Origins

Studio Upstairs was founded in 1988 at the Diorama Arts Centre, London. By this time the Diorama had become a licensed squat, organised by a collective of fine artists, musicians, theatre companies, disability arts groups, and psychotherapists. Whilst the founders regarded this Community Arts Centre as a good environment to develop the project it was radically different from any of the Psychiatric Services that were available.

Original Studio Upstairs @ Diorama Arts, London

The founders Douglas Gill and Claire Manson had become frustrated in their work in the traditional art therapy where art was produced for its interpretive value and then kept it hidden away in a file. They wanted to create a culture where art was not seen as a recreational pastime but a serious objective in its own right that could appear in the public gallery. More importantly, they recognised the need of an environment for people moving away from the psychiatric system, whilst too vulnerable to attend adult education had the opportunity to create art away from the clinical setting

Flying in the face of the predominant attitudes in the art therapy profession, in 1990 they mounted their first public exhibition -“Bats Out of the Belfry. The exhibition consisted of over 70 pieces of work, a huge success with numerous pieces sold. From here on Studio Upstairs never looked back as the work always spoke for itself.

Bristol Studio
The Bristol studio was opened in January 2000. At that time, the art therapy profession in Bristol was thinking of developing a community art project. As the Studio Upstairs model worked so well in London and Douglas was moving to Bristol, it made sense for him to set up a second studio in the South West.

Original Studio Spike Island circa 2002

Originally based in Spike Island, in 2004 the studio expanded into a spacious light industrial warehouse, situated on the dockside near SS Great Britain. Since its start in Bristol, the studio has developed important working partnerships with a number of arts, health and education organisations in the region, including Arnolfini, City of Bristol College, Weston College and Bristol City Council amongst others.

Having amassed a wealth of experience in the arts, education and health, Studio Upstairs has inspired similar projects in Britain, Russia and USA, promoting the Studio Upstairs model as an effective alternative to clinical care and prescriptive social rehabilitation.