A4 Studios Heating Fund

Who are we?

We're A4 Studios, a disabled led community arts hub for artists in the north west. We provide accessible spaces for neuro-diverse artists and those on low incomes. Our building is home to 30 independant studios, a contemporary art gallery and communal café and workshop space.

We started our project in 2017 with £500 and ALOT of contributions from local businesses -sourcing whatever they had that they couldn't sell or no longer wanted. It has been primarily four of us working on this project since the beginning, building everything you see from scratch.

Community impact

Through the year we've been providing free and accessible exhibitions, workspaces, workshops and events for the local community.

Our studios host a range of artists from all walks of life with a mix of neuro-diverse conditions, long term health problems, mental health or other debilitating conditions. Our aim is to provide a safe and creative space for these artists so they can work to their full potential. Over the years we have built up a community here and become a small family. 

Our workshops are open to all members of the public and range from free children's crafts during half term to artist led professional workshops teaching new skills and techniques.

The gallery is run by AIR Gallery CIC and focuses on emerging and early career artists, particular graduates looking to start out in the artworld.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We receive no government funding and all of our leasehold improvements are funded through donations. As bills rise, we want to keep our project and community going but this is proving difficult in this current climate.

Our building is an old warehouse based on Grosvenor road. It has multiple problems with gaps in the roof and we have no heating in the building. It is actually warmer outside right now than it is inside. It is becoming unbearable to work indoors and although we've reached out to local businesses for help; spare funds are in short supply to help us install a heating system in our communal area. We are currently relying on gas heaters and the cannisters for that are costing £60-£120 every 2 weeks. If the cold weather continues, we have no choice but to close our doors during the winter months which will  have a huge impact on our community project.

How we’ll spend the money raised

Donations will help us to hire a professional and source the right equipment to install an eco-friendly heating system in our communal café.. This will at least provide an area of warmth within the building enough for our staff, residents and visitors to work in over the winter and spring months. It will enable us to continue to provide our free workshops and seasonal events but to also operate and stay sustainable.

Please do give whatever you can to help our project. We're so passionate about what we do and we don't want to lose what so many people have worked so hard to achieve.