Archive

In 1972 a group of recently-graduated art students, led by Jonathan Harvey and David Panton, established Acme Housing Association Ltd. Since then, the organisation has evolved and expanded to become one of the leading artists' studios providers in the UK.

Throughout Acme's history, there has been a consistent commitment to documenting its work – the houses, the studios, and other projects, and many of the 5,000 artists which the organisation has helped. The result is a unique and extensive collection of images and publications charting the development of Acme, of artists’ practice, as well as the changing face of East London. Many of the photographs were specially commissioned from artist photographers including Hugo Glendinning, John Riddy and Edward Woodman.

Caroline Vosburgh, free-lance archivist, spent two years cataloguing and digitising the collection, and organising the archival storage of the original negatives, transparencies and publications. The archive is now accessible to researchers and others with an interest in Acme, in artists, and the recent history of East London more generally. The archive will now be maintained and developed, providing an increasingly valuable addition to the knowledge and understanding of how artists live and work, and how they continue to make a vital contribution to the process of regeneration.

Appointments

The archive can be accessed by appointment only. For further information, please contact :

Jack Fortescue, Communications Officer
Acme Studios
44 Copperfield Road,
Bow, London, E3 4RR
T 020 8981 6811
F 020 8983 0567
E mail@acme.org.uk