Wasps Studios

20/08/2026

This year marks 25 years of Wasps artist studios at Hanson Street! We are looking forward to marking the occasion this October with a special open studios weekend and group exhibition, which will showcase the breadth of talent and creativity based there.

Included in the line-up will be painters, printmakers, ceramicists, designers, metalworkers, jewellers and more, with some being based at the building for decades.

Hanson Street is a studio facility in Dennistoun, Glasgow. A former cigarette factory, the building was transformed by Wasps in 2001 to create 77 affordable artist studios, which today serve around 150 artists and makers.

Please mark your calendar and visit us then:
Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October (11am 4pm)
Hanson Street studios, 77 Hanson Street, G31 2HF

Images:
1. Artwork design by Kimberley Bright, based at Hanson Street.
2. Ellis O'Connor.
3. Eleanor Caie by Alan Dimmick.
4. Steven Graham by Alan Dimmick.
5. Courtesy of SCRAN and the Scotsman.

17/08/2026

Apply to exhibit with Visual Arts Scotland next year in Edinburgh for the organisation's annual summer showcase. Deadline is 28 August, 5pm.

OPEN CALL

We are delighted to announce that our open call for the prestigious Annual Exhibition is now live! This exhibition, held in the Upper Galleries of the Royal Scottish Academy building in the heart of Edinburgh, is the highlight of our yearly exhibitions and events programme.

Our Annual Exhibition offers the opportunity for emerging and established practitioners to showcase new and unseen work and engage with a wider public; to generate debate, to test out and exhibit challenging and ambitious ideas within the context of Scottish and international culture.

There is no theme for the open call. We will curate the theme for the exhibition based on submissions received.

The exhibition runs through January 2027, with exact opening dates to be confirmed in the autumn.

How to Apply:
- All applications should be made via OESS. The link to the OESS page can be found in our bio.
- Artists should ensure they have their own valid insurance for their work for the entire duration of the exhibition, including transportation to and from the venue.

Eligibility:
- We encourage submissions from VAS members and non members alike.
- We welcome works in all mediums

Key Dates:
- Deadline for Applications: 28 August 2026
- Exhibition Dates: TBC (January 2027)

Fees:
- All Vas Members can submit up to 3 works free of charge, with the subsequent 4th or 5th submission costing £10 per submission. Members can submit a maximum of 5 works.
- Non members will be charged £15 per work submitted. - Non members can submit a maximum of 5 works.

There will be a flat £15 hang fee for all selected artists payable to Visual Arts Scotland.

The Exhibition will be administered by Visual Arts Scotland who will take a commission fee of 40% (35% for Professional Members) on all sales.

More information on this open call can be found on our website. We look forward to receiving your submissions!

11/08/2026

Join us for the opening of 'ART_itecture' by RSA x Wasps Award Winner Hamish McAndrew on Friday 21 August (5pm–8pm) at The Briggait.

Exploring the intersection between art and architecture, 'ART_itecture' showcases a breadth of meticulously detailed pen drawings, physical models and animations that delve into a number of real world and imagined projects from the studio of Hamish Angus McAndrew – a sole practitioner architect currently working across Scotland & beyond.

Hamish’s work consistently seeks to bridge the gap between art and architecture – employing a multitude of mediums to communicate design ideas and explore the intricacies of the unique environments that his designs are placed within.

If you can’t make the opening, visit the exhibition until 25 September (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm).

🔗 For more information, click the link in our bio.

11/08/2026

Thank you to Dr Scott Arthur MP for coming to visit Riverside House recently, and for following up on the invitation to see some of our artists involvement with the Friends of Saughton Park group.

09/08/2026

The small, close-knit artist community based at Links in Nairn is hosting an art car boot fair, open studios and exhibition as part of this year's Nairn Book and Arts Festival.

Those participating across the various events are William Cunningham, Meghann Harris, Fiona Matheson, Katie MacDonald, Deirdre McCrimmon and Morag Smith.

The exhibition, called 'What is place?' will explore ideas of connection and belonging. The event also offers a rare opportunity to visit artists’ open studios, meet makers in their working environments, and browse the car boot fair in the studio building's car park, where invited artists will gather to show and sell their work.

Visit Links Studios at Grant Street, Nairn, IV12 4NN.

