Sherwood Space

A few weeks ago, I was invited for a cup of tea by fairly recently formed artists group 3rd Space, who have set up a studio in Sherwood, just off the main drag of Haydn Road. The space itself is a 1930's style building which used to house the local cinema, and I was pleased to see once past the threashold that the structure retained some of the original character and architectural features. I was informed that the section of the building I was standing in had been lovingly restored by the studio members and the dry, white walled, grey floored shine of the rennovation was due to care and attention and a desire to be somewhere habitable to produce new work.

I'd heard about 3rd Space from other artists in Nottingham, but was never really sure where it was. As it turned out, the collection of nine artists actually were only a few hundred yards from my own front door in Sherwood. 3rd Space was formed by artists involved in Exit Here alongside other interested individuals who were interested in finding a space in Nottingham. Some of the original studio members hail from Lincoln, and I was pleasantly suprised to hear that they had decided to move to Nottingham because of the many exciting current developments in the visual arts scene here. Lincoln graduates and Exit Here members Amelia Beavis Harrison and Alan Armstrong are joined by painters Steve Ingman (recent winner of the Derby Open exhibition prize), Dan Hunt, Edward Morris and Kate Musgrove. 3rd Space is also home to artist, performer and Hatch intern Marie Bertram, (originally from Germany) as well as a mysterious artist named Mo, who no one ever sees, and an excited small black King Charles Cavalier Spaniel.

The light airy top floor space is well equipped with a kitchen and a room which the artists told me may develop into a project or exhibiting space. All around me I was impressed by a large volume of work on display; the artists here were evidently settling in and begining to feel at home.

I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing more, and also encouraged to know that there is activity away from the city centre and the now well established centre for the visual art scene in Sneinton and the Lace Market. To coin a cliched phrase, I advise all to 'watch this space' and check out the studios website.