Community Studios CIC began with a simple but persistent question: what happens to artists after education ends?
In Burnley, there’s no shortage of creative talent. Colleges and universities produce skilled, thoughtful artists every year. But once access to workshops, technicians, equipment and peer networks disappears, many people struggle to keep going. Practices shrink, confidence dips, and too often artists feel they have to leave town, or even or leave art altogether, in order to make it.
Community Studios exists to interrupt that pattern.
Our vision is to create a place where artists can continue making work seriously, affordably and sustainably, without needing to relocate or take on unrealistic financial risk. We want to provide the conditions that allow artistic practice to grow: time, space, shared knowledge and support.
More Than a Building
Community Studios is not just about premises. It’s about how a space is used and who it’s for.
Right now, we don’t have premises, but we sure do have plans. At its core, the studio is imagined as a shared resource: printmaking facilities, darkroom access, flexible workspaces and communal areas that encourage conversation and collaboration. But just as important is the culture we want to foster—one that values learning over competition, and collective progress over individual gatekeeping.
We’re interested in what happens when artists have the opportunity to work alongside one another regularly. When techniques are shared casually. When questions are asked without embarrassment. When experimentation is encouraged rather than rushed toward outcomes.
Why Printmaking?
Printmaking sits at the heart of our plans because it naturally brings people together. Ideas are duplicated and disseminated. Presses are shared. Processes are visible. Knowledge travels quickly across a room.
It’s also a medium that is increasingly hard to access outside of education. Equipment is expensive, space-hungry and often unsafe for home use. By providing shared facilities and technical support, we make it possible for artists to continue developing print-based practices long after they leave college or university.
Printmaking is also a way of thinking. It encourages iteration, testing, reflection and revision—qualities that align closely with how we believe artistic practice should be supported.
Sustainability as a Creative Choice
We’re committed to making Community Studios environmentally responsible from the outset. That means prioritising non-toxic processes, encouraging material reuse, and building sustainability into how work is made – not as an afterthought, but as a creative framework.
We don’t see environmental responsibility as a restriction. We see it as an opportunity to rethink how studios operate and how artists work, especially at a local scale.
Rooted in Burnley
Community Studios is firmly rooted in Burnley. We believe artists should be able to build meaningful, ambitious practices where they live.
Too often, towns like Burnley are framed as places people leave in order to “make it.” Our vision challenges that assumption. With the right infrastructure and support, high-quality contemporary work can be made and shared locally.
We want Community Studios to become a familiar, trusted part of Burnley’s creative landscape: a place artists return to, grow within, and help shape over time.
Looking Forward
Community Studios CIC is still developing, and that’s intentional. We want the organisation to evolve in response to the artists and communities it serves.
Our early projects are about testing ideas carefully, learning what works, and building something sustainable rather than rushed. The long-term aim is a studio that supports artists at different stages of their careers, offers meaningful development opportunities, and remains accessible to those who might otherwise be excluded.
At its heart, Community Studios is about belief: belief in artists, belief in shared spaces, and belief that creative work deserves the time and care it needs to thrive.
If that resonates, you’re already part of the conversation.
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