Founded in 2006, In Bristol Studio is an artist-led, not for profit organisation whose mission is to provide affordable studio space with shared access to specialist professional tools and machinery, alongside business support, mentoring and opportunities to develop the creative practice of our members.

We are passionate about collaborative working, skill sharing, and community arts. We have a strong participatory arts vision and aim to promote greater engagement with the arts within our local community through the provision of accessible and dynamic artistic opportunities that appeal to and reflect our diverse community of Lawrence Hill, Barton Hill, St Phillips and Redfield.

We provide and maintain a range of creative opportunities close to the city centre, including:

• 30 affordable artists’ studios, currently providing space 60 artists and makers
• Professional Ceramics, Print and Woodwork Facilities
• Bright and airy spaces to hire to run classes and courses and for large-scale projects

Alongside providing affordable artists’ studios, we also host and organise a range of regular events, some of which are open to everyone. These include:

• Talks and presentations from artists and arts organisations
• CPD, skill sharing, mentoring & coaching
• Short courses, one-day classes and taster workshops
• Open Studios
• Community engagement
• Participatory arts activities

We are also a community arts organisation and creative hub, providing a range of high quality events, activities and opportunities to our wider community, this includes coordinating the #BigUpBartonHill Network, being a founding member of Phoenix52 Community Arts Group and fundraising and organising a number of community events and activities.

VISION

• Provide safe and affordable artist maker space along with professionally equipped workshops in print, woodwork and ceramics for the shared use of all members.
• Nurture our artists with business support, mentoring and a broad range of opportunities to develop their creative practice.
• Cultivate an exploratory environment that facilitates a culture of skill sharing and collaborative working that crosses the conventional boundaries between disciplines. 
• Be a well-respected creative community hub, providing team building and community development opportunities in our neighbourhood.
• Work in partnership with local service providers, partners, stakeholders and other creative communities in our neighbourhood to promote greater inclusivity and engagement with the arts. 
• Continue to build a diverse programme of accessible and dynamic artistic opportunities for both our artist community and the wider neighbourhood, championing sustainability, capacity building and placemaking within our community.

MISSION

In Bristol is an artist-led, not for profit organisation whose mission is to provide safe and affordable artist maker space, along with professionally equipped workshops in print, woodwork and ceramics for the shared use of all members and the wider community.

This is underpinned with a range of continued professional development, business support, skill sharing and mentoring opportunities that reflect the collaborative nature of our studio and enable us to nurture better, more resilient artists.

We have a strong participatory arts vision, and aim to promote greater engagement with the arts within our local community through the provision of accessible and dynamic artistic opportunities that appeal to and reflect our diverse community of Lawrence Hill, Barton Hill, St Phillips and Redfield. 

We believe this will help us become a stronger, more sustainable organisation that can better serve our community both inside and outside our building.

VALUES

Artists play an essential role in society, and we put them at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to ensuring that artists  have the space and opportunities that they need to develop and grow.

Community

• Treating people fairly and committing to pay artists for their work.
• Valuing other perspectives, taking time to listen with compassion and with a commitment to honesty and openness.
• Valuing diversity in all we do and remaining committed to equality and social justice.
• Considering the environmental impact of our activity on local and wider communities, striving to minimise it in all aspects of our work.
• We are always inclusive and we remain relevant by actively engaging with our communities both inside and outside our facilities.
• Striving to create stronger communities by providing high quality, inspiring creative opportunities to the wider community in our often neglected and vulnerable residential inner city locality.

Mutual Trust & Principles

• We provide a welcoming and safe environment that is inclusive and inspiring.
• We operate principled and transparent criteria for selection and allocation, and strive to ensure the well-being of all artists.
• The effectiveness of our team is built on mutual trust and we are motivated by a shared desire to support artists.
• We place trust in partners and stakeholders who share our values and we earn their trust through transparency, honesty and integrity.
• We commit to operate ethically and with environmental responsibility at the core of everything we do, and we constantly look for new ways to improve and innovate.

The Future

Our long term approach is ambitious, but it also creates stability

• We protect and nurture the future of artists in Bristol, prioritising their long term growth and development.
• We will invest and nurture the next generation of artists through community engagement and by working in schools to inspire and excite.
• We continue to evolve and innovate without taking short term decisions that would be detrimental to our long term goals.
• We grow expertise to meet the political, cultural and economic challenges of the future, without compromising our mission or beliefs.

You can view and download our Policy Documents below.

We believe passionately in collaboration, sharing resources and supporting other artist-led organisations and community groups.

With this in mind you can view and download two documents that we have created that we hope will help other organisations working with their local communities:

1. Our PARTICIPATE TOOLKIT, which has been designed as a guide for artists looking to develop community engaged art projects.

2. Our #BigUpBartonHill Community Day Event Management Plan, which we developed to help plan and manage a community-led outdoor event.  This document should act as a template for others planning similar events.