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Artist led models play a critical role not only for the artistic development of collectives and individuals, but also for shaping cultural landscapes and the places they inhabit. Typically, these spaces and their governance models don’t fit ‘the norm’, so many of these crucial spaces do not get the same levels of investment from various funding streams, which will allow them to grow and gain the recognition of their role and importance in the wider sector and cultural landscape.

Through conversations with Brian Kielt at Visual Artists Ireland | the representative body for visual artists (VAI) about their work in this space, and others within the sector, it seemed that the need to discuss the uniqueness of these models, their legacy, challenges and what can be done to support and showcase the various structures and their place within the sector.

The event Sustain and Grow – Artist Led Models was conceptualised, to allow attendees, co-directors, artists and volunteers an opportunity to connect with others, learn from alternative models and provide a critical dialogue around all aspects of ‘Artist Led Models.’

At the event we were joined by representatives giving insights on artist Led models from 126 Artist-Run Gallery & Studios- Galway, Catalyst Arts- Belfast and The Auxiliary Gallery- Middlesbrough. Various themes and discussions were pulled out through presentations and from the panel with panel chair Sinead O’Neill-Nicholl.

Key topics of discussion included -

- CREATION AND MOTIVATION - 

• A strong topic of discussion was the need for these spaces within the artist ecosystem and the guest contributors on stage, shared their motivations and drivers for developing artist-led spaces.
  
  
• For Liam and Edel from The Auxiliary, their shared passion for grassroots led collectives of artists, previously in Cork, seemed key for their energy and development of the Auxiliary in Middlesbrough.
  
  
• With Catalyst Arts and 126 Gallery & Studios, both were created to address the need for spaces for artists to exhibit and develop outside of traditional institutions. Both organisations were deeply inspired by the model of Transmission in Glasgow, which fostered this concept of artist run spaces and sought to provide opportunities to others, in a more open and accessible way.
  
  

- BUILDING, SUPPORTING AND GROWING - 

Ciara Corscadden Hennessy, "The amount of knowledge, skill sharing and experience within the team is invaluable. It’s also a great supportive environment to gain such a rich knowledge."

• The speakers discussed how the artist led model can help artists develop, grow and progress – and how this in turn strengthens the arts sector as a whole. Artist led models help with collaboration with others, peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing but also for self-learning and experimentation on projects and problem solving.

• All the organisations spoke about their role in the duty of care of those they engage with. They spoke about how they feel custodians of artists, ethos of care, making sure artists are treated fairly, paid fairly and enjoy the experience of showing work with organisations. They all expressed their gratitude to have such supportive and caring ecology around them and how as a collective the detail of care and respect they have for the organisation and its legacy.

• 126 Gallery & Studios and Catalyst Arts shared how their Individual membership schemes, give artists the chance to apply for opportunities, be part of newsletters, build a strong network with others and access the use of tools and knowledge from the teams there.

• Catalyst Arts also discussed how their Graduate Award gives the team the opportunity to build new connections and support an emerging artist to establish themselves through exposure outside of academic contexts.

• 126 Gallery & Studios, have a similar opportunity through their internship programme which allows interns to get involved with gallery management, developing their skills in curation, fundraising and event planning. This fits within their ethos of fostering development for the future, with participants given the possibility to be invited to join the board after the completion of the internship.
  
  - COLLABORATION - 
  
  
• The Auxiliary have forged partnerships to collaborate and advocate not only for themselves but for the broader arts and culture landscape within the community. By working closely with local authorities, councils, and community members, they have created connections that along with The Auxiliary’s dedicated programming and hard graft, have enabled collaborative work toward a shared vision for the area’s future. For each model, there is a collective sharing of responsibility for roles and the overall organisation’s creditability and reputation.
  
  
• With this support, The Auxiliary was able to develop further, share their vision and access funding and opportunities to buy a building. The local council, saw them as a valuable partner in helping to regenerate the area, making the arts more accessible, engaging local communities, and supporting the council’s broader strategy for the area.
  
  
   - WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES? - 
  
  Emma Quinn "Being part of Catalyst is a life changing experience…it’s hard to think about how to ‘Sustain and Grow’ the organisation when you’re so in it and it’s hard to think of anything outside of the next week.’" 
  
  
• For Catalyst Arts, as a volunteer led organisation, Director recruitment has been hard due to the commitment required and the fact the roles are voluntary. This can be a barrier for many. The possibility of changing the model to paid roles and opportunities was seen as a conflicting issue for Catalyst Arts throughout its 30 years.
  
  Sean Ward, "The peer to peer and collaboration is so key to the input and output of making the model sustainable internally and externally…but 2 years it’s long enough- how much can we pass on or change whilst there?"
  
  
• The Auxiliary representatives spoke on this element also. They wanted to retain the artist-led model, but had to acknowledge the operational realities. They had to think about the organisation’s consistency, sustainability, evaluation and growth whilst recognising its story and legacy.

There’s no doubt that artist-led spaces play a vital role not only for the artistic development of collectives and individuals and that they are places of collaboration, growth, experimentation and learning. They also positively impact our wider social, cultural, and economic wellbeing, yet, through our work with arts members and discussions from this event, we know that these many of these spaces are in flux, grappling with a number of challenges and external pressures - but there are opportunities too in collaboration and revitalisation.

At Arts & Business NI we will be continuing these conversations through our Artist Studios Pilot Programme with Belfast City Council. Over the next six months, participating organisations across Belfast, will engage in a tailored programme of training, mentoring, and peer learning—designed to help them lay strong foundations, develop new connections and support the building of more resilient and sustainable futures. You can read more about this here > https://www.artsandbusinessni.org.uk/news/2025/may/supporting-creative-spaces-that-shape-belfast