Bristol is, as any long-time resident or artistic incomer from London and beyond will tell you, a great place for burgeoning creatives. With a brand-new show at not-for-profit community project PAPER Arts in Broadmead, which runs until Monday March 30, curator and Bristol School of Art student James Cook tells us why Bristol has one of the UK's most vibrant grassroots art scenes.
The Bristol art scene is open to all
Bristol’s art scene isn’t just limited to fancy galleries with five-figured price tags and lots of free vino. It's spread much further, like some bacterial paint splat across the city. From Stokes Croft, where fresh graffiti murals litter the walls, to open-armed arts organisations like PAPER Arts, the ability to get work out there isn’t exclusive to those with contacts in the right places and wads of spare cash. In fact, exhibiting work shouldn’t even be as daunting as putting it on a gallery wall. Bristol’s artists can now display work from the comfort of their own home – with community art trails dotted around the city’s streets we have no excuse for hiding away in our studios.
Art doesn’t just come on canvasses in Bristol
Mention art and people immediately think of silent galleries where you need a double-barrelled surname to get in, but the emergence of fresh, new art across all disciplines means there’s something for everyone in Bristol. From film screenings at the Watershed, which shows the freshest independent talent from Bristol’s film community, to the Tobacco Factory, mixing the experienced with the fledging, local art from new artists is never far away. Sure, there are prestigious places dotted around the city but smaller, unlikely spaces are always hungry for a range of new and inspiring talents.
It’s often free
Art is one of those things that can provide days of free entertainment – the only real cost being that fancy coffee you'll need to keep on trucking. The endless supply of affordable art from emerging talent, which, of course, can be seen at Bristol's Affordable Art Fair, means that buying art in Bristol won’t break the bank either. From more purposeful art hunters to enthusiastic dawdlers who find it all a little overwhelming, it’s just a matter of time before you find that gallery that feels right. Maybe it’s the Edwardian Cloakroom, Bristol’s artiest toilet, or the Arnolfini, with its three floors of artistic excellence.
It’s a friendly community
Bristol is a friendly city, full of friendly artists – an inclusive group of like-minded creatives who want to share their experiences and their passion. That means newbies in the scene get room to spread their wings, too. You'll easily find that vital first opportunity to get your art seen and chat with fellow fresh new talent.
Bristol is full of encouragement
Classes and courses around the city mean you don’t have to be a perfect artist to pick up a pen, pencil or paintbrush. Artists including four-time Turner Prize nominee Richard Long have been treading the floorboards at the Bristol School of Art for 100 years and it remains one of the focal points for Bristol’s new talent. The School features a list of artists and designers sharing their skills with the city’s freshest new talent, and hosts drop-in tutorials and structured courses alike. Bristol Folk House also offers a little of everything, with a similarly expansive set of artists, designers and makers providing prospective artists with the facility and materials to start their own artistic journey.
More art on Time Out Bristol.