Statement

This is an Art Club is a bi-weekly creative gathering initiated by Jaffar Aly and Dio Dunbar (here we insert the names of everyone that wants to participate in keeping this idea alive). It exists as a third space, a space for being, thinking, creating, and connecting, for artists, creatives, and curious minds alike. Open to all, the club encourages people to bring their work, thoughts, or simply themselves into a shared environment where process is celebrated over polish.

Amidst rising inflation, deepening inequalities, and the ongoing dismantling of youth clubs, libraries, and communal spaces, This is an Art Club is a gentle act of resistance. It is a refusal to accept the erasure of creative and communal life.
In a time when space is monetized and solitude is systemic, we offer a table, a kettle, and a place to sit.

This is a mental health project. An invitation to slow down and lock out. A place to feel less alone. By fostering a rhythm of shared presence and practice, the club nurtures both creativity and care. Whether you're here to make, speak, breathe, or simply be, your presence matters and is noticed.

The project is also punctuated by School Trip, a series of group outings to exhibitions and cultural events across London and hopefully a far, grounding the club in an area's artistic pulse while extending its community beyond the studio.

This is a temporary space. A fleeting moment. But in its impermanence is a reminder: nothing lasts forever, but what we make together, the memories, the tenderness, the solidarity, endures for as long as we carry it.

Why We Gather

This is an Art Club is more than a meet-up, it’s a collective pause, a rekindling of lost manners of resistance, especially in the arts.

As creative spaces vanish and the cost of living rises, we're gathering to remember what it feels like to share something without paying for it. We are responding to a crisis of isolation, burnout, and over-productivity by building something slow, soft, and collectively held.

We gather:

• To co-create a space where showing up as yourself is enough.

• To resist creative gatekeeping, cultural elitism, and to lock out, not as exclusion, but as a conscious departure from tunnel vision, a seeking of deeper purpose outside dominant systems.

• Stepping away from burnout, conformity, and the pressure to constantly produce, in favour of presence, connection, and collective care.

• To foster joy, care, and creative experimentation outside capitalist demands.

• To form friendships, collaborations, and quiet moments of inspiration.

Whether it's your first time or your fifteenth, you're welcome here. We meet because it matters to us, and to the futures we’re trying to grow.

Community Guidelines

A shared agreement for how we show up in this space

This studio is a generous and temporary space. It is not a gallery, nor an institution, it’s a working environment that’s been made available for collective use. Let’s treat it with care, tenderness, and creativity.

1. Come as you are
You don’t need to prove anything to be here. Come to work, come to rest, come to talk or say nothing. This is a space for creatives and curious minds, all disciplines, all levels, all backgrounds.

2. Respect the space
This is a shared studio building. Please be mindful of noise, mess, and movement. Only use spaces that have been opened up for the Art Club. Clean up after yourself and leave it better than you found it. In addition, please be careful if you happen to be on the roof for either smoking or fresh air. 

3. Consent is key
Always ask before touching someone else’s work or recording conversations/footage. If you’re unsure, ask. No pressure, no assumptions.

4. Make room for everyone
Be conscious of how much space, time, or energy you’re taking up. If you're leading a convo or crit, make space for quieter voices too. To put it simply, be mindful fam.

5. Be generous, not perfect
This space is about trying things, failing, sharing in-process work, and experimenting. Leave judgement at the door,  support each other’s growth.

6. Keep it soft
Language matters. Jokes, feedback, and critiques should come with care. If someone shares something vulnerable, hold it with respect.

7. Temporary doesn’t mean throwaway
This project will not last forever, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. What we build here, the moments, the ideas, the kindness, stays with us.