There’s still no news on the future of the Rye Creative Centre – it is due to be demolished as part of the housing development planned for the Freda Gardham old school site. This week, as part of our series on the artists who work at the centre, David Eckold makes a passionate case for keeping the building as a creative space - for future artists and for Rye.
I’ve talked to people who were here before me. They come to our open studios and remember the swimming pool, theatre and their primary school years here. As we talk we’re standing in what were the changing rooms - now my studio space. I had to remove the iron brackets around the walls that supported the slatted benches. No easy task - this place was build to last. I’ve given up trying to drill into the bricks as they’re too hard - I have to drill into the mortar lines. Originally the changing rooms, my studio space only has small windows, but this is fine for me as some of the things I make light up!
Visitors are curious and positive about my work and ask lots of questions which I enjoy. I can see, stirring in some of them, the desire to start creating themselves and we talk about this too. The urge to create is in most of us in some form or another. And they are so pleased to find that their school building, which holds so many memories from their childhood, has found this new purpose.
For fifteen years now, a collective of thirty artist and makers known as ‘New Road Artists’ has rented the building giving it a new lease of life with an exciting future. Over the years it has evolved into a local hub for creative activity with the work of many artists regularly found in the galleries of Rye supplying them with a flow of locally created work.
Classes and workshops in printing, life drawing, bookmaking and sculpture offer people the chance to try creative activities and develop their skills tutored by practicing artists. While most of us are busy with our own work, I must say something about those here whose creative activity is focused on others. The remarkable work of ‘The Studio’ and ‘Heart Smart Arts’ support people with disabilities through creative activities and vulnerable young people through art therapy.
I’ve been part of the growing community of artists for over six years and benefit greatly from having access to studio space in a place where others are engaged in creative activity. It’s a common notion that artists and makers like to work on their own but there’s a difference between working on your own and working in isolation. Perhaps it’s like swimmers who need a community pool to encourage their interest in swimming, or people who need a gym to satisfy their interest in exercise rather than doing work-outs at home. I don’t know if this is a meaningful comparison but I know I benefit from the energy of others around me.
Now, what is known as Rye Creative Centre, is threatened with demolition. The site is earmarked for much-needed housing but there seems to have been little real consideration of how the existing school building, with its excellent theatre space, could coexist with a development of housing. Like many schools of its era there is asbestos present - some of which has already been removed. But this is not an uncommon issue in older buildings and the solution is usually to remove the problem not to demolish the building.
If the school is demolished and no alternative is found, the ever evolving community of artists will disband. Creative classes will cease and the wonderful theatre space will no longer host plays and musicals or be a practice space for theatre groups and choirs.
We are very aware of how important the creative centre is to us, but our focus is also on those who could come after us. All the local people who could continue to fill these spaces with their creativity and energy. So often small creative and craft based businesses begin in places just like this. Painters and sculptors, theatre groups, photographers, jewellers, leather workers and book binders to name a few, all need a place to start, to experiment, to learn.
The creative centre is a unique and valuable place that contributes to Ryes reputation as a vibrant and creative town. Once a resource like the centre closes it is unlikely to reappear and all that it could continue to bring to local people and the town will disappear.
In recent years those responsible for the building have put a huge amount of time and effort and money into upgrading and developing the school into the Rye Creative Centre. It would be such a shame to see all this wasted with its demolition.
