N E Space
For Artists
NEspace was primarily established with the aim of helping professional artists to find the studio premises they need.
The Property Search database on this site was put there to help with this.
NEspace also gathered data on the numbers of artists looking for studio space and the types of spaces they were after. This data was used to help Arts Council England to determine the real level of demand (and add weight to arguments for increasing the provision of workspace across the North East).
The service also talked to artists who knew of premises, but needed advice on how best to approach turning them into artists' workspace, providing appropriate advice.
Another strand to the service involved talking to people with properties, developers, and people who influence the development process, putting across the message about the benefits of making space for artists. The word is definitely out there, but the nature of property development means that, in a lot of cases, projects will take time to come to fruition.
With the closure of NEspace at the end of its pilot period, the role of champion for the artists' workspace cause has been taken on by Sam Peace at Arts Council England, North East, and she is doing a sterling job.