Details of each event are as follows:
Art exhibition: 29 August–6 September, 11am–3pm. Closed 30 August
Opening night: 28 August, 6pm–8pm
Open studios: 5–6 September, 10am–5pm
Art car boot fair: 5 September, 10am–5pm

Photography by Marc Marnie.

07/08/2026

On 28 July, members of the Wasps team met with MP for Edinburgh South West, Dr Scott Arthur, to take a tour of Riverside House studios.

The visit provided an opportunity to discuss the important contribution that artists and creative practitioners make to the area - not only through their creative practice, but through their wider impact on the local economy and the community.

Seeing artists at work in their studios offered valuable insight into both the opportunities and the challenges facing the creative sector, particularly the importance of affordable, long-term studio space. We hope the visit highlighted how investment in creative infrastructure supports thriving communities, sustains skilled jobs and small businesses, and helps ensure that Edinburgh remains a world-leading cultural city.

We believe it is invaluable for elected representatives to engage directly with artists in their workplaces. These conversations help build a deeper understanding of the role the creative sector plays in shaping resilient, connected communities.

05/08/2026

We are very excited to be taking part in this year's Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival at The Briggait this 17–20 September! 🔓

The incredible artist community at the building is hosting open studios across the four days, allowing visitors a rare glimpse into their private creative spaces. Members of the Wasps team will also be offering guided tours (starting at 11am and 2pm), which you can book via the link:
https://tinyurl.com/4trbzb4j

The Briggait is one of Glasgow’s most significant historic market buildings, located on Bridgegate in the city’s Merchant City. Completed in 1873 to designs by Clarke & Bell, it was built as Glasgow’s purpose-built fish market, replacing earlier open-air trading and reflecting the city’s rapid industrial growth. The complex expanded in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and incorporates the Merchants’ Steeple, a landmark dating from 1655, which survives from the former Merchants’ House.

For over a century, The Briggait was at the heart of Glasgow’s wholesale fish trade, supplying markets, retailers and restaurants across the region. After the fish market relocated to Blochairn in the late 1970s, the building fell into decline. A successful petition was lodged with Glasgow City Council by the Bridgegate Trust (now the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust) to save the building from demolition to make way for a multi-storey car park. An attempt to convert it into a shopping centre during the 1980s proved unsuccessful, leaving much of the complex underused.

The Category A listed building was extensively restored and reopened in 2010 by Wasps as a creative hub. Today, The Briggait provides artists’ studios, exhibition spaces and venues for cultural events, representing a successful example of Glasgow’s industrial heritage being adapted for contemporary use while preserving one of the city’s finest Victorian market halls. The 2025 restoration of the Clydeside Halls has extended the building's cultural offering as an events space for the city.

Images:
2–4. Courtesy of Historic Environment Scotland.
6. Potfest by Jamie Stone.
7. Coffee Festival by Wes Kingston.

04/08/2026

Opening Friday 7 August, 'Shift' is a group exhibition by the Meadow Mill Curatorial Group artists – Astrid Leeson, Miriam Mallalieu, Louise Ritchie, Paola McClure, Bruce Shaw and Lada Wilson.

The title 'Shift' emerged from a discussion around movement, change and transition. It also refers to the practical shift that takes place when artists working in one Wasps studio building present their work in the gallery space of another.

There will be no formal opening or closing event. Visitors are welcome during the usual opening hours of Perth Creative Exchange: Monday–Friday (9am–5pm) from 7 until 30 August.

On 20 August 2026 at 5.30pm, Lada Wilson will present a short performance in the gallery space. All are welcome to attend.

Images:
1. Louise Ritchie
2. Paola McClure
3. Bruce Shaw
4. Astrid Leeson
5. Miriam Mallalieu
6. Lada Wilson

04/08/2026

As part of this year's Fringe celebrations, Patriothall-based artists are hosting a group exhibition of work at the in-house gallery space in Stockbridge. Spanning tapestry, painting, print, ceramics, jewellery and more, the showcase will capture the breadth of creative talent at the building.

Join the collective for the opening event this Friday at Patriothall (6pm–8pm), and visit 'Artists at Patriothall' 8–23 August (11am–5pm daily) in Stockbridge and discover this incredible community for yourself.

A former industrial bakery, Wasps took over Patriothall in the mid-80s to establish studio provision for Edinburgh's artists. Across three floors, around 50 artists and makers call Patriothall their creative home.

Images:
1. Fiona Hutchison
2. Robin Wu
3. Siri France

📸 Photography by Alix McIntosh.