A group of artists and creative business have come together in hopes of saving their spaces in a collective studio in Dalry, after owners said they’d be closing the place down.
Tenants of the Working Artists Studio Provision Scotland (WASPS) building on West Park Place were informed in January of a possible closure, with the business citing ‘escalating maintenance costs’. On Monday, artists were joined by community groups and locals to launch a campaign to save their spaces.
The studios were owned by Edinburgh Council until 2021, now with over 60 local creatives housed in the two large industrial buildings.
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Multi-media artist Jill Martin Boualaxai, who has a space in the studio, said: “When the building was bought by WASPS in 2021, we understood it was under the proviso it remained as an art space.
“After years of uncertainty, it was such a relief to feel safe and secure. We were also told the studios would be renovated.
“For us to now be threatened with eviction less than two years later feels underhand. There appears to be little regard for the challenges we already face where funding, commissions and sales of work are so tough to secure.
“The suggestion that our studios could be sold from under us has caused a lot of anger, stress and anxiety within our community.”
Katriona Gillespie, chair of the local arts and cultural organisation Gorgie Collective, added: “Gorgie-Dalry is already one of the most culturally disengaged areas of the whole city and we have been historically under-resourced in the arts.
“We do not receive our fair share of cultural funding and these studios are one of the only assets we have in the area that actually supports the livelihoods of local artists. It is unthinkable that they should be closed and we are appealing to our local representatives to support the campaign to save the studios.”
Local councillor for Sighthill and Gorgie, Dan Heap, supports the campaign to keep the studios open. He commented: “A number of local artists and residents have been in touch with me asking for my help to keep the studios open.
“Gorgie-Dalry has limited cultural provision as it is, so the possible closure of these studios is deeply concerning. I have raised this issue at the Council’s Culture and Communities committee as an emergency motion and will be speaking at the committee next week to push the Council to do what it can to ensure the continued operation of the studios and provide additional resources for local artists in my area.”
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