The Arts

There’s a strong community of artists in the town with regular shows and exhibitions at local venues such as the Beecroft and Focal Point Galleries, which feature visits from international artists.

Southend’s major theatres, the Cliffs Pavilion and the Palace Theatre, attract major West End touring productions, as well as concerts, ballet, opera and the biggest names in comedy.

TAP

TAP (Temporary Arts Project Ltd) is an independent artist led project space sited in a Victorian water works that has been converted into artists studios, an exhibition space and screening room.

Their core aim is to provide a research space for artists to develop through exploration with the freedom to take risks and push the boundaries of their practice. TAP is committed to working with dynamic artists who want to test the limits of current art practice.

They work with invited guest curators and collaborators to produce a programme of events including artist talks, workshops and off site projects.

Metal

Metal was founded by Jude Kelly OBE in 2002 and was created as an artistic laboratory to champion the need for continual investment in artistic investigation and the development of innovative ideas that could shift the thinking in the UK cultural sector.

They provide innovative, multi-disciplinary residency space for artists from the UK and overseas.