ALINE - Artist-led Initiative networking event

ALINE stands for Artist-Led Initiative Networking Event!

What is it?

A unique, informal public event for people to come and find out what goes on in the artist-led scene in Belfast and why artist-led initiatives are fundamental to the arts and creative industries.

Who is it for?

Anyone who wants to find out what the artist-led scene is about, and who might want to get involved. It's also for the artists doing the work to hang out and get to know each other better.

When & where?

Monday 28th April, Vault Artist Studios, Marlborough House, 3pm-5pm. Free event - Just drop in!

Why?

Belfast’s artist-led creative studio groups and galleries are the cultural heart of our city. Did you know we currently have more than 20 separate artist groups working together, making creative things happen, each with its own very distinctive personality and approach?

Without these groups and artist-led workspaces there would be a lot less art and creative culture in our city: fewer festivals, galleries, theatres and markets; little live music, and no Late Night Art. Without the spaces to develop their work, artists wouldn’t be able to take their skills and ideas to our communities, schools, parks and streets. 

These are spaces for inclusion, for activism, and for amplifying perspectives that may not have opportunities to do so otherwise, leading the way in shaping new sets of societal values. These spaces enable artists to tell stories about who we are: from giving heritage cultural skills a new lease of life, to documenting our contemporary lived experience, to using pioneering technologies to envision new worlds. 

If you would like to learn more about artist-led spaces in Belfast, and meet the people behind them, then come to our event. Its free and open to all!

‘It is important to be reminded of the artist-led spaces’ vital contribution to the art ecosystem today… Artist-founded galleries are interfaces between producers and their publics. They are often the places where groundbreaking new work is developed and young artists have their first exhibitions…individuals are making an impact through not only their studio practices, but parallel activities as curators and gallerists too. The spaces they create celebrate a spirit of self-organisation, community-building and entrepreneurship’.  - Ian Tee

About the artist-led groups-

We are ‘Vault Artist Studios’, the largest provider of affordable studios in Northern Ireland. We are also the most diverse multi-disciplinary studio space in the north of Ireland, with two premises in Belfast City. www.vaultartiststudios.com

University of Atypical is a disabled-led charity developing, showcasing and promoting work by D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists, improving their experience within the creative sector. With a year round programme in the Atypical Gallery, the annual Bounce Arts Festival, artist funding and a support and accreditation scheme ADDAA to encourage best practice amongst arts organisations. www.universityofatypical.org

QSS is Belfast's longest running artist-led studio group. For over 40 years, we have been providing affordable studios for artists at all career stages. We have two high quality gallery spaces in which we host approx. 13 shows per year.  Our exhibition programme is open to early and mid-career artists and is selected through an open call and application process. www.queenstreetstudios.net

PS2 is an artist-led collective, connecting art and society, based in the centre of Belfast. We offer 11 artists’ studios, a programme of three annual/bi-annual ‘in residence’ opportunities, around 14 individual/group exhibitions per year and several offsite community-situated projects across the city and beyond. www.pssquared.org

Platform Arts is an artist-led studio group and contemporary art gallery based in Belfast’s city centre. Our role is to actively promote creative expression, presentation, and access to contemporary art practice through our Exhibition, Education and Studio Programmes. platformarts-belfast.com

Digital Arts Studios is a not-for-profit, charity operating a shared studio space in Belfast City Centre, promoting the convergence of art and technology and providing invaluable access to the resources essential to the production of and engagement with digital arts, through artist residencies, equipment hire, membership and our weekly XR Lab. www.digitalartsstudios.com

Creative Exchange Artists Studios, located within the historic Portview Mill in East Belfast, was established in 1996 by a group of visual artists who over the intervening years have contributed to the history, culture and economy of its locality. Creative Exchange is a community of artists working in a range of mediums including, ceramics, painting, sculpture and textiles, working side-by-side in an environment that encourages and inspires growth, prioritises their professional practice whilst engaging with the community. www.creativeexchangestudio.co.uk

Catalyst Arts is an artist-led space in Belfast. Founded in 1993 by a group of artists, it has become Belfast's leading artist-led space, offering opportunities, support, and community for emerging and established artists. With a dedicated team of volunteers, the organisation produces an annual program, showcasing a diverse range of art disciplines and launching the careers of many artists. www.catalystarts.org.uk

Getting here and accessibility - Marlbrough House

More Arist-Led groups in Belfast:

1.   Belfast Print Workshop

2.   Catalyst Arts

3.   Creative Exchange

4.   Digital Art Studio

5.   Platform

6.   Pollen

7.   PS2

8.   Queen Street Studios

9.   University of Atypical

10. Vault Artist Studios

11. Arcade

12. Array Studios and Collective 

13. Bbeyond 

14. Flax Art Studios

15. Lombard Studios

16. Artists at the Mill

17. Framewerk

18. Orchid

19. Lawrence Street Workshops