Re: Re: Art Studios

heya, reading this thread with much amusement!
im an MA student (visual arts practices) based in Temple Bar Gallery – the only purpose designed space i know of is here- for myself the idea of having an architect designed working space is an absoloute luxury! Artists that are part of a studio group are 95% of the time located in run down areas in buildings that are due for demolition, some studio groups have leases with their landlords, but would rarely have tenure security that would extend beyond 5 years
you could try the VAI -Visual Artists Ireland for a full list of spaces around town and the rest of the country-
i suggest going up to Broadstone Studios- just around the corner from Bolton St- upper Dominick st, in the Hendron building- opposite Cumiskys bar- they have been there for a number of years and are typical of the kind of spaces available in Dublin
Pallas Studios have been very innovative in finding bases for their artists groups- they had 3 flats in an old corporation flat block on Buckingham st up until recently- they functioned as studio and gallery- many an interesting show ive seen there, they had a lovely industrial space on Foley st up until recently…
MonsterTruck Gallery and studios on Francis St use the upstairs to house a range of work- from design to painters-
IMMA use a series of old stables to the rear of the main building- some of which combine living space with working space- as do the Firestation Studios
I think the best place to start with a design for a studio would be to identify the nature of the practice of the artist for whom you are designing- practice is hugely diverse- i have friends working on the Percent for Art scheme- having won the first digital commission in Ireland, they work on computers, and an office-type space is all they need.My own practice is project based- i dont need a studio 365 days a year, a telephone and laptop are what i use until a project goes into its production phase before a show– at that point i have to be really resourceful- i have used the old Broadstone bus garage/ train station for a number of years-an incredibly beautiful space – on a slightly smaller scale than Connolly Station with all the original ironwork. I was in there by myself- although I used it mainly for storage, the insurance cost being prohibitive… im a sculptor and the scale of my work puts me outside any purpose built spaces in town, for the past two years i have had the use of an old show-band/ community hall in the north city centre- due for demolition any day now, again i got this by ringing around and being cheeky- renting a workshop would be out of the question budget wise for me, so i really rely on the good nature of developers…
For me, a big space with access for loading large work in and out of is the most important thing- unless the gallery your showing in hasnt got big doors.. ive had to cut work up to get it in to the Hugh Lane – they have only the front door- and all work has to fit in that door!….um, anyway…ideally big doors, perhaps with a yard space that they open on to for extending your work space during the summer would be nice! I should stop now coz im fantasizing…natural light would be good too, though a view of nature is not necessary-unless you want to make work about birds, looking at them is not going to help!!! good luck!