Zion Community Art Space - the venue for our residency

The venue for our residency is Zion, a beautiful old church building which has been turned into a community art space based in the Bedminster Down area of Bristol. The last service at the Zion Methodist Church was held in August 2008, once a focus for the local community this beautiful chapel was left derelict, once the dwindling congregation could no longer sustain its use. By renovating the space it has regained its position as a focal point within and for the local community.

In 2010 Jess Wright, Director of Zion, came across the building for sale, whilst hunting for a unique property that could house the various community projects that she had worked on over the years. Once Jess had been inside the decision was made and the long drawn out battle for planning and funding began!

Completion of the building was finalized in April 2011 and work began to restore the building as a centre for this community once again and provide Bedminster Down with a creative space for all to use.

The space itself is an inspiring place that facilitates ideas, creations, get-togethers and a place for conversation within the community. It's an open plan area, which makes it ideal for the residency as our artist, Beth Ableson, has her studio based amongst the cafe, shop, gallery, hot desks and seating area.

The space is open throughout the day, which is why we felt it paramount to ensure that the residency studio was open for all to access when Beth is present. This will hopefully allow us to provide an insight into how an artist works, and the process of painting and preparation that takes place before the final piece is revealed.

It's great to be able to base the residency at Zion within the Bedminster Down community, in such a venue that is without doubt welcoming and vibrant. 

To find out more about Zion please visit their website www.zionbristol.co.uk/