How do you build a community? It’s something I’ve been thinking about with all the floods back home in the northern rivers where I live. Having a strong community is essential for building resilience and getting support when times get tough, and art plays a huge part in community capacity building.

Here in Hertford, just north of London there is an artists’ initiative called Brothership studio. Several artists have studios there and it is a hub of activity with a shopfront gallery space, constantly changing exhibitions and a place for artistic entrepreneurial innovation.

The first day I arrived in the UK my friend Carol who I am staying with, took me for a walk into the town of Hertford. I spotted this interesting looking shopfront gallery and wandered inside. We all got talking and they invited me into the studios to make some work. I felt lucky to spend a couple of days making some collage artworks using old maps of Hertford, which is situated at the confluence of five rivers and was an important trading route.

The Brothership studio has been going since May 2019, when a group of artists came together led by Nick Shipton to set up shop to create and sell their work and create an ongoing community interaction. As their website says:

“Our artists work from individual studios and sell their art direct to customers and display works in the gallery. The Brothership's philosophy is about 'Tribe' - artists working together, sharing their knowledge, collaborating and being inspired in a chilled and friendly environment.”

This idea of tribe meant that they were able to hold a huge auction of artworks to raise money for the NHS in 2020 during the pandemic, raising £54,000!

Brothership studios now has a number of resident and guest artists who regularly make and show their work there. Next week artist and curator Emma from @cherry_pie_makes is hanging a show for International Womens’ Day. Last night there was a launch of the community radio station Unite Radio uniteradiouk ‘s new station headquarters at Brothership studios and there was a two hour Saturday night broadcast live on Instagram. Artists who are in the new show turned up to be interviewed and there was a real party atmosphere. I even did a quick hello on the live which you can see on Instagram at about 57:34 minutes in…

It is this sort of grass roots community that leads the way to bringing people together and uniting a community. It gives me great hope for the future, showing that when artists get together, great things happen.