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We talk lots about the value of artists to our towns and cities: the buildings they revive, the communities they help connect and the character they bring to places that might otherwise become just too uniform.
But none of that amzing stuff can happen without somewhere to work.
Leeds-based arts charity East Street Arts has partnered with Bow Arts to bring Artist Studio Finder to Yorkshire and the wider North of England. The free digital platform allows not-for-profit studio providers to advertise available spaces directly to artists, designers and makers looking for affordable, suitable and properly registered places in which to develop their practice.
Established by Bow Arts in London in 2011, Artist Studio Finder has helped thousands of early-career artists locate safe and secure workspace in the capital. Its expansion north should make it easier for artists to find studios within the region - and for those moving between London and the North to understand what is available beyond the capital.
Crucially, studio providers across the North can now register and advertise their spaces free of charge.
The partnership builds upon more than three decades of work by both organisations. Since its foundation in Leeds in 1993, East Street Arts has supported artists through studios, mentoring, residencies and other opportunities - frequently bringing empty or temporarily unused buildings back into productive life.
Jon Wakeman of East Street Arts said that proper places in which to make work do far more than simply accommodate an individual artist’s practice.
“They anchor artists in communities and help regenerate the areas around them. Extending Artist Studio Finder north means more studio providers can be found by the artists who need them, and more places can benefit from having artists rooted in them.”
And - rooted - is important. Artists are often celebrated once their presence has helped make a neighbourhood interesting, distinctive or desirable. Yet affordable creative space can then become one of the first casualties of the rising rents and redevelopment that follow.
A directory isn't able to solve that structural problem by itself. But making genuine, affordable studio provision easier to find - and helping responsible providers reach the people who need it - is a practical and welcome step.
Marcel Baettig of Bow Arts said the original platform had been an immediate success in London, providing early-career artists with access to “proper, safe, secure, registered providers where they can thrive and build their careers.”
Now, that simple idea has travelled north. Artists searching for space - and northern organisations with affordable studios to offer - can visit Artist Studio Finder.
Artist Studio Finder is supported by Arts Council England.
Header image: BowFest Open Studios 2026, Photo Hallie Aduke, Courtesy of Bow Arts
