Department A Studio

Set up in September 2017, Department A is a studio comprised of 15 artists, currently from Scotland, England, Korea & China. Running the studio has been my full time job for nearly 9 years.

The backstory of the studio I covered in a blog post in 2020. The essentials of that post still stand with the exception that we are in a radically different landscape in post pandemic 2026 Glasgow.

The area we are in is Calton, one of the highest poverty districts in the country, is being rapidly developed thus increasing the ‘market value’ of the buildings. As the bills have risen I have modified the studio by changing the layout, bigger booths, more people, increasing the price gradually. My wage for running the studio has been eaten away by the bills to nothing. Largely the Business Rates which is a shocking £821 monthly. Rising to over £1000 next year and only increasing beyond that.

With the studio now costing £30,000 annually I can not shoulder that responsibility while also working for free while Glasgow City Council enjoy £821 a month.

I don’t want to gentrify my own studio by charging the artists but have to establish some alternative revenue stream or close.

After several weeks of planning to wall off the room into 3 smaller units to remove the Business Rates I have decided to reject that option. It’s a backwards step, that’s not growth.

I’m taking a radical approach and have launched a Patreon so people can support the studio.

We stay one room. Artists are not paying more. I keep my job here in the studio doing what I’m skilled at doing.

I have written an extensive post about the Patreon ethos, the reasons behind it, what I do and what you’ll get in return. In essence it’s a £5 monthly subscription and you get a invite to our monthly Patreon only event. Im also trialing art class sessions which will be offered incorporated into the Patreon in the near future, at the moment I have a small tester group while the format is refined.

To read all about the Patreon and to subscribe and get the invite to our first night in August, see the below link to our Patreon profile.

https://www.patreon.com/cw/DepartmentA