Lancaster's oldest art studio opens special exhibition to mark its 40th anniversary

Luneside Studios, in the shadow of Lancaster Castle, is the city’s oldest running artist-led organisation, first established in 1983.

It provides supportive and affordable studio space for 13 artists in a friendly, enriching and inclusive environment.

The new exhibition, entitled Luneside Studios at 40, focuses on the history of the studio, as well as its shared heritage in an area brimming over with creative diversity.

The exhibition opened on Monday (August 21) and will run through to September 11, and is accessible Mondays to Thursdays from 10am to 4pm, on Fridays from 10am to 6pm and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.

It will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday (August 28).

Work is for sale, admission is free and everyone is welcome.

The artists exhibiting are the studios’ 16 current members along with two associate members.

Alongside the exhibition, based at The Storey Gallery, the studio is also running two free hand printing workshops for children, led and facilitated by four of the resident artists, Iain Sloan, Rosie Tacon-Glass, Laura Jones and Lauren Hill.

With generous support from Lancaster BID, the workshops will take place in Marketgate Shopping Centre on September 2 from 11am until 3pm.

Rosie said: “Through these workshops, we‘ll focus on reinstating a sense of belonging to a shared history, reminding community members of how our heritage has shaped and created the Lancaster we know today.

"In creating printed games during our workshops, using simple iconography, we can tell old stories about the maritime history of Lancaster's old port and explain the coining of the word dinosaur.

"A castle printing activity on mock ancient scrolls which will include the red rose of Lancashire is sure to get conversations going, highlighting Lancaster as an exciting historical destination.”

She added: “By instilling a sense of pride in the place we live, we would like to highlight the importance of supporting the prosperity and infrastructure of all the creative networks that help to make Lancaster an arts city.

"We want to stand up in solidarity with other independent businesses, as this collaborative culture is what makes our area shine.”

You can follow Luneside Studios on Facebook or Instagram. Alternatively, visit the website at http://www.lunesidestudios.org