Art Space at Spike Island
Region: Avon | City: Bristol
Image: Exterior (photograph by Adam Faraday)
Spike Island is a significant national centre for the contemporary visual arts. Located in the Cumberland Basin at the edge of Bristol’s Harbourside, Spike Island’s mission is to provide space, time and opportunity for the research, production and presentation of practices relating to the visual arts within a supportive and stimulating environment.
Spike Island has emerged from an artist run initiative developed in the late 70’s, Bristol Art Space. The organisation was focussed on the provision of studio space for artists and is still led by this provision.
The Spike Island premises have been used as an artist studio facility since 1997. The organisation houses three artist groups: Top Floor Studios, Sculpture Shed and Spike Island Printmakers. Artists from each of the groups work together with staff and the Trustees on administration and the selection process. There is a considerable amount of space within the building with up to 70 spaces in total. Provision can be flexible, for example some of the larger studios are shared. The studios have 24 hour access, good light and workshops facilities on the ground floor in the Sculpture Shed area of the building.