Save Richmond Road Studios

The disintegration of of Dublin’s cultural scene is a palpable presence in many peoples lives both in and outside of the creative industries. It’s the rental crisis, it’s the cost of living, it’s the disappearance of voices, it’s the endless hustling juggle of trying to keep the disintegration at bay, it’s knowing that there are bigger and constantly unfolding emergencies in our collective daily experience.

Dublin has been plundered of its creative spaces for years. Richmond Road Studios is one of the last remaining unfunded and non-profit studios, originating from a time when Dublin was literally bursting to the seams with affordable studios. We are now in receivership and have been given notice. Are we really ok with what our city is becoming?

We might have no central heating, and our building can rattle and leak, but it is ours. And we want to stay, and have nowhere else to go. Help us, because what our city is becoming is not ok.

We have been extremely lucky to have received a substantial amount of free legal advice since we went into receivership on the 8th of February. However, our legal situation is complex due to a number of factors. We would like to raise money to cover our legal costs in order to properly employ and remunerate those who have been so generous with their time, in order to fight for our studio.

Dublin City Council has agreed unanimously to assist us in exploring how they can support the provision of a space for Richmond Road Studio members.

But donating to this GoFundMe campaign will allow us to continue to fight for the livelihoods of 20 artists through buying us time to secure a permanent resolution for the studios with the support of Dublin City Council.

As mentioned above, this is a far wider issue than just our studio. This is each and every one of us, living in this city, who deserves to experience a city that is rich in culture, in all forms. So help us save our studio, and in so doing, help us change the narrative of a city that is in the midst of a cultural crisis that is gutting our spaces from under us.

https://gofund.me/c0ffe468

Update: We have succeeded in securing four months notice rather than the six months that we had hoped for. However we are not done yet! We want Dublin City Council to honour their commitment to look into purchasing our building for us, and failing that to support us in finding an alternative space.