Spike Island Artspace

Spike Island Artspace is a contemporary art centre, artists’ studio complex and creative workspace in Bristol, England. It occupies a former Brooke Bond tea-packing factory in the Spike Island area near Bristol’s docks and combines the production, presentation and discussion of contemporary art with facilities for a broad creative community. The organisation is home to more than 70 artists’ studios and accommodates a wider group of practitioners working in design, film, architecture, animation, photography and related fields. It also houses Spike Print Studio, an open-access printmaking facility, and Emmeline, a café and bar. The organisation developed from Artspace Bristol Ltd, a mid-1970s initiative established by Bristol painters, sculptors and printmakers seeking affordable studio accommodation. The founding model was artist-led: individual practitioners administered their own studios, while Bristol Printmakers created a shared, open-plan facility with presses and other equipment that Artspace members could use. This emphasis on affordable production space, shared resources and collective administration became central to the organisation’s identity. As the scale and requirements of artists’ practices changed, the organisation expanded its facilities. In 1984, Sculpture Shed Limited was established to provide additional capacity for artists working on large-scale sculpture. In December 1998, Artspace Bristol Limited changed its name to Spike Island Artspace Ltd, reflecting its move into the former Brooke Bond factory and the development of a more substantial centre for studios, exhibitions and creative activity. Spike Island’s public-facing gallery presents a programme of contemporary art exhibitions. Artists associated with its exhibition programme have included Veronica Ryan, Denzil Forrester, Pacita Abad, Andy Holden, David Batchelor, Ivan Seal, Richard Long, Corita Kent, Ciara Phillips, Howardena Pindell, Young In Hong, Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Tanoa Sasraku. The programme operates alongside the studio community rather than functioning solely as a commercial gallery, linking public exhibitions with artists’ ongoing production and research. The building also supports education and professional development. Students from the University of the West of England Bristol’s Fine Art and Curating courses use or occupy space within the centre, helping connect the organisation to the region’s higher-education and emerging-artist communities. In 2007, Spike Island began renting parts of the building to creative professionals and businesses as co-working and business-incubator accommodation. This activity initially operated under the Spike Design name and, from 2021, under the Spike Island Workspace brand. In 2015, Spike Island joined the Plus Tate network, a UK-wide network of arts organisations that includes galleries and contemporary art institutions across the country. Membership strengthened its position within the UK’s publicly engaged contemporary-art infrastructure. Today, Spike Island functions as a mixed-use cultural organisation: it provides artist studios and specialist production facilities, presents exhibitions, supports education and creative enterprise, and offers public amenities through its café and bar. Its central proposition is the integration of artistic production, exhibition-making and creative community within a single Bristol site.

Spike Island Artspace emerged from Bristol’s artist-led search for affordable studio accommodation in the mid-1970s. A group of painters, sculptors and printmakers formed Artspace Bristol Ltd, also known as Artists’ Studio Provision, and established studios in a disused Victorian building beside Bristol’s docks. The organisation’s early structure gave artists responsibility for their own workspaces while encouraging collective management of shared facilities. Bristol Printmakers developed an open-plan printmaking area equipped with presses and related tools. Artspace members could use the facility, making shared technical resources a central part of the organisation’s practical support for artists. The model combined individual studios with communal infrastructure and helped establish a durable production-oriented culture rather than a centre focused only on exhibitions. By the mid-1980s, the organisation needed more room for artists producing large-scale sculpture. Sculpture Shed Limited was created in 1984 to provide additional capacity for this type of work. This expansion reflected the changing physical requirements of contemporary artistic practice and the organisation’s intention to support production at different scales. In December 1998, Artspace Bristol Limited changed its name to Spike Island Artspace Ltd. The organisation subsequently occupied a former Brooke Bond tea-packing factory in the Spike Island neighbourhood of Bristol. The industrial building supplied the larger and more adaptable setting required for studios, exhibition areas, shared production facilities and other creative uses. Spike Island developed a public exhibition programme in parallel with its studio activity. Its gallery has presented work by artists including Veronica Ryan, Denzil Forrester, Pacita Abad, Andy Holden, David Batchelor, Ivan Seal, Richard Long, Corita Kent, Ciara Phillips, Howardena Pindell, Young In Hong, Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Tanoa Sasraku. The exhibition programme has therefore brought nationally and internationally recognised contemporary-art practices into contact with the organisation’s Bristol-based production community. The site also became connected to higher education through its accommodation of students from the University of the West of England Bristol’s Fine Art and Curating courses. This relationship supports contact between established studio artists, curatorial practice and emerging practitioners. A broader creative-economy dimension was added in 2007, when parts of the building began to be rented to creative professionals and businesses as co-working and business-incubator space. The activity was initially associated with Spike Design and later, from 2021, operated under the Spike Island Workspace name. A significant institutional development came in 2015, when Spike Island became a member of the Plus Tate network. The network brings together arts organisations from across the United Kingdom, including exhibition institutions such as Fruitmarket Gallery, John Hansard Gallery, Modern Art Oxford and Nottingham Contemporary. Membership situated Spike Island within a wider national ecology of publicly engaged contemporary art. The organisation’s present activities combine more than 70 artist studios, exhibition-making, print production, creative workspace, educational links and public hospitality. Its building also contains Emmeline café and bar. Records relating to Spike Island Artspace are held at Bristol Archives, preserving documentation of the organisation’s development from a small artist-led studio initiative into a multifaceted contemporary-art centre.

