Red Herring Studios, Brighton & Hove’s long-established cooperative art studio, finds a new home in Portslade.
THE artist group was last in the news in 2017 when its previous site in School Road, Hove, was cleared for redevelopment.
The studios have now reopened for business, and artists interested in joining are invited to get in touch. A few spaces are still available, and more will come up in future.
Nick Sayers, one of the 16 artists, said: “It’s such a relief that we’ve gone from seeking a new home to advertising for new artists to join us. And it’s exciting to have moved to this area – it’s quite industrial, and full of some fantastically creative companies: Blast Theory, Millimetre, Studio Morison, We Make Stuff Happen… and Small Batch Coffee HQ is our next-door neighbour, so what’s not to like?”.
New member Amy Branton added: “I’m so happy to have been accepted into this long-established artist community at their new Portslade location. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience within this
diverse group of skilled artists, which can be shared for the benefit of the wider communities. It is a fresh start for everyone, and promises to be a wonderful year of individual and collective growth. Some members are excited to be participating in Artist Open Houses in May, and welcoming all the art lovers who will be visiting!”
The cooperative was set up in 1984 and found its first studios in 1985. They have moved eight times since, including opening up the building that now houses Phoenix Brighton as artists’ studios and gallery in 1990. Perhaps part of the zeitgeist, Phoenix intends to open a second studio complex in north Portslade in the next few years – part of a gradual exodus of creative industries from the centre of Brighton, which has become too expensive for many artists.
Red Herring aims to continue its ethos of offering affordable studio space to a wide variety of art practitioners including painters, ceramicists, illustrators, sculptors, textile artists and woodworkers.
Interested in renting spaces at Red Herring and want to arrange a viewing, click here: