Fire-ravaged Krowji arts centre reopens to public

Amy Albright is a landscape artist based at Krowji.

A creative arts centre ravaged by fire is reopening to the public for the first time for a Christmas event.

Seventeen studios at the Krowji centre in Redruth, Cornwall, were destroyed by the blaze in May with a number of others damaged by water.

The centre said several of the tenants affected by the fire would be taking part in the three-day Open Studios event which begins on Friday.

Krowji is used by more than 200 artists and craftspeople.

Fiona Wotton, chief executive of Creative Kernow - the charity group which owns Krowji, said the event "has brought back some much-needed positivity and excitement after the challenges of Covid and the devastating fire".

She said: "Our creative community are eager to reconnect with art lovers and showcase their work and we are looking forward to seeing Krowji back doing what it does best as Cornwall's leading creative hub."

The Krowji centre was badly damaged by a fire in May 2021

Lyndsey Vowell, who describes herself as an abstract seascape artist, said: "I'm very excited about this event as it gives art lovers an opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes and for us to meet the public to share our passions and inspirations, which almost felt impossible after a challenging couple of years."

The centre set up the Phoenix group to bring together tenants who lost their studio spaces to the fire.

Members of that group will take part in the event and will be displaying their work in a specially designated area.

More than 50 artists, designers and makers in total will be opening up their studios to the public.

Tenants from Krowji's satellite studio cluster in Falmouth Road, Redruth, known as The Yard, will also be participating in the event.