The Art House is Southampton's only independent, not-for-profit, community run social centre and performance venue which has been running since 2008. For fourteen years, we have been radically carving out a space in our city where people can discover their creativity and be treated with dignity, respect and a sense of purpose. Since August 2020, we have been supporting our community by providing a community pantry with pay-as-you-feel vegan groceries and homemade chilled meals, later adding regular community cafe events and pay-as-you-feel lunches and paid forward hot drinks.

The cost of living crisis, sadly, has made our pantry more and more important to those who use it whilst massively increasing our costs.

We are using the funds generated by this Patreon community each month to cover the costs of the community pantry and the chilled meals and community cafes. This includes the cost of sourcing and collecting surplus food, buying food when needed to stock the pantry, basic overheads like rent and utilities, as well as covering the costs of paid co-ordinators to sort deliveries, collect from supermarkets and open the space for three days each week.

The pantry is used by a wide variety of people who have been impacted by the pandemic and cost of living crisis, including our street community, unhoused folk, low waged workers, vulnerably housed people, people with long term illness, disability and mental health issues and anyone who finds it hard to make ends meet on any particular week.

We estimate between 50 to 100 people use the pantry each week. We do not ask for proof of status and treat everyone using the pantry as a valued and respected customer deserving of dignity and privacy.

About the levels of support

In keeping with our values, we give all Patreon supporters the same level of membership benefits, meaning you pay what you can to support us and access our rewards.

About The Art House

We are so much more than a cafe or venue, we are a new way of doing things, part of a global progressive movement towards a more grassroots, community-led world, a world where everyone has the chance to explore their creative potential in powerful ways. Social movements have always been lead by art, and art needs space to happen - space for people to gather, collaborate, learn and encourage one another. The Art House is a community, a space where people can come together for company, to share values, to support each other as well as supporting creativity, endeavour, a space where you can be who you are, a space that is welcoming and enthusiastically embraces diversity.

Whichever level you choose, you will become part of a vital community that will ensure the future of The Art House for years to come.

Thank you so much for your support, without it we simply would not be able to be here and serve our people.