Key Facts:
- North Sydney Council has approved a lease agreement that will provide Studio A, a leading supported studio for professional artists with intellectual disability, with a new long-term home at Level 1, James Place, North Sydney, adjacent to Victoria Cross Metro Station.
- The lease will run for five years with an option for a further five years, replacing Studio A’s current St Leonards premises, which are due to be redeveloped in early 2027.
- Founded in 2016, Studio A supports artists with intellectual disability to build professional careers in the visual arts; in the past year, its artists participated in 41 exhibitions and have collectively received 20 Archibald Prize finalist selections since 2020.
- As part of the arrangement, Studio A will provide Council with an annual in-kind allocation of artwork licensing, enabling locally produced artwork to feature across Council publications, events, public art, and community initiatives.
- Studio A currently generates around 45 per cent of its operating revenue through commercial activity, including artwork sales, commissions, and licensing, supplemented by state and federal arts funding and NDIS participant funding.
North Sydney Council will provide a new long-term home for Studio A, one of Australia’s leading supported studios for professional artists with intellectual disability, following a decision at last night’s Council meeting.
Studio A will lease Level 1, James Place, North Sydney – a vacant commercial space immediately adjacent to Victoria Cross Metro Station – under a five-year lease with an option for a further five years.
Studio A has maintained a close relationship with North Sydney for almost a decade, having previously operated from Council-owned premises at the Crows Nest Community Centre before outgrowing the space. Its current premises at St Leonards are due to be redeveloped in early 2027, prompting the search for a new long-term base.
Founded in 2016, Studio A supports artists with intellectual disability to build genuine professional careers in the visual arts – not just participate in art-making, but exhibit nationally and internationally, sell and license their work, and earn a living from their practice. In the past year alone, Studio A artists have taken part in 41 exhibitions, including a solo show at the National Portrait Gallery, and have collectively earned 20 Archibald Prize finalist selections since 2020.
Mayor Zoë Baker said the decision reflected Council’s commitment to inclusion, culture and activating North Sydney’s town centre.
“Studio A is an extraordinary organisation. It gives artists with intellectual disability the opportunity to build genuine professional careers, and it has quietly built an outstanding reputation by supporting that talent to flourish,” Cr Baker said.
“This lease means Studio A’s artists can continue to create, connect and thrive in North Sydney. It’s a wonderful outcome for the artists, for our community, and for a town centre that is strengthened by creativity, culture and inclusion.”
As part of the arrangement, Studio A will also provide Council with an annual in-kind allocation of artwork licensing, creating opportunities for locally produced artwork to feature across Council publications, events, public art and community initiatives.
