We have 13 weeks to save Penzance School of Art before it becomes at risk of being sold to developers. Help us raise the £450k valuation.
In April 2025, significant funding cuts across the education sector led to the announcement that these historic buildings would be sold. justlife.art CIC has intervened to prevent this landmark from being lost to private development, ensuring it remains what it was always intended to be: a place of rigorous study and practice. Truro and Penwith College, the vendors, have given us just 13 weeks to raise the £450k asking price. We need all of your help to save these historic buildings.
Our plan involves an initial community-funded acquisition, followed by a formal restoration of the Art School, Library, and Science School for the use of future generations.
At justlife.art CIC, as well as saving these historic buildings, we are securing the future of a dedicated Art School. Established in 2022, our organization is lived-experience led and built upon a proven proof of concept for high-caliber Fine Art instruction. Our mission is to acquire and restore the iconic Penzance School of Art on Morrab Road, establishing it as a community-owned, radically inclusive institution dedicated to the pursuit of artistic excellence.
We are developing the modern succession to a tradition of Fine Art excellence that began in 1853. As the first art school west of Bristol, these halls have served as a sanctuary for brilliance for generations:
A Gathering of Legends: The school’s history is inextricably linked with the Newlyn School pioneers, Stanhope Forbes, and visits from figures such as Oscar Wilde.
The Leach Connection: In 1942, the world-renowned Bernard Leach established the pottery studio here—a tradition of discipline and form still represented by the historic Leach wheel housed within the school today.
Modernists such as Sir Terry Frost and Peter Lanyon were students here. Barbara Hepworth tutored here.
Architectural Significance: Designed by Silvanus Trevail, the building was originally funded by the global subscriptions of artists and students—a legacy of collective support we are revitalizing today. You can find out more about the history and legacy of Penzance School of Art here: https://www.justlife.art/penzance-school-of-art-history-and-legacy
Our school is defined by its commitment to the highest standards of technical skill. We are led by a faculty of practicing artists at the top of their field, including members of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and Contemporary British Portrait Painters.
By establishing our permanent base in these historic buildings, we will provide a rigorous academic progression:
Restoring Essential Provision: We will fill the gap created by recent funding cuts to local art education, ensuring foundational Fine Art courses remain accessible to the community.
Professional Masterclasses: We will continue our prestigious short courses led by our elite faculty of world-class portrait and figurative painters.
The Diploma Programme: We are building toward the launch of two-year Diplomas in Portraiture and Figurative Painting, cementing the school’s reputation as a national center for contemporary and technical mastery.
Re-open and establish the ceramics department providing access level, masterclass and diploma courses.
Community Studio: We will provide a fully equipped large community studio for hire at reasonable rates for community organisations and art establishments to lead their own art sessions.
Affordable Studios: We will provide essential low cost art studios to lease for those attending our diploma level courses, those who have just finished art education and locally living artists in their early to mid career.
We are at the start of this journey and we need your support to hold the key. Every donation helps us return these buildings to their true purpose: the study of Fine Art. Please donate now and Save Penzance School of Art.
PLEASE NOTE: WE HAVE CHOSEN THE 'KEEP WHAT WE RAISE' OPTION RATHER THAN THE 'ALL OR NOTHING OPTION' JUST IN CASE WE DONT RAISE ALL OF THE £450K VIA CROWDFUNDER AND RECEIVE OTHER FUNDING VIA APPLICATIONS, GET MORE TIME FOR APPLICATIONS (WE ARE FIGHTING FOR THIS) OR RECEIVE LARGER DONATIONS VIA BACS TRANSFER. WE PROMISE TO REFUND ALL MONEY DONATED IF WE DO NOT BUY PENZANCE SCHOOL OF ART FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER. THERE ARE REFUND OPTIONS ON CROWDFUNDER SO THIS CAN BE DONE AT ANY TIME. IF YOU FEEL CONCERNED THEN WE CAN ORGANISE A BACS TRANSFER WITH A LEGAL;LY BINDING LETTER TO STATE THAT WE WILL TRANSFER THE MONEY BACK TO YOU IF NO SALE GOES THROUGH.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 7th August 2026 at 8:35pm