Swansea Print Workshop

Swansea Print Workshop is launching a very special fundraising campaign to raise funds to replace the roof of our studio building. 

Help us make our studio waterproof and keep us open to our community!
Help us to become future-proof – fit for the future and doing our bit for the environment

Since it was founded, SPW has gone from strength to strength and last year we celebrated our 25^th Anniversary. A huge achievement for a small organisation!

Our city-centre building and our print-making facilities are fantastic – but unfortunately our roof has deteriorated over the years. We’ve been patching it up for some time but heavy rain this winter has exposed many more weak spots. We now have buckets collecting water!

With the changing climate, more frequent heavy downpours mean we can no longer keep patching things up, so we are taking action to replace our roof.

We are reaching out to you to help us raise much needed funds to PROOF THE ROOF!

Every donation, sponsorship, or share from our members, local businesses, friends, and the wider community will bring us closer to safeguarding the future of Swansea’s unique, wonderful printmaking facility. 

Thanking you in advance for your donation large or small

Click on the Go Fund Me image above or visit our Proof the Roof Campaign here.

Click on the Donated Prints image below or visit the Online Gallery here.

We are showcasing donated prints from our artist supporters in our Online Shop. As we are able to sell them without taking commission, our members and supporters have the opportunity to buy original prints at very affordable prices.

Who we are and what we do

Our Users are: Professional artists | Emerging artists | Leisure artists | Artist-members | Swansea area community groups | Swansea school students | Further education students | School staff | Further education staff | Visiting artists | International artists and exhibitors

Through printmaking: We support creativity across all ages, cultures and backgrounds | We enable and develop artists to become active in their community | We support artists to earn income through their creative practice | We build self-confidence and support mental well-being in users and volunteers | We mentor and support young artists in printmaking, business skills and entrepreneurship | We mentor and train volunteers to gain confidence and transferable creative and business skills | We run activities and events to foster social interaction | We support new skills and enhance activities within education | We connect across cultures, backgrounds and countries | We create unique, collector’s artwork celebrating Welsh and Swansea’s cultural heritage which are held in national and international collections.

We maintain a high profile for printmaking and the creative arts in the City of Swansea and our creative connections extend further – across Wales, the wider UK and internationally through exhibitions, projects, artist exchanges and residencies.

We support our creative community to exhibit and sell work both online and in the studio, and provide opportunities for everyone to view and buy affordable original artwork.

We work with our wider community, providing services and partnerships with community groups across Swansea, young people at all levels of education through connections with the council, local schools, higher education and university establishments and more. We welcome the wider community into the Studio and we also have a great resource of equipment for Outreach work too.

We work in partnership with: Swansea area community groups | Swansea Council | Swansea Primary and Secondary Schools | Gower College Swansea | UTWTSD Swansea College of Art | Swansea University | Swansea and South Wales museums, art organisations and galleries | Coleg Sir Gâr | Wales-based printmaking and arts organisations | National and International art organisations and galleries

Working with schools | ipad drawings converted to screenprints

Over the last 25 years, we have had the pleasure of working within Communities and with Community Groups from all over Swansea and the wider Swansea area, through workshops and longer term projects:  Adferiad | Adult Learners, Gower College | Asylum Seekers resident in Blaenymaes | Bonymaen Family Centre | Brondeg House | Castle Ward residents | Cefn Coed Hospital/staff development | Chinese in Wales Association | Coed Hirwaun | Coed Lleol | Crug Glas Special Needs School | Cwmbwrla Day Centre | DACE Muslim Women’s Group | Dragon Arts | Eureka Group | Goleudy | Glynneath Adult Training Centre | Gorseinon Longfields Day Centre | Home Education Group | Heol Goffa Social Activity Centre | Job Club, Communities First | Llanelli Involve | Interplay Independent Living | Lynx Llanelli | Lynx Ty Amman | Maes Glas Community Centre Neath | Mums and Toddlers Foundation, Swansea | Muslim Women resident in Swansea | ‘Over 50’s’ resident in Swansea | Port Talbot College Out of School Group | Palette Club | Playright | Quay  House Bail Hostel | Red Café Connected | Rose Cross Day Centre | SNPT Crossroads Young Carers Project | Swansea Women’s Centre | Symud Ymlaen Regeneration Trust | The Shaw Trust | Disability Action Centre | Three Crosses Art Club | Vetch Community Gardens, Swansea | Wetlands Wildlife Trust

Volunteers are the backbone of SPW. They support us in all areas of the organisation as a business and in the services we offer: running workshops, exhibitions and much more, including helping us with our PROOF THE ROOF campaign! Our volunteer support comes from people of all ages. We value the contributions each of our volunteers make. In return, as well as providing a place to meet others and be part of a supportive, friendly team and community, we offer training and mentoring for them to learn new life skills, gain work experience, develop their artistic practice, and to earn income within the arts sector. We are proud to be play our part in contributing to the local economy.

Why we do it

We are passionate about printmaking. We treasure the heritage of printmaking – one of our presses is over 150 years old! – but we also embrace new technologies and approaches. This means we can support people at all levels of ability, across all ages and cultures to be creative and make prints. Through printmaking, we support learning, communication, wellbeing and personal development.

Our Funders: SPW was founded with private money in 1998, and we do not receive any core funding. As a not-for-profit company all profits are re-invested in the studio and its activities. Grant-making bodies have believed in us and supported us through funding grants to deliver projects, develop as an arts facility, as a business and to extend the services we offer to artists and the wider community: Artes Mundi | Arts Council of Wales | Brecknock Arts Trust | Common Investment Fund | Communities First Trust Fund | Coastal Housing Group | Swansea Council | Communities First Trust Fund | DACE (Department of Adult Continuing Education) | Swansea University | Esmée Fairbairn Foundation | GwirVol Youth Volunteering Grant | Local Investment Fund | Russell Commission Youth Volunteering Grant | Swansea Arts Forum Trust | Swansea Council for Voluntary Services (SCVS) | Better Swansea Compact Fund | Swansea Development Fund | Swansea University | Wales Arts International | Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) | Welsh Government NDA Business support grants.

For our Users, PROOF THE ROOF will: Keep the studio dry, safe and warm | Keep all areas of the premises available | Improve their experience with improved access to natural light and ventilation | Provide a damp-free space for activities and events | Keep our expensive presses and equipment safe and functioning | Maintain a well-equipped local arts facility I Increase opportunities, activities and community involvement

For the Environment, PROOF THE ROOF will: Reduce our reliance on de-humidifiers | Reduce our use of heating | Reduce our reliance on artificial lighting | Reduce wastage of spoilt materials and equipment | Maintain a facility accessible to users within travelling distance to the Swansea area

For the Organisation, PROOF THE ROOF will: Keep our archival artwork and publications safe and dry | Keep our products for exhibition and sale safe and dry | Reduce our utility costs | Reduce our insurance premiums | Reduce our expensive roof repair costs | Enable us to direct more funds to services for users | Enable us to increase volunteer time and support to services for users

How we will do this

SPW are investing funds now in a feasibility study.

We have already been talking to our Community and will continue to do so to find out what is important to them. There will be an opportunity to contribute to our Feasibility Study through a more formal survey. In the meantime, you can share your thoughts by contacting our Members’ Representatives or directly with SPW Directors by email.

This package of information will enable us to carry out the work to Proof the Roof!