Drawing Room opens off Old Kent Road

New studios, gallery and workspace designed for Southwark artists and the local community have opened just off Old Kent Road.

Last week, Drawing Room and Tannery Arts officially opened their new home and studios on New Tannery Way, Bermondsey.

Part of the London Square development in the Old Kent Road opportunity area, the new premises provide a permanent home and new studio and gallery space for two arts organisations that have been part of the borough’s cultural scene for decades.

Drawing Room is a not-for-profit institution, founded in 2002. It is part of the broader, not-for-profit, Tannery Arts organisation, which provides studio space for artists. Tannery Arts has been based in Southwark since 1993, when it started-up in a warehouse, nearby, on Bermondsey Street.

Drawing Room is one of just two arts organisations, globally, dedicated specifically to the art of drawing (the other is in New York). It has moved around London, utilising various temporary spaces, for more than 20 years, most recently in repurposed garages provided by Southwark Council in Elephant and Castle.

Now, thanks to the redevelopment of the Rich Estate – one of the first major schemes to complete in the Old Kent Road opportunity area – Drawing Room has its first, purpose-built, permanent home.

The Rich Estate was once home to the famous Crosse and Blackwell pickle factory. The new development, which retains and incorporates many elements from its industrial past, is known as London Square Bermondsey and has delivered 406 new homes, including 135 affordable homes.

Drawing Room has a strong community focus and is committed to engaging with local people every bit as much as the art world. The team encourages members of the community to express themselves by participating in hands-on workshops, classes and events.

Providing new art studios and a gallery, alongside the new homes, was one of the conditions  stipulated by the council when it granted planning permission for the London Square development. It’s a good example of how the council ensures redevelopment doesn’t just deliver the new housing and workspace the borough needs but also delivers additional, social value; new facilities and amenities that will benefit the whole community.

Drawing Room will use its new home to host regular exhibitions by renowned artists as well as emerging talents (all free to visit) as well as a programme of educational and research projects; talks; workshops and special events.

Its new base also houses one of the world’s most extensive collections of books and magazines on contemporary drawing.

The first exhibition to be held in the new gallery, UNBUILD: a site of possibility, runs until 10 December.

www.drawingroom.org.uk