He works for Irwin Mitchell and is experienced
in advising companies and individuals upon the viability of their businesses
and finances. He is able to advise Yorkshire ArtSpace in respect of any legal
issues arising, on its business plans and strategy and upon its corporate
governance. He attended Honley High School, Huddersfield New College and Selwyn
College, Cambridge University and graduated with a Degree in Law and currently
holds a Masters in Law. His interest in the arts began when he was an A level
student when he ‘spent more time at the arts college than at sixth form
college!’ Other interests include the Opera, sculpture and climbing.
Clare
McManus
Education and Outreach
Clare joined the Board in 2006. She is Director of Eventus a cultural development agency based in Sheffield. Originally trained in mime and theatre in Paris, Prague and London, she toured in small scale theatre for 10 years. She has extensive experience as a project manager and local authority arts officer, with a particular interest in arts and health, social inclusion and cultural planning. Clare has led on Eventus’ long term development projects including Full Circle, Creative Futures – Sheffield’s LGA / DCMS Cultural Pathfinder and Creative Places. Her work also includes mentoring and training for artists and advocacy work to encourage non-arts organisations to engage with creativity.
Surriya
Falconer
Strategic Development / Profile Raising and Communication
Surriya has been a member of the Board since 1999. She is a freelance PR and
Communications trainer and consultant and supports the staff at Yorkshire
ArtSpace in this capacity. She has 20 years of PR and communication experience
both within the region and nationally, familiarity and grass roots experience
with local and regional arts and council associations and contacts with the
business community. She currently works for McKevitt and Kenwood in Sheffield.Surriya’s
reason for becoming involved with Yorkshire ArtSpace is to do with a genuine
interest in all forms of art and a desire to gain a greater understanding.
She feels that artists’ and craftspeople’s skills are gradually
becoming recognised as a much more valued and interactive form of communication
to a range of sectors. She wants to be part of helping that integration take
place.
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Paula Kirby
Persistence Works, designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley architects, is the UK’s
first purpose built studio complex for artists and craftspeople. The building
provides studio space for sixty eight practicing artists and craftspeople
as well as exhibition and project spaces, an education space, offices and
a meeting room (see Space Hire for hire rates). Persistence Works is the winner
of an RIBA Award, an RIBA Yorkshire White Rose award and a Civic Trust Award
Commendation. The building was also a finalist in the Prime Ministers’ Better Public Building Awards in 2002.
For information on how the building was developed and funded see Background History. For information on the building project please visit
http://www.fcbstudios.com/project.asp?extra=&p=982&s=2
The following statement by Julia Kashdan-Brown, Project Architect, is taken from the Civic Trust Award application.
‘’The brief was unique not only because it was the first new building
of its kind to house both arts and crafts , but also the facilities were to
be at affordable rents and self-financing, once the building was completed.
The building had to meet the very different needs of artists: working from
large-scale metal work and sculpture to spaces for jewellery and ceramics
as well as fine artists’ painting, illustrating and textiles which would
require a higher level of natural daylight. The building was to be fully accessible
so as not to exclude anyone from using the building or facilities.
The building occupies a key site at the termination of Furnival Street and
forming a main elevation to Brown Street which is the main public street of
the Cultural Industries Quarter in Sheffield. The building is simply arranged
as two blocks with an atrium between: two large storeys face Brown Street
and six storeys face Shoreham Street. The building is a synthesis of the two
aspects of the Quarter, in terms of its function and form. The six storey
building facing the brook reflects in its massing and proportion the industrial
scale of the old Sydney Works, and the two-storey frontage responds to the
smaller scale of Brown Street which houses the more public aspects of the
building.
The Brown Street elevation provides glimpses of the sculpture studios, with full height glazing to part of the Public Art space and Reception. Above the ground level are fine art studios with skylights. At the entrance the street opens up with a public space dominated by a curved tilted wall and the stair tower beyond. This is the fulcrum of the building. The two rectangular blocks are spaces for fabrication: the curved wall emerges as the expression of the end product, or work of art. The public space incorporates a public route through from Brown Street to Shoreham Street, a planning requirement that was part of the Urban Masterplan. Whilst the original concept for the landscape was simplified vastly to meet financial restraints, the landscape provides a piece of calm green as well as a hard space, to contemplate the building and enjoy the sun. The public ramp has an artists’ mosaic incorporated in it as part of a workshop with the community. In the evening the building is transformed by light artist Jo Fairfax’s installation: the curved wall turns red, the stair tower blue and cathode rays illuminate the west upper façade. The rear elevation is more monumental and reflects the scale and massing of the old warehouses of the industrial quarter, with shading to the large studios provided by punching holes in the façade and providing recessed balconies. The two ‘buildings’ meet with an atrium-like space or covered courtyard between. This is a place for circulation and delivery of materials but is also a place for exhibitions and meetings.
The building is made from in situ load-bearing fair-faced concrete, a robust and ‘ordinary’ material used in a unique way to achieve the highest quality within the available budget. A considerable amount of research was made by the design team and through test samples and extensive discussions with the Main Contractor to achieve the required quality. Other materials are also used in their ‘’raw’’ state: fair-faced common blockwork and MDF doors. The blockwork is cut or laid on its side to make a smaller 100mm coursing in public areas and the MDF doors routed with room numbers, which lifts these mundane materials into a more refined dimension. The building needs to be robust, solid but not pristine, an appropriate setting for works of art and craft to be produced. The building we felt should also retain the quality of existing studio buildings associated with the old warehouse architecture and that the few flourishes in form, such as the curved wall and artist commissions, should provide sufficient contrast to make the building special. Other commissions include door handles designed by Yorkshire ArtSpace members, a floor design to Reception by artist Jasia Szerszynska and a Reception desk by furniture maker Ashley Cartwright.
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