Building MART Studios’ Future with Advocacy Membership

Call out for New Studio Members who may be interested in paying Advance Membership to secure a workspace in a new studio building.

MART was founded in 2007 and we are proud to have made it this far, with over 150 artists in studios across Dublin and Galway City, alongside our contemporary art gallery and many other satellite projects. However Dublin has changed over the past decade, it has become increasingly difficult for arts organisations to survive and we have seen the closure of many of our colleagues’ workspaces and studios. We continuously see the infrastructure of visual arts in Ireland being ignored and underfunded, as a result many arts organisations just can’t remain open. 

We feel like the only way to ensure our stability and longevity of studios in Ireland is to purchase a studio building ourselves. Our current buildings are on short term commercial leases with many of the buildings leases ending in the coming years. This has signalled a change for us and for us to take charge in all our futures.

New to MART? Check out our About Page, Studio Page and Exhibitions Page to learn more about what we do!

What is MART Advocacy Membership in Advance?

This advance membership program will be used by MART as a deposit to purchase a building in Dublin. We are designing this new membership which will allow current and future members working in all cultural, art, creative, design and media industries to sign up to be part of our growth, and assist in us buying a building of our own, and in turn they will be securing a workspace for themselves for the future..  

We will pave a way for an autonomous and independent creative space in the city. 

In a previous call we received some great interest in this new Advocacy Membership and are now trying to push this into a reality with this new call out.  

However it is important to say that we understand many will not be in a position to sign up as times are tough. We hope to support non advocate members in our new building also.

How will this work? 

Quite simply Advocate Members will pay a discounted rate for their first two years in the studio, by paying a discounted rate studio fee in advance. And by doing so will be guaranteed a studio for the coming years. MART will utilise this money towards our own funds to purchase a building and construct studios that will be safe, warm and designated for artists/creative workspace, the building will hopefully host a new project/gallery space too!

Timeline: We hope to confirm our Advocate Members in the coming months and look at sourcing and then purchasing the building early/mid 2023. 

Nobody will sign up as an Advocate Member or send any payments until the building is sourced, and all legal and financial safeguards are in place for all involved.

Exact Terms of the Membership levels will be designed around the new building, for instance there may be different levels of membership that would relate to the size of the studio. This would all be worked out when we find the building.

In the Form below we have a few examples of Memberships to gauge what people have the capacity to do.

As an Advocate Member you will

• Guaranteed a Studio in the new building we purchase
• Your payment will be used to secure a studio for you for 2 years and this advance payment will mean you will  receive a discount for doing so, saving you a significant amount.
• You will not pay anything until an established guaranteed timeline and legal agreements are in place. 
• Bring certainty to your future workspace, after your first two years you will have an option to sign a further 1, 2 or 3 year agreement.
• Sign a legal agreement that would protect you and your membership and money paid.

Can a pair of friends / group / organisation / company apply?

• Yes, for example this advance membership might suit two friends who are interested in sharing the studio and splitting the costs. 
• We would require everyone involved to sign the agreement.

An example of an Advocate Membership:

• For Example if that a 14ft x 14ft  Studio in the new building would cost €4200 a year. {€350 per month} as an Advocate Member you would pay 2 years membership in advance at a discounted rate. 
• So this works out as: 
  • Normal Fee for 2 Years= 8400, 
  • You would pay €7000.
  • Saving you €1400 over the two years.
• This payment could be paid in one payment or over a few months in advance] in the lead up to purchasing the building.

Remind Me again why MART is doing this?

• This Advocacy Membership will allow MART to build the capital for a deposit to buy our own building.
• By becoming an Advocate Member you will guarantee to have a space in the coming years.
• You will save a good chunk of money in your first two years in the building!

Interest Form: 

If you are interested in becoming a MART Advocate Member in the future please complete the below form. This does not bind you into anything, it’s just a way for us to see the level of interest.  

Any questions can be directed to [email protected] 

Let’s build a future together….

Matthew & Ciara.

At MART we redevelop buildings, work with local communities, attract and create jobs and improve localities through our main values:

• Cultural Advocacy: We advocate for the arts and visual culture, promoting inspiration, education and freedom of expression. We develop creative platforms to support and challenge artists. We dedicate all of our activities to supporting creativity.
• Community Building: We regenerate vacant and derelict buildings, allowing them to serve their locality. We create communities of artists allowing for opportunities of collaboration and support.
• Sustainability: We operate as a self-supporting organisation and provide a safe studio environment allowing artists to concentrate on their work and sustain their practice in a dedicated space, free from worry.

• Joining one of Ireland’s largest creative artistic communities with over 150 members across Dublin.
• Opportunity to exhibit your work our annual Member Exhibition 
• Occasional free use of our galleries for documentation of work, photoshoots, rehearsals, etc.
• Skill Sharing – Connect, share and learn for free with your fellow creative peers.
• Members Group Critiques & meet-ups.
• Curator Visits by MART curators or visiting professionals.
• Feature your work on our Website and Social Media to our thousands of followers.
• Promote exhibitions and other news through MART Social media channels. 
• On The Radar For International Exhibitions.
• Access To Tools & our Equipment.
• Heart of Vibrant Creative Community.
• No Bills | Superfast Broadband | Parking where possible.
• Open Studio events held throughout the year
• Safe & Comfortable Space with studio access from 7am to 11pm daily.
• Fire and burglar alarm, with security monitored 24hrs a day.