The team at 1520 studios have been providing studio space to young creatives and emerging artists since the beginning of 2020. Across two floors of an historic building in central Manchester, we currently have 20 studios giving opportunities to over 50 artists and musicians to develop their own work in textiles, photography, film-making, music production and recording. There is a desperate need for affordable studio space in the city and at 1520 studios, artists work alongside each other to make real sustainable creative businesses.
We are breathing life back into an iconic north Manchester building. It has a long history as a Jewish synagogue and Methodist chapel. Its story reflects the multicultural character of this part of the city which goes back several generations. Our building, 1520 studios, is a creative artistic community hub in the heart of Manchester. We believe the creativity inherent in everyone should be nurtured, encouraged and empowered. We let this belief motivate everything we do. We offer affordable and accessible studio space to the city’s creatives and artists. We are building a community hub that encourages togetherness and creative expression. We have run a National Lottery funded series of free workshops that made artistic practices and wellbeing experiences accessible to all who wanted to attend. We have also run a number of music events and gigs, showcasing many of the hugely passionate and talented musicians within our community. And with the Reading Rooms project we are encouraging discussion, debate and access to ideas to the communities we already serve
Our building was named after 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, an address in the Bronx that is credited as one of the birthplaces of Hip-Hop. We want to pay homage to the power and potential of people’s creativity and the great things that can happen when people are given a space and an opportunity to come together and express themselves creatively. Just like DJ Kool Herc did in the 1970s when he began to play the break downs of records, encouraging break dancing and later rapping which would come to form the global phenomenon that is Hip Hop. Jay Quan, a hip hop historian described what happened as “poor, urban people kind of making lemonade out of lemons”. We hope to offer the working class urban community of Manchester a similar opportunity to make lemonade and let them know that the impact of their creative potential is limitless.
Since we began we have always been driven to encourage and empower the artistic potential that exists within us all. We aim to inspire and nurture both new and established artists, as well as complete beginners. Everything we do is motivated by this urge to empower and uplift the creative community of Manchester, and we aim to provide a space where people feel empowered and encouraged to express themselves however they choose and to know their creative potential is limitless.