‘We painted, cleaned, sanded, swept, laid floors, repaired boilers and toilets. We turned this into the space that it is’
A group of 40 artists have been using Dean Arts Studios based in Chatham Row, which is wholly funded by the Press Up Hospitality Group, for the past 18 months.
They will now have to vacate the studios as Dublin City Council “explores longer term cultural uses” of the space.
Arts Programme Director from Beyond the Pale Music and Arts Festival, Jennifer Jennings, described the news as a “kick in the teeth”.
“Heartbreak and discombobulation today as around 40 artists based in Chatham Row get news that we are to be homeless once again,” Ms Jennings wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“In a city that can already feel utterly hostile to artists, this is a kick in the teeth.”
Established and upcoming practitioners from visual arts, literature, photography, music, theatre and dance were among those actively using what was once the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama.
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Artist Ruth Medjber, also known as Ruthless Imagery for her photography, said she is “utterly devastated” by the decision.
“Dublin City Council has decided to evict me and the 39 other artists in our collective, from a space that we gutted and cleaned and rescued from dereliction,” Ms Medjber wrote in a post on Instagram.
“This will definitely be the end of me and my career in Dublin. They’ve seen the great work we’ve done with this building and decided to open it up to other arts collectives to apply.
“We painted, cleaned, sanded, swept, laid floors, repaired boilers and toilets. We turned this into the space that it is.”
In a statement, Dublin City Council said it had facilitated the “meanwhile use” of the building and recognises “the good work done to facilitate a range of creatives who have resided in the building on a short-term basis”.
“Following meetings of the Subcommittee of the Arts, Culture, Leisure and Recreation Strategic Policy Committee, established to explore longer term cultural uses and occupancy of the former DIT School of Music on Chatham Row, an Open Call process was initiated, with the full knowledge of Dean Arts Studio and Press Up,” the statement said.
“The applications were shortlisted and seven organisations were interviewed, including Dean Arts Studio, to present their vision and plans for the future term use of the premises.
The Dean Art Studios is a multi-disciplinary artistic hub located on Chatham Row in Dublin city centre
“Dublin City Council was really impressed with the very high standard of applications and will now engage with the selected applicant. Opportunities for existing artists to remain as residents under the new arrangements will be explored with the new operator.
“Dublin City Council looks forward to working with the new operator to deliver the next phase of cultural use of Chatham Row,” it added.
Director at The Dean Art Studios, Kate Farnon, told the Irish Independent there are plans to issue a letter to the selection panel to ask for the “decision process to be reviewed”.
“We are unclear as to how the decision was reached to evict 40 multi-disciplinary artists and arts organisations from their commercially funded, completely free of cost workplace,” she said.
“We would also like clarity on elements of the committee’s response to our tender. Safe to say, as always, it is the artists and the arts workers that will lose out on all of this.”
