Background
Over the last 30 years, WASPS has grown to become one of Scotland's largest arts organisations, providing affordable studio space to over 750 artists each year at 17 locations throughout Scotland.
Wasps Artists' Studios (Workshop and Artists' Studio Provision Scotland Ltd) is a company limited by guarantee and a recognised charity. A voluntary board of directors - made up of arts and property professionals - governs the organisation. There are currently 6 full-time and 2 part-time staff members who manage all the studio complexes from the head office in Glasgow.
To date, Wasps Artists' Studios and our sister charity, The Wasps Trust, have raised £15 million in private and public sector funding to buy and redevelop six studio buildings which house some 300 artists. This is part of a long-term strategy to own rather than lease properties, protecting artists from soaring property prices and preventing the loss of studio buildings to commercial developers.
Company Aims
- Support, sustain and develop Scotland's community of visual artists.
- Provide a national network of working spaces, and other low cost services, to artists and arts organisations.
- Increase access to studio facilities by establishing new facilities across the country and improving access for people with disabilities.
- Support artist-led public events within the company's buildings to provide professional opportunities for artists and break down barriers between artists and the wider public.
- Improve the professional & economic status of visual artists, and help ensure that Scotland continues to be a centre for excellence in the visual arts and a good location to base a career as a practising artist.
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