Artspace?

Participate Artspace CIC (Community Interest Company) is based in what had been for a long time a derelict supermarket in the Riverside Mall in central Shrewsbury.  Since the winter of 2014/15 a group of local artists has been developing the space and in May 2015 the Artspace officially opened.

Barry Maisey in his exhibition of paintings.

Primarily the Artspace is a gallery, an exhibition space for contemporary artwork by local and regional (and beyond) artists.  Situated in the Riverside Mall, a regular route for shoppers going into town from or returning to the Ravens Meadow car park, it benefits from a regular and large footfall and since opening we have regularly had 50-100 visitors each day.

Keith Ashford at work on a full size reproduction of  a local landmark.

There are also four, large project spaces which artists can hire for one day or for up to six weeks.  These are incredibly useful for workshops or for providing spaces for projects which are too large or complex for an artist's usual studio.

Jill Impey and the Elephant In The Room.

There are also fourteen studio spaces occupied by local artists.  Having creative people working together turns what might be just another art gallery into a vibrant and exciting space for visitors and artists alike.

Participate is more than just a name, though.  We aim to integrate art into the communities of the town and to bring those communities into the artspace.  We are open to ANY ideas for creative uses of this space.