Those who use the Smithdown Social Arts Hub have issued an urgent plea
Brenda Monahan, far left, of Smithdown Social Arts Hub and Sue Morris of the Autistic Spectrum Collective during the hub’s Wednesday art class(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A community is fearing for the future of a venue at risk of closing. For the last four years, Smithdown Social Arts Hub has been a crucial space to support Scouse artists, musicians, writers and filmmakers.
Located on 455 Smithdown Road, there have been over 35 exhibitions featuring hundreds of local artists since it opened, with many showing their work for the first time.
One of the most important functions is its art classes held every Wednesday for neurodiverse creatives. For nearly three years, the Autistic Spectrum Collective (ASC) has used the arts hub to run weekly art socials that reduce isolation and improve mental health for these artists.
In a time when services for people with autism are more stretched than ever, it’s become a quasi-support group and social space, especially those who suffered during the social isolation of covid.
The hub has been supported since its inception through government funding. But after missing out on funding from Arts Council England last month, which would give the hub £28,000, those who run the space are now fighting to keep the lights on.
Brenda Monahan, 54, from West Derby, is the hub’s curator and managing director. Meanwhile Sue Morris, 66, from Childwall, support the hub’s classes as founder of ASC, which is a small charity run entirely by volunteers, carers and those with a diagnosis of autism.
On how it felt to miss out on funding, Brenda told the ECHO: “It was devastating. It’s super important to those who come on a Wednesday because people who are autistic or neurodiverse get attached to places where they feel safe.
“There’s not many places where they can be safe. Sue from has been providing that for years, and we have indirectly been providing that because so many creatives are neurodiverse.”
Sue added: ”We are all people with lived experience of autism. All of us have either got children with autism or got a diagnosis, so we all know these difficulties, but what’s been great is that people feel safe to come here and feel so good afterwards.
Brenda Monahan, far left, of Smithdown Social Arts Hub and Sue Morris of the Autistic Spectrum Collective during the hub’s Wednesday art class(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“It’s hard for a lot of people in our groups to express themselves verbally, but by doing their art, it acts as a vehicle to help them talk about what’s going on in their minds and what their feelings are.
“They’ve got to know other people socially, and quite a few have been to other people’s exhibitions, which would never have happened before. I don’t know what we’d do without it. It can’t go. It has to stay. We will fight.”
The lack of money affects other aspects of the hub too. The art space downstairs is just one part of the building, with the others containing a full office, music room and recording studio for podcasts.
Once a small team of paid staff would be buzzing around the building. But now it is just volunteers like Brenda keeping it going. She said: “We don’t get paid for this and I don’t think people realise that. They think that we’re getting paid a huge lion’s share or something. It would be nice if we could actually get paid something again.”
Smithdown Social Arts Hub is at risk of closure(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
The first step to save the centre took place last Saturday (May 4), where over 30 artists produced several pieces of artwork to be exhibited in the hub in just 24 hours. Hundreds of people attended the event which took place during the Smithdown Weekender festival.
They are close to reaching their target of over £2,500 a month, but Brenda and Sue say this is just the start of what they will need to do to keep it open.
Brenda said: “We had to have an Art-A-Thon to help keep us going, to pay the rent and bills so that we could stay open and not worry.
“We’re hoping to raise a couple of months’ rent. I’ve now rented out the gallery for June, July, and August to other artists to help us cover some more costs. It’s very challenging because people don’t realise the struggles that go on behind closed doors.”
Sue added: “What was amazing is the amount of people that came forward and said, I’ll get involved. I had no idea it was going to expand so quickly with so many people getting involved.” You can find out more about the fundraiser for the Smithdown Social Arts Hub here.