S.O.S - Save Our Studio!

bristol | media and culture | press release Tuesday March 03, 2009 22:35 by Sally Collister - Studio Upstairs Bristol sallycollister at studioupstairs dot org dot uk 0117 930 0314

Studio Upstairs Under Threat of Closure

A unique therapeutic arts studio in Bristol is under threat of closure and desperately needs help to raise funds

For the past 4 years, Bristol’s Studio Upstairs has suffered from cuts in Local Authority funding in Drug & Alcohol and Adult Mental Health respectively - in direct contrast to the increasing numbers wishing to attend.

Now with limited capital reserves, the Studio has been forced to close one day a week to ensure survival for six months while launching a major funding appeal.

Should Studio Upstairs be forced to close its doors it would mean a tragic loss to the arts, health and education in the region. “We are widely considered one of the finest examples of a therapeutic arts community in the country, if not in Europe,” commented founder and Director Douglas Gill, “for this reason we are hoping that people and businesses will support our appeal to SAVE OUR STUDIO.”

An important lifeline for the regular membership of 60 vulnerable users who attend each week could be taken away. “Studio Upstairs reduces my need for pharmaceutical drug therapy and is a tool for life,” said a Studio member, “If the inconceivable should happen and the studio has to close there would be a greater drain on other resources.” Others commented on how attendance at SU has invaluably boosted confidence and self-esteem.

This unique artists’ community creates high calibre work that sits alongside other contemporary practices in the public gallery. Studio Upstairs has been a regular and important contributor to the Bristol arts scene with 15 public exhibitions in the last two years, and collaborations with high-profile organisations such as Arnolfini and Picture This.

*** ENDS ***

EDITORS NOTES

1. For further information, or to arrange interviews or photo opportunities please contact Sally Collister or Jan Jeffcoate on 0117 930 0314 / 07960 227 015 or email bristolstudio@studioupstairs.org.uk. Find us at Units 1 & 2 Albion Dockside Estate, Hanover Place, Bristol, BS1 6UT. Website: www.studioupstairs.org.uk

2. Studio Upstairs Bristol is a registered charity. It is a unique therapeutic community for people whose interests, abilities and talents can be expressed through the arts, yet are for various reasons unable, or actively choose not, to participate in the already existing institutions – with particular focus on those who suffer from mental health difficulties, or are in drug and alcohol recovery.

3. It has existed for ten years in Bristol, and recently celebrated 20 years since its’ founding in London. As well as visual arts, the Studio also has active music and creative writing groups.

4. The Studio Upstairs model provides its members with a sense of belonging and acceptance, often preventing repeated and costly psychiatric treatment and hospitalization. It allows its members to develop socially and artistically, equipping them to move onto independent arts practices, further education, voluntary work and employment.

5. Attendance costs just £30 per day for members funded by Local Authorities. An estimated £60,000 needs to be raised in order to keep the studio afloat for the next two years while more permanent funding is sought.