Together with Situations and Arnolfini, we are delighted to announce that we have secured a £150,000 grant from Arts Council England's “Catalyst Arts: building fundraising capacity” scheme. The money will be used to seed fund a long-term strategy for building patronage for the visual arts in the city by galvanising collaborative working, sharing resources and articulating a compelling case for ... read on →

Our first experiment in crowd funding, undertaken with artist Melissa Gordon, has been a success! With the support of 58 generous backers, we not only reached but exceeded our goal of £4000, ending with a final total of £4,478.  The money raised will contribute towards Melissa's residency at Spike Print Studio, starting next week and running through the end of May. The funds will cover materials as well as travel and ... read on →

Groups of artists, curators and producers are invited to submit proposals for an opportunity to establish a new project space for Bristol from July 2013. Members of the selection panel are looking for an ambitious vision to deliver an exciting contemporary visual art and/or design programme. This project aims to reenergise independent artist-led activity in the city and to help artists explore the potential of the Bristol Temple Quarter regeneration ... read on →

Please note that our gallery and Spike Café hours are changing slightly from April. Our Spring exhibitions launch with new shows by Jessica Warboys and Cara Tolmie on Saturday 13 April, from which time the gallery opening hours will be 12–5pm. Spike Café weekday opening times remain the same, 8.30am–5pm, but it will open 12–5pm on weekends from Saturday 6 April. The café will be closed for the bank holiday ... read on →

In April Spike Island will merge with Picture This, taking on its AV equipment hire, production and post-production services. A new department, Spike Film and Video, will be run by former Picture This staff members Ali Roche and Andy Moss. Throughout its 20 year history, Picture This has made a major contribution to moving image practice, commissioning and producing works that have been shown in national ... read on →

A group of Spike Associates travelled to Plymouth earlier this month for the opening of Associate member Hannah James’ solo show, The outline seems indelible at The Gallery, Plymouth College of Art on Wednesday 6 February. Associates coordinator Lucy Drane shares her impressions. This is the inaugural exhibition to launch the South West Showcase, profiling three artists selected from an open call in ... read on →

We are one of four visual arts organisations in the region currently working with Visual Arts South West and Annabel Jackson Associates Ltd. to undertake research into the quality of vistors’ experience. Spike Island’s vision is to position art as central to society, and our mission is to support artists and designers and to facilitate audiences’ encounters with ... read on →

Members of Spike Associates have been invited to undertake a series of residencies in the Curfew Tower, a unique location in Cushendall, Northern Ireland. Read more about the residencies. Holly Corfield Carr – author, Spike Associate and 2013 writer-in-residence at Spike Island – was the first to take up residence in the tower. She has just returned to Bristol after three ... read on →

Researcher and writer Megan Wakefield has been based at Spike Island for the last few years as part of a PhD in collaboration with the University of the West of England. Her work investigated peer learning amongst artists outside of formal educational systems, whether within networks like Spike Associates or looser affiliations of individuals. Wakefield completed her PhD in late 2012 and here shares some of her experiences and ... read on →