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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£116.6K
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Spending
£102.7K
Public benefits
The outflow of our purpose is an annual programme of cultural events (exhibitions, talks, seminars, tours) which are delivered free to the public from our city centre location. We also partner with other organisations to enable them to deliver aspects of their artistic and cultural programme from our building such as festivals, arts sectoral
meetings and E.H.O.D., european architectural heritage open days. The benefits associated with our purpose are many. We offer the public the opportunity to engage with and learn about high quality visual art (painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, performance etc) through our gallery programme and by open studio days where they can talk to the artists and become familiar with how art is both produced and displayed. These events provide inspiration for those wishing to learn about the arts and also foster a sense of wellbeing through social engagement and activity. Our gallery is easily accessible and welcoming and fosters an inclusive atmosphere in a neutral city centre location which places the arts at the centre of city life. The benefits of attending arts events are qualitative as outlined above but we can demonstrate that these events are appreciated by providing quantitative data such as visitor numbers to the building, hits on our website and interaction through our social media platforms. We also document all our events as part of an ongoing archive. In describing ‘the public’ we mean the community at large and this would include people of all ages from Belfast, Greater Belfast, Northern Ireland and increasingly, tourists. Within this, there are people who might be described as having an amateur or professional interest in the arts as well as those who may be engaging with the arts through another associated event eg Heritage Open Days. There is no harm associated with our activities . That said we do adhere to statutory health and safety and safeguarding policies where appropriate to our activities. There are no private benefits associated with our purposes being carried out. We provide workshops for artists but we do not carry out any promotional , commercial or marketing activity on behalf of individuals. The gallery has a policy of exhibiting work selected by open submission and a selection panel meets yearly to select the programme which is made up by the work of artists external to the organisation. We also have a policy of showing the work of emerging artists, giving them an opportunity to show experimental work in a supportive environment. The Gallery is run on a not for profit basis. It could be said that there is some incidental benefit to the owners of the building to whom we pay rent. We are animating and maintaining a historical industrial building by keeping it heated and secured. This means, in turn, we can take part in days such as E.H.O.D. european heritage open days. This is not our core purpose, but it does allow us to attract a wider section of the public.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
QSS exists primarily to provide affordable studios and exhibition space for artists. QSS support art and artists at the most fundamental level, providing the space where art can be created and on the terms which enable artists to maximise their creative time. QSS currently provides 48 studio spaces for artists who are working in various mediums
and are at different stages of their career development. Located in an area of high demand for studio spaces and with an increasing list of +15 artists registering interest in long term studio provision per year. QSS recognises the strategic aim is to provide and maintain a conducive space for artists to research, experiment and make work for public spaces for exhibition and education programmes. If we value art, we must value artists. Ensuring there are appropriate, secure facilities for the long term means artists can continue to make work and contribute to a creative and vibrant city for the benefit of all across a wide range of social, health and educational agendas.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science
Who the charity helps
- Unemployed/low income
How the charity works
- Arts
- Cultural
