A new creative studio space aimed at grassroots creatives is set to open at the site of a former bank at Salford Precinct.
The new space will be opened by GRIT Studios, a Stockport-based not-for-profit community interest company. The company was formed in 2021 as a union of local artists looking to work affordably within their community.
The Salford space is set to be the third facility opening across Greater Manchester, with existing studios in Manchester and Stockport hosting 48 artists in 2024.
John Macaulay, a co-founder and director of GRIT alongside Sophie Macaulay, hopes the space can help Salfordians engage with the city’s cultural offerings.
He said: “GRIT is very much about art for everybody, and there’s a lot of people in Salford who don’t engage with the city’s cultural offerings for whatever reason.
“When we went to look around Salford Shopping Centre, there was a real sense of community, like everyone knew each of us. We see real opportunity in Salford.
“It’s just our sort of place, really, where we can work with lots of local residents and hopefully open the door for local grassroots creatives,” he added.
GRIT receive the majority of their funding through artist residency fees, with artists paying a small amount in order to use the space. The company feel that this model ensures they remain independent and in the interest of creatives and communities.
The new creative studio is set to host up to 20 Salfordian artists, with GRIT hoping to host creative workshops and community projects in and around Salford. Macaulay hopes the space can help combine local creativity with the community, as he continued:
“It’s just about opening the door really, inviting people in for a brew or a paint, combining the skills of local creatives with the local community.
“I think a lot of it is about making [the art] accessible to the people outside of the building. We do loads of street art, workshops, and often you don’t need any knowledge or ability in art to take part in our events or activities.
“I can’t draw or paint to save my life, but I can help make mosaics, woodwork; so, there’s various ways to get people involved, and that’s what I think our sweet spot is really.”
In 2024, GRIT Studios in Manchester and Stockport saw 12,350 visitors, with 12 collaborative community projects and 23 workshops encouraging the communities of Manchester and Stockport to work alongside their local creatives to enhance the areas.
And with the new location opening in Salford, Macaulay hopes to eventually create a ‘union’ for artists across Greater Manchester.
He said: “There’s a real chronic shortage of affordable studio space, and what we don’t want to be is just an insular group of artists that sit in the studio and keep ourselves to ourselves.
“It’s hard to be a creative in today’s society, when society’s telling you there’s no value in it. We’d love to build a union, a tribe of artists with strength in unity, in each of the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester.
“All artists have the same trials and tribulations, so having a group of likeminded people around you really do help to keep you motivated and keep you at the table,” he added.
The creative studio is set to open in the old NatWest bank at Salford Shopping Centre in early April. Artists interested in working at the studio can register interest here.
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