News

Two graduate artists receive free Acme Studios

03.07.2009

Recent graduates Janne Malmros and Sam Austen have been awarded free studios as part of two awards managed by Acme Studios.

Janne Malmros is the 8th recipient of the Adrian Carruthers Award, presented annually to MA students from The Slade School of Art. Beginning in October, Janne will receive a year’s free rent at the Adrian Carruthers Studio in Acme’s Childer’s Street studios. The award was established in memory of former Acme tenant and Slade School graduate Adrian Carruthers.

Sam Austen is the first recipient of the Chelsea Studio Award. Last year, Acme were approached by two students at Chelsea School of Art, Kiki Claxton and Harry Major, who were concerned about the lack of opportunities for graduate artists. Acme will provide Sam with a rent-free studio for six months in 2009-2010. The award is part of a series of prizes provided by different organisations keen to support emerging artists.

Culture Minister visits artists’ studios to see benefits to culture and communities

04.06.2009

Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, Barbara Follett, recently (3 June) visited Acme Studios new-build Leven Road studios. The visit was part of a trip to see different models of artists’ studios groups and the benefits they can have to local communities and culture as a whole. Acme Studios Chief Executive, Jonathan Harvey, showed the minister around the newly-opened studios and introduced her to two tenants: painter Paul Johnson and sound artist Jan Hendrickse, the current holder of the Acme Tower Hamlets Studio Residency.

The visit was organised by NFASP (National Federation of Artists’ Studio Providers) as part of a trip to three Federation members in east London: Mother Studios in Hackney Wick, Bow Arts Trust in Bow and Acme Studios’ Leven Road development in Poplar. NFASP is the professional umbrella body representing the interests of all those engaged in developing and managing affordable workspace for artists in the UK. Barbara Follett’s visit was prompted by a recent study into the impact of the 2012 Olympics on artists’ studio groups in the five host boroughs, particularly Tower Hamlets and Hackney which contain the highest concentration of artists in the UK. Whilst Acme’s 21 purpose-built studios at Leven Road are a permanent resource for the area, many smaller organisations face an uncertain future with the large-scale regeneration of the area.

The ground-breaking scheme at Leven Road is the result of a partnership between Acme and Swan Housing Group and is the UK’s first 100 per cent affordable mixed-use residential and commercial development. Further information on the minister’s visit can be found on the NFASP website: www.nfasp.org.uk

'Dance of the Techno Polar Bear' now open at the Acme Project Space

14.05.2009

The recipient of the 2008-09 Jessica Wilkes Award, Howard Dyke, has opened the new Acme Project Space with an exhibition of paintings created during the last year. ‘Dance of the Techno Polar Bear’ runs from 05 June to 28 June and is described as combining “process painting and Expressionism via a Pop sensibility, re-evaluating 80s Neo-Expressionism”. The show, which includes pieces made in and for the venue, presents work created by Howard during an intense period of creative activity as recipient of the Jessica Wilkes Award. The award is the result of a legacy from the artist Jessica Wilkes and provides an Acme tenant with a free studio and grant (together worth £10,000). ‘Dance of the Techno Polar Bear’ is the first event at the Acme Project Space, a new multi-purpose venue in East London. Previously home to The Showroom, the Acme Project Space will support various activities including our expanding Residency, Awards & Community Programme and our major International Residencies Programme, through exhibitions, presentations, seminars and events.

'Dance of the Techno Polar Bear' now open at the Acme Project Space

Dance of the Techno Polar Bear.pdf

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Hazel Blears visits Acme’s latest studio building

06.05.2009

Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, yesterday (5 May) visited Acme’s newly-opened Leven Road Studios in Poplar, E14. The minister was given a tour of the development by Swan Housing’s Chair Richard Frost and Acme Studios Chief Executive Jonathan Harvey and visited Acme tenant Claire Morgan in her studio.

