Vault Artist Studios has moved into Bankmore House on Bedford Street in Belfast. The non-profit arts collective provides studio space for 30 artists, along with a gallery and project area. A further hub will open soon in a former Masonic Lodge on lower Newtownards Road in east Belfast.

Formed in 2017, the group has over 100 members including musicians, circus performers, visual artists and photographers. It previously occupied space on Victoria Street and at the Shankill Mission building for three years. Before that, it spent five years on Tower Street in east Belfast, a site now demolished for affordable housing.

Rob Hilken, a visual artist on the board of trustees, stated the new Bedford Street location offers the best facilities yet. He noted its position in a busy area supports affordable studio rents for low-paid artists. The collective generates income from the spaces to subsidize rents.

The group collaborates with Linen Quarter BID to host wellbeing workshops for local people and businesses. It schedules one exhibition monthly for the Late Night Art event and rents space to other artists between shows.

Vault Artist Studios' first exhibition at the new site, titled Mayday Mayday, addresses worker issues and the impact of rising costs on working-class artists. Curator Cathy Scullion, a visual artist, organized it while taking leave from her day job. She highlighted concerns that increasing expenses exclude people from working-class backgrounds from the arts.

Hilken emphasized the role of such collectives in supporting artists who hold other jobs. Affordable studios enable participation across demographics and contribute to Belfast's cultural scene through events like Late Night Art on the first Thursday of each month. The group aims to engage local communities and businesses.