A network that brings together Brussels artists, art workers, and artist-run initiatives for community building and exchanging knowledge. The ‘BARN Core Team’ facilitates, working for a culture of solidarity and empowerment.

WORK IN PROGRESS

This website is still in development. Please note that this is a bottom-up initiative with very limited funding. If there are mistakes, please bear with us :) Would you like to contribute? Let us know by writing us an email on contact@brusselsartistrun.net

Want to be part of the Telegram group? Here’s a link. This is a community platform with a variety of thematic ’topics’ (events, space for work, space to live, material shops & tools, jobs, etc). There are over 1300 users, and it’s growing rapidly.

Have fun, on behalf of the ‘BARN Core Team’, Est (Level Five), Sophie (Level Five), Mariana (Level Five), Jesse (Jubilee), Milan (Domesticity), Eszter (Artist Commons). Please join us if you like!

* JOIN US ON TELEGRAM *

Artist Workspace Memorandum 2025-2030

With a broad coalition of artist-run workspaces, we have drafted a letter addressed to Brussels´ elected officials and administrative bodies: the Artist Workspace Memorandum 2025–2030. In it, we call for the development of policy for artists´and art workers´ workspaces—studio collectives, dance studios, film labs, shared workshops, and so on. While the need is great, policies supporting spaces for artistic development and production are virtually non-existent today.

Download the final versions here, in 3 languages:

Why this matters

The economic and cultural value of space for the presentation of art is widely recognised, but that of working space is often overlooked. Since ´space´ implies ´real estate´, the value of the artist´s workspace is all too easily merely understood in financial terms. We believe that its true value is cultural and social and therefore it should not be left to the free market alone.  

How this came together

Since November 2023, we’ve been working on this memorandum, initiated by the BARN Core Team of the Brussels Artist-Run Network. After an intensive brainstorm in January 2025 at Level Five, we had follow-up work sessions at SB34, MAX, and Meyboom Artist-Run Spaces. Several working groups then took the project forward—focusing on writing, research, Dutch- and French-speaking outreach, and soon, follow-up with politicians and administrations.

The result is a memorandum that will be circulated in June in three languages (Dutch, French, and English). In parallel, we are developing a more detailed Policy Support Document that expands on the memorandum with data, research, case studies, examples (both good and bad), and field-based insights. A preliminary list of supporters can be found here: https://cloud.brusselsartistrun.net/s/HsMi6ejP3dbXQTe

Are you connected to a workspace that´s not on it, and you want to support? Or you know one that you think may be interested? Let us know!

24 June: Press conference at LaVallée

With:

  • a presentation of the Artist Workspace Memorandum 2025-2030
  • a panel conversation opening up the concerns, evolving to
  • a library of the publications that helped inform the research behind the Policy Support Document

Date & time: Tuesday 24 June, 10-13h

Location: LaVallee
Rue Adolphe Lavalléestraat 39
1080 Brussels

Language of the press conference: for practical reasons, we will speak in English. Dutch and French live-interpretations and explanations can always be arranged. The Memorandum will appear in Dutch, French and English.