The visit was organised by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC), the ultimate planning authority in the area. Ms Blears and delegates from LTGDC were impressed by the joint project, which is the UK's first 100 per cent affordable mixed-use development. For more information, see the full press release below:

Hazel Blears visits Acme’s latest studio building

PRESS-RELEASE-Hazel-Blears.pdf

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Stephanie Kingston announced as Jessica Wilkes Award recipient

28.04.2009

Acme Studios is delighted to announce that the second recipient of the Jessica Wilkes Award is Stephanie Kingston, a painter with a studio at the Galleria. The award, worth £10,000 and open to all Acme tenants, will enable Stephanie to dedicate more time to her work and she is planning to create a series of work around the theme of memories. For more information, see Jessica Wilkes Newsletter below:

Stephanie Kingston announced as Jessica Wilkes Award recipient

JessicaWilkesAward2009.pdf

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New-build studios open and fully occupied

23.03.2009

Acme’s latest studio building in Leven Road, Poplar, E14, has opened and is already fully occupied by artists. The 21 new-build accessible studios were designed to Acme’s specifications and form the ground floor of an affordable housing development.

The average inclusive price for a studio is £219 a month for a 286 sq. ft studio not including electricity. The low cost to artists makes Leven Road, the first 100 per cent affordable mixed-use project in the UK. All the studios feature high ceilings, large doors and natural light. There is also a bike store, two wheelchair accessible toilets and communal wash-up facilities.

Leven Road, also houses Acme’s Tower Hamlets Studio Residency, a two year award which includes a rent-free studio worth £7,000 and a grant of £10,000 a year. The residency is for artists whose work naturally engages with local people and community groups and will be held by Jan Hendrickse until 2011.

New-build studios open and fully occupied

PRESS-RELEASE-Leven-Road.pdf

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Acme artist's sonic performance

23.02.2009

Our Tower Hamlets Studio Residency holder Jan Hendrickse is currently working on a project exploring the materials and surfaces in use at John Jones. Exploration of their sonic properties will result in a “part installation and part performance” to be shown at the John Jones Project Space on 27 March at 8pm. The performance is part of John Jones' Spring Art Party which runs from 6-11pm. Jan begins his residency at Acme’s new-build Leven Road studios in Poplar, E14, next week. For more information, visit: www.acme.org.uk/residencies

'Nightcleaners’ – film-screening and panel discussion

16.02.2009

‘Nightcleaners: Part 1’, a rarely seen experimental film, will be screened on 12 March, as part of Celebrating Women in Southwark. This event is organised and hosted by Ana Laura Lopez de la Torre, the current Acme Southwark Artist in Residence. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with film co-director Humphry Trevelyan, and people currently involved in researching and campaigning for better working conditions for night cleaners.

'Nightcleaners’ – film-screening and panel discussion

Nightcleaners.pdf

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Acme residency artists – exhibition and art workshops

04.02.2009

Two artists involved in Acme Studios' residency programme are running public events in February. Howard Dyke is the 2008-2009 Jessica Wilkes Award holder, an annual award providing an Acme tenant with a free studio and grant worth £10,000. Howard will be showing his most recent work in a joint show with Geraldine Swain at Calvert 22, Shoreditch. The exhibition opens on 5 February and runs until 14 February. Ana Laura Lopez de la Torre is the 2008-2009 Acme Southwark Artist in Residence, a partnership programme with Southwark Council and South London Gallery which provides a rent-free studio and £10,000 grant to a socially-engaged artist at Acme’s Galleria studios. As part of ‘Beating the Bounds of Tabard Estate’, Ana Laura will be running a series of drop-in art workshops for children and young people in Peckham. For more information on both events and information on applying for the 2009-2010 Jessica Wilkes Award, please visit: www.acme.org.uk/residencies

Acme responds to 'Cultural Metropolis'

23.01.2009

Cultural Metropolis was published in November 2008 and is the Mayor's vision for cultural strategy in London. The document invites responses by 30 January which will be fed into the Mayor's Cultural Strategy, due to be published in the spring. The value and importance of visual art and artists to London is outlined within Cultural Metropolis. Acme is keen to see further recognition of the affordable studios sector and particularly the pressures and opportunities presented by regeneration projects such as the 2012 Olympics.

Acme responds to 'Cultural Metropolis'

Acme's Response to Cultural Metropolis.pdf

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Jessica Wilkes Award 2009/10 - Call for submissions from Acme studio tenants

05.01.2009

Applications are now being accepted for the annual Jessica Wilkes Award. The award is open to current Acme studio tenants only. For more information please visit www.acme.org.uk/residencies