Richmond Road have relocated to Phibsborough Tower after they were evicted from their original studio over the summer.

Richmond Road, one of the last remaining non-profit creative studios in Dublin, has relocated to Phibsborough Tower following its eviction over the summer.

Members of the studio teased the move in September and confirmed their relocation on Twitter with Senator Marie Sherlock, who helped the studio secure the new space that includes 14 studios.

Announcing the launch, Marie described the relocation of the studio to Phibsborough as a “good news story, given that we have such a lack of artist space in Dublin.”

“It just goes to show what can happen with a bit of imagination… long may they be here.”

One member of Richmond Road said they were delighted to welcome Marie to the new space and include her in events over “the next two years”.

Speaking to District, Richmond Road member Maeve Brennan said, “We would also like to particularly thank TD Gary Gannon and Cllr Catherine Stocker as well as the numerous people within the media who brought extra attention to our situation. We had huge public support, and we would have been completely lost without it.

“We would also like to thank TU Dublin for providing us with studio space over summer. We hope that what happened to us will be remembered and that our campaign highlighted the cultural crisis of our city.”

The creative studio was originally evicted from their original location on Richmond Road on June 23, with six days’ notice.

In early Spring, Richmond Road Studios initially agreed upon August 31 as an exit date. According to the studio, property owner and multinational firm Kroll conducted a health and safety report on May 16 and on June 8, artists were told to vacate the premises due to “fire safety hazards”.

Richmond Road then renegotiated an exit deadline of July 6, but were told on June 17 they had six days to vacate the premises.

Richmond Road Studios was established in 2002, when Dublin was a far more supporting and flourishing place for artists. While in 2002, Dublin was bursting with affordable non-profit studios for artists, Richmond Road was one of the last remaining non-profit studios in Dublin today.

Nineteen studios have been shut down over the past ten years according to Richmond Road member Maeve Brennan.

New studios in Dublin

The reopening of Richmond Road Studios comes following a series of new studio openings and commitments to build new creative spaces. Pallas Projects recently opened a new studio in The Digital Hub with the support of the Arts Council.

The Arts Council is also working with Dublin Port Company to turn the disused Odlums Flour Mill into an “Artist Campus and Workspace” across 5,000 square metres. Announced last month, this development is part of the Art Council’s ten-year strategy Making Great Art Work, the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 and the Dublin Port Masterplan 2040. It has not been clarified whether artists will need to pay to use the space, and how much.

Elsewhere on District: “Nothing Compares” documents Sinead O’Connor’s rise and fall