Salisbury Arts Centre is a venue for theatre, music, dance, comedy, family shows, films, exhibitions, and workshops based in Wiltshire, United Kingdom. It is a registered charity which provides opportunities for members of the community to experience the arts. The centre stages a range of educational and community events, many of them free, and it also participates at events in and around the city, including the Larmer Tree Festival. The centre is based in the deconsecrated Grade II* listed St Edmund's Church building on Bedwin Street, Salisbury. Its main performance space can hold 164 people seated or 400 standing. It also has a studio space called the White Room that seats 60, a media space, a multi-purpose arts and crafts space, a pottery studio, an exhibition space, a café, a bar, and staff offices. As well as its regular programme, Salisbury Arts Centre organises a range of education and outreach projects that take place in and around the city.
History
In July 1974, the Salisbury Festival of the Arts was held in the building with a programme of classical music and an exhibition of batik paintings. The festival programme asked visitors to suggest ideas for the use of the building, and in 1975 the church's committee agreed to grant use as an arts venue. St Edmunds Arts Trust was established and a group of volunteers coordinated exhibitions from local artists, and workshops for various crafts. The Arts Centre continued to develop in the next decades. Between 1979 and 1981, Sir Henry Moore loaned his Reclining Figure to the Centre, where it was positioned outside the main entrance. By the 1990sthe Arts Centre was threatened with closure due to funding cuts but supporters from the community soon launched a "Save Our Arts Centre" campaign. A new funding plan was accepted and the Arts Centre carried on. By 2003 the Arts Centre had raised funds for a refurbishment project. The £4.2m capital re-development improved the heating, added new level flooring, created various spaces within the main building, improved the toilets, installed new technical equipment, and added an extension. Salisbury Arts Centre reopened in 2005 with a new programme of events.
Notable activities
Salisbury Arts Centre regularly programmes disability events and works in collaboration with disability arts organisations. It works with various community groups and provides free events, including the annual Family Fiesta and the regular Live Lunches. The Arts Centre supports a number of resident artists, including ceramicist Mirka Golden-Hann, who studies colour and glaze technology. Its gallery also mounts a variety of exhibitions. The Centre also hosts concerts, including the regular Altar Club band nights, film nights, and other cultural events. A number of entertainers have performed at Salisbury Arts Centre early in their careers; for example the Manic Street Preachers played in November 1990. In 2015 the Centre was in the news after local residents protested the sudden removal of all municipal funding.
