About
At ‘a space’ we are passionate about supporting artists, and bringing Southampton’s incredible history to life. Since 2000 we have been reanimating lost buildings across the city with art – from our first gallery in the former antiques quarter on Old Northam Road in 2000, to the Bargate Monument Gallery, which hosted dozens of exhibitions in the city’s most important historical landmark between 2006 and 2012.
GHT is our most ambitious project to date and we hope its latest reincarnation will become a catalyst in the regeneration of Southampton’s historically important Old Town.
From its medieval inception as a strategic point of defence, as a place of refuge for pilgrims, as the town jail, mortuary, mill and warehouse, as Southampton’s Museum of Archaeology, and now as a cutting edge arts and heritage venue, we are thrilled to be able to gift this incredible building back to the public.
Mission statement
We work to support visual artists and cultural audiences in and around Southampton to create a city where artistic communities can flourish. At the heart of our work are three aims:
- To support and champion the work of visual artists and create opportunities for them to thrive by establishing financially sustainable careers.
- To bring a visible change to the city’s visual arts community by delivering co-created projects with previously under-represented artists.
- To create opportunities for the public to engage with, learn from and be inspired by the work of visual artists.
To achieve our mission we are committed to authentically working with others to develop new projects that culturally reanimate spaces and further support our local communities and artists.
Our current portfolio comprises: Artist Development, RIPE, Public Art, Tower House, The Arches Studios and God’s House Tower.
Becoming an anti-racist arts organisation
Over the last six-months ‘a space’ arts has been learning and recognising the systemic racism and structural inequalities within the city around us; we have begun a journey to play our role in overcoming these challenges and become an anti-racist organisation.
We recognise bringing meaningful change takes time and that we haven’t done enough in the past to address these issues. We have been reflecting and educating ourselves so we can publicly express our intentions and actions.
We are committed to working on ourselves so we can work authentically with others and deliver an ongoing series of long-term co-created projects that reflect the diversity of the communities and artists that live and work in and around Southampton.
Our vision is to change how we work with Southampton’s visual arts community and make visible the work of previously under-represented artists in Southampton, ensuring their talents are seen, their work is supported and we offer equal opportunities to visual artists from all of the city’s communities.
We continue to listen, learn, grow, and we welcome conversation with the city’s communities and artists as we continue our work to become an anti-racist organisation.
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