Supporting art at its source

Established in 1968 by the artists Bridget Riley, Peter Sedgley and the late Art Monthly editor Peter Townsend, SPACE (Space Provision Artistic, Cultural, Educational) grew out of a time of radical social change and experimentation. People were becoming more socially aware, the old art world order was being called into question and artists were feeling increasingly empowered. This backdrop, coupled with a distinct lack of studio space and artistic support in the UK, gave birth to an artist-led initiative with three clear objectives:
• to promote and improve art and the production of objects or artistic merit;
• to foster, promote, advance, maintain and improve public education, and to promote interest in and appreciation of all forms of art;
• to aid, assist and educate necessitous artists.

In 1968, SPACE was granted a two-year lease on ‘I’ Block and the Match Shed warehouse in St. Katharine’s dock for £500 a year. Grants from Henry Moore, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and Arts Council England (ACE) enabled the conversion into studios. The work was carried out by SPACE and students from Chelsea, Slade and Byam Shaw art schools. As the word spread, the original dozen or so artists grew to 100, with applications from Holland, Germany, Greece, America and Africa. Almost overnight, the organisation developed a waiting list of 200. Within ‘I’ Block an eclectic range of art practices took place: it was an art factory that avoided aesthetic discrimination to any style.

SPACE received charitable status in 1974. It has continued its model of converting leased buildings within East London and renting them out at affordable, non-profit rates to artists. We have undertaken more than 70 conversions in the past 40 years. SPACE is regularly funded by ACE and has received funding from the European Regional Development Fund, various Trusts and Foundations, and individual donations to achieve its core mission.

Today, SPACE supports over 600 artists, from Turner Prize winners to emerging new talent, across 16 buildings in East London. The Art Factory lives on at the Triangle, SPACE’s HQ in Hackney. Here, artists are involved in teaching, education programmes, media workshops, residencies and critical debates. SPACE augments its studio developments and cultural offers with a programme of exhibitions, media arts, community collaborations and professional development for artists that widen participation and access to the arts – not only giving individual artists a platform for their work, but also benefiting the wider community.

The creation of SPACE was an innovative, bold step, and is recognised as a pivotal moment in the development of Contemporary British art practice. Its artist-led model was swiftly copied, by organisations including WASP in Glasgow and PS1 in New York, and it continues to be copied to this day. SPACE’s development of the first ‘creative hub’ echoes the planned ‘creative-led regeneration model’ which is now so prevalent, as artists and the creative industries continue to be essential to the UK economy and the well-being of our communities.

SPACE, and grass roots art organisations like it, play an integral role in supporting the creative and cultural output of the UK and underpin the current creative vitality. We assist in developing good quality, sustain-able and relevant art practices through providing studios that artists can afford to work in. We nurture artistic talent at a key stage of its development so that it has the time and space to grow. In addition we create strategic partnerships, promote the exchange of ideas and ensure that artists and creativity are embedded into the development and regeneration of our communities – SPACE supports art at its source.