Alumini

“ Without BAS, I would not have had access to an affordable, professional studio space in Bath during a critical period of growth. It provided me not only with a place to create, but with a supportive community where experimentation, learning, and collaboration were encouraged. These opportunities are rare and they are essential.

For countless artists like myself, BAS is more than just a workspace - it’s a launchpad. Losing it would not only hinder individual careers but also deeply impact the cultural fabric of our city. I urge you to do all you can to help protect and preserve this essential resource for current and future generations. BAS is so important to the city and was absolutely crucial for me.”

“Both formally trained at The Royal Academy of Arts, London, we are full-time professional artists, who taught drawing classes at Bath Artists’ Studios one day a week for sixteen years.
With a passion for education and having had such a privileged training ourselves, the classes were founded on the significance of drawing as a means of developing a deeper understanding of the fundamental principals of visual language, encompassing all aspects of perception, structure and design. They were for dedicated, serious, semi-professional and professional artists, many of whom have gone on to win top prizes, such as The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, or furthered their education at institutions like The Royal Drawing School and The New York Academy of Art, as well as several having solo and group exhibitions with national commercial galleries.

These students came from varying backgrounds, but the classes were open to all and numbered around twenty in each group. Despite the rigours and demands of the course, we were inundated by those who yearned for real educational nourishment, and the solid foundations needed for their own artistic development. As a consequence we maintained an often over-subscribed course during this long period. Many of these people have become full-time artists in their own fields, earning a living from their practice.

The size of the ‘Schoolroom’ at Bath Artists Studios, though modest was perfect for groups of this size to meet, and the community of artists with studios already at the premises added to the atmosphere and sense of community felt by all. The value of an art education is rarely understood or appreciated in the light utilitarian vocational studies. The cultural spectrum that it provides includes literature, music, painting, sculpture, architecture, design, ceramics, graphics etc, etc.

A city like Bath, with all its history and heritage, would be deficient without a dedicated Arts Centre, nurtured and supported by the council and wider authorities, as it feeds and generates the cultural lifeblood of the city.

”

“Saied Dai RP N.E.A.C has been a professional artist for over forty years, exhibiting nationally and Internationally. His teaching experience over the years ranges from Foundation to Post-Graduate level, and includes: The Prince of Wales School of Architecture (now The Royal Drawing School), The Royal Academy Schools, Canterbury Christ Church, Bath Spa University, Glasgow School of Art, Kingston School of Art, NSEAD (National Society for Education in Art and Design - founded by John Ruskin for teaching teachers).

Charlotte Sorapure N.E.A.C has been a professional artist for over thirty years, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Her teaching experience includes Eastbourne College of Art, the N.E.A.C drawing programme. ‘Excellence in Cities’ Summer School programme for deprived areas run by Greenwich Council, ‘The Big Draw’ in Libraries and Schools, South East London.”

“In common with a lot of young artists in Bath, some of whom like me have young children, BAS provided a great springboard both to employment in the arts and, in my case, building a business too. I started out my business working from my dining table, and joining BAS provided me with the affordable workspace and storage I needed in order to take on more commissions and generate more revenue. My move to BAS also introduced me to a large and welcoming network of artists and designers who proved a fount of knowledge about ideas, opportunities, events and exhibitions. It was great to feel part of this community and I keep in touch with many of them to this day.

Most importantly, I was introduced to Victoria Topping (at the time a fellow BAS studio holder) who employed me as her part-time studio assistant. I still work with her eight years later. Over time, Victoria and I had to move from BAS because we needed a larger studio than could be provided. However, we’d definitely like to rejoin the BAS community in the future if circumstances changed and a naturally lit studio large enough to contain our equipment became available. BAS is such an important part of creative life in Bath - not just for artists, but for the community as well.

So many artists I know wouldn’t be able to continue working without the affordable workspace it provides. BAS is a space for established working artists, a jumping-off platform for young people to start their careers in art, and an inspiring place for around 10,000 members of the public who attend hands-on arts and crafts classes at BAS each year. Bath needs it!”

“In 1996 St Mark’s Infants School was on the market for a mere £100,000. Looking back, I wish I had bought it myself. Raising the money would have been a challenge, but had I done so, Bath Artists’ Studios (Widcombe Studios as it was then) would have had a permanent home in Bath from the outset, in control of its own affairs and shaping its own future. I wanted to create a thriving community of artists, each with their own independent studio, but with the chance to interact socially and collaborate when the opportunity arose. I wanted it to be a friendly, accessible, place that would help demystify art through drawing, sculpture and painting classes, a gallery that was available for hire and a café that was open to the public. I hoped it would come to be seen as an asset to Widcombe and the wider community and a creative hub in the heart of Bath.

Almost 30 years on, through various twists and turns, including a major upheaval in 2004 in the move to Comfortable Place, it has become almost everything I hoped it would. In that time it has also become a charity, something I did not envisage but very much welcome. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of so many people over the years and a fundraising campaign in 2012, it still lacks its most fundamental asset: a permanent home. It may find another temporary base and continue its activities, but without premises it can call its own it will never achieve its full potential. I would encourage anyone who understands the power of art to empower individuals and enhance communities to ensure that Bath Artists’ Studios secures its future in a permanent home of its own before it is too late.”

“Bath Artist’s Studios gave me the chance to continue making work post-university, surrounded by a community of artists. I felt very fortunate to have a space like this accessible to me especially in my hometown when I was first trying to build a career as an artist. The range of experiences and personalities at BAS made it a wonderful space to learn and develop. BAS has felt like a crucial asset to Bath’s artistic presence and community, for emerging artists and established ones alike.”

“As an artist, it can be a benefit to work with a group studio to benefit from pooling and sharing resources. However, I think the real value in these group Studios is what they offer to the community. Bath is in desperate need of the sort of community activity and involvement that these Studios offer.
99% of our art operates at grassroots and this is where most of us experience it. Providing studio space and the opportunity so that she would not normally have the privilege to pursue it means we are all exposed to a wider choice and therefore experience better quality and more engaging Art.
The provision of group Studios seems to me an extremely efficient way of enriching the cultural life of a city like Bath. Anyone who takes their children around an open studio event such as the ones that Bath Artist’s Studios put on will back this up 100%. They have huge value in opening the eyes of children and indeed us into what is possible outside our normal educational curriculum.”