Lennox Street Studios

A Creative Hub in Newtown Since 1995

Lennox Street Studios, based in Newtown NSW 2042, has been a working studio space since 1995. It's run by artists and supported by St Joseph's Church, housing around 40 practising artists who work across different mediums and levels of experience. Steve Perrin and Malcolm Poole set it up because they wanted to build somewhere cheap enough for artists to afford, where they could actually make work and learn from one another.

You'll find everyone from recent graduates through to Archibald Prize winners sharing the studios. That mix creates a proper collaborative environment where artists pick things up from each other. If you're after a real, functioning artist workspace in Sydney, Lennox Street Studios is pretty central to how the arts community actually operates in Newtown.

What You'll See in the Studios

Artists working here tackle painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, film and textiles. You'll spot everything from contemporary and abstract pieces to figurative work, landscapes, portraits, still life, expressionist and realist approaches. The mix is genuinely broad, so there's usually something that clicks whether you're after traditional fine art or something more experimental.

The artists themselves range from established prize-winners to people just finding their feet. That's not accidental. Having different voices in the space keeps things moving and fresh, with everyone bringing their own take and skills to what's happening there.

Open Studio Weekends and Direct Artist Engagement

The annual Open Studio Weekend is the main event. It's free to attend, and you can watch artists working in their studios, have a yarn with them, and buy work directly. You'll see pieces at different stages and get a real sense of how the work actually comes together. The crowds have been solid at recent events, making it one of Newtown's biggest arts occasions each year.

Artists are open to enquiries about sales and commissions outside those weekends too. This direct line to the maker is what sets the place apart from a regular gallery. You're buying from the person who created the work, no middleman involved.

Art Classes and Community Learning

Ground-level art classes at the studios cater to everyone from complete beginners to experienced artists, with affordable rates and instruction from artist André Hobday. The program sits alongside the studios' broader push to get more people making art and strengthening local connections.

Why Visit Lennox Street Studios in Newtown

You get to walk straight into working artists' studios here, no gallery middleman between you and the work. There's no hard sell, no one deciding which art deserves your attention. The artists are making work in a genuinely collaborative space. Open Studio Weekends are free to visit, and if you're keen you can ask about studio hire or joining classes too. For anyone serious about contemporary art in Sydney, the calibre of artists and the spread of different media make this worth your time. Lennox Street Studios, Newtown, NSW 2042.

{"text":"Newtown's got a long reputation for bohemian culture and creative energy, and these studios sit right at home there. They've become the real deal when it comes to artist-led practice, offering something genuinely different from the typical gallery setup. It demonstrates what artists can pull off when they run things themselves in Australia.