Starting out in 1984 in their birthplace of Queen’s Street, QSS (Queen Street Studios) now operates on Bloomfield Avenue in east Belfast with 48 studios and an expansive gallery space, but maintains its original name. Back in the early ’80s there was no studio provision or art suppliers in Belfast, no real gallery accessibility for non-established artists and little support for graduates. QSS emerged in 1984 as a direct response to these challenges, starting on the top floor of a former printer’s on Queen Street with 11 artists and a grant of £3,000 from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Now 40 years on, in celebration of the artists who have found their creative space in QSS, an ongoing exhibition is taking place until December 12 with work from more than 60 artists made up of both past and present members of the group. The exhibition will also feature participatory events, including Open Studios, artist talks, workshops, school visits and professional development opportunities. An archival display will document QSS’s evolution over four decades, to include photographs, posters, historical documents and more.
QSS is generously supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council and the Esme Mitchell Trust. Belfast man Micky Donnelly was one of the 11 founding members of QSS and also a founder member of the Artists Collective of Northern Ireland. After studying art at the University of Ulster, Belfast, he explored themes of nature and culture .