Our Story
The Island is a self-funded multi-use arts facility and creation centre based in the old police station in Bristol city centre. It hosts a wide variety of creative spaces from circus training, dance and rehearsal rooms, making spaces and artists studios to dark rooms, recording and music production studios, a gallery and a suite of early 20th century police cells. We can’t believe that in 2018 we turn 10 years old!
If you want to get involved in a collaborative showcase event in Bristol then the Island is the place to do it. Like the name suggests, the Island is an isolated centre of creativity and energy located smack bang in the city centre. As a venue, it has many unique event spaces and a can-do attitude making it ideal for a Bristol event.
The Island comes to life thanks to its vibrant programming of regular workshops, training classes, performances and events. Artists from all disciplines now occupy our spaces; people from all walks of life can host their own exhibitions, or start their own class or group, which creates a widely varied collection of artist-led projects.
The Island is majorly involved with Bristol's art scene, having taken part in BS1 Open, Brisfest, Destination Bristol, Big Green Week, Mayfest and Bristol Biennial,. We are rapidly becoming one of the key locations of choice for local art promotion.
As well as all this, The Island is now hosting around 79 working artists. These artists are the beating heart of The Island, continually producing and showcasing new and engaging artwork. This made The Island one of the liveliest and most thriving artist communities in Bristol. Our studios are of varying sizes and range from huge open spaces, to smaller solo studios, to our converted cell studios, which are exclusively used by artists who work with sound and music.
The Island is part of the Artspace Lifespace project, an artist led initiative that recycles vacant, under-used and problem properties into thriving active creative resources and has been active since 2008.
FFI:
www.theislandbristol.com
www.artspacelifespace.com