• 2021

  Workspace activity rebranded

  [1]Spike Island Artspaceen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation’s creative co-working and business-incubator activity began operating under the Spike Island Workspace brand.

• 2015

  Joined Plus Tate

  [1]Spike Island Artspaceen.wikipedia.org

  Spike Island became a member of the Plus Tate network of UK arts organisations.

• 2007

  Creative workspace and incubation launched

  [1]Spike Island Artspaceen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation began renting space to creative professionals and businesses for co-working and business-incubator use, initially under the Spike Design name.

• 1998

  Artspace Bristol renamed Spike Island Artspace

  [1]Spike Island Artspaceen.wikipedia.org

  In December 1998, Artspace Bristol Limited changed its name to Spike Island Artspace Ltd.

• 1984

  Sculpture Shed Limited established

  [1]Spike Island Artspaceen.wikipedia.org

  Sculpture Shed Limited was formed to create additional space for artists working on large-scale sculpture.

• Artspace Bristol established

  [1]Spike Island Artspaceen.wikipedia.org

  A group of Bristol painters, sculptors and printmakers established Artspace Bristol Ltd to provide affordable artist studios in a disused building near the docks.

An artist-led contemporary art centre combining affordable studio provision, shared production facilities, exhibitions, education and creative workspace in Bristol.

• Contemporary art exhibitions

  Spike Island gallery

  The gallery presents a public programme of contemporary-art exhibitions. It has shown work by artists including Veronica Ryan, Denzil Forrester, Pacita Abad, Andy Holden, David Batchelor, Ivan Seal, Richard Long, Corita Kent, Ciara Phillips, Howardena Pindell, Young In Hong, Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Tanoa Sasraku.

• Studio provision

  Artist studios

  Spike Island provides more than 70 artist studios within its former industrial building. The studios support individual artists and sit within a wider community that also includes designers, filmmakers, architects, animators and photographers.

• Printmaking facility

  Spike Print Studio

  Spike Print Studio is a specialist printmaking facility associated with the organisation. Its origins relate to Bristol Printmakers’ early shared open-plan space, where Artspace members could access presses and other equipment.

• Creative workspace · 2021

  Spike Island Workspace

  Spike Island Workspace provides co-working and business-incubator accommodation for creative professionals and businesses. The activity began in 2007 under the Spike Design name and adopted the Spike Island Workspace brand in 2021.

• Café and bar

  Emmeline

  Emmeline is the café and bar located within the Spike Island building, adding a public hospitality function to the art centre and studio complex.

• 2021

  Rebranded its creative workspace activityStrategy

  Background

  The co-working and business-incubator operation had previously been associated with the Spike Design name.

  Action taken

  The activity began operating under the Spike Island Workspace brand.

  Aftermath

  The new name more directly associated the workspace offer with Spike Island’s established art-centre identity.

  Source

• 2015

  Joined the Plus Tate networkStrategy

  Background

  Spike Island sought a stronger connection with the UK’s network of publicly engaged contemporary-art institutions.

  Action taken

  The organisation became a member of Plus Tate.

  Aftermath

  Membership connected Spike Island with a broader national network of arts organisations.

  Source

• 2007

  Added creative-industry workspaceStrategy

  Background

  Spike Island sought to extend use of its building beyond artist studios and exhibitions.

  Action taken

  It began renting space to creative professionals and businesses for co-working and business-incubator purposes under the Spike Design brand.

  Aftermath

  The organisation developed a broader creative-enterprise function alongside its artistic and exhibition activities.

  Source

• 1998

  Adopted the Spike Island Artspace nameStrategy

  Background

  Artspace Bristol had developed into a larger organisation operating from the Spike Island site.

  Action taken

  Artspace Bristol Limited changed its corporate name to Spike Island Artspace Ltd in December 1998.

  Aftermath

  The new name aligned the organisation with its Bristol location and its expanding role as an art centre and studio complex.

  Source

• 1984

  Expanded provision for large-scale sculptureStrategy

  Background

  The organisation required more space to support artists whose practices involved large-scale sculptural work.

  Action taken

  Sculpture Shed Limited was established to provide additional production capacity.

  Aftermath

  The move broadened the organisation’s ability to support physically demanding and large-format artistic production.

  Source

• 2021

  Spike Island Workspace brand introduced[1]Spike Island Artspaceen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The creative co-working and business-incubator activity previously associated with Spike Design began operating under the Spike Island Workspace name.

• 2015

  Spike Island joined the Plus Tate network[1]Spike Island Artspaceen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Spike Island became a member of Plus Tate, a network connecting contemporary-art organisations and galleries across the United Kingdom.

1. 1Spike Island Artspaceen.wikipedia.org