Steve Ross Foundation

General information

The Quay Arts Centre is situated in a converted 19th-Century brewery warehouse complex at the head of the River Medina in the centre of Newport.

Refurbished in 1997 by award winning architect Tony Fretton, our facilities include three galleries, a 134-capacity theatre, a Crafts Council-listed gift shop and popular Café Bar with a reputation for serving some of the best home-cooked food on the Island. Business conferencing facilities are also available, and the Centre is licensed for weddings and civil partnerships.

Quay Arts is a registered charity, supported by The Arts Council of England, the Isle of Wight Council and donations from people like you.

Beautiful galleries showing excellent work

The Centre’s three gallery spaces and Café walls show a varied, engaging, regularly changing programme of visual arts. The work, sourced from artists on the Island, mainland and internationally, is of the highest quality and always worth a visit. The Rope Store and Learning Curve galleries are available for hire by visual artists looking to sell work.

Intimate live venues with an outstanding programme of events

The superbly equipped theatre at Quay Arts, named after Island-born, Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella, and is one of the best venues on the island to see live performances. An outstanding programme of events offers theatre, comedy, music, dance, children’s entertainment and literature, and cinema evenings that show the best in world and classic film.

The popular Café Bar also doubles as a live venue, where you can see established and emerging artists performing just a few feet away. While enjoying a range of locally sourced wine and beer from the bar.

Studios for working artists and workshops

A short way down the river from Quay Arts is Jubilee Stores. Here, passionate professional artists work in a huge range of media including jewellery, pottery, printmaking, textiles, sculpture and painting. The artists are happy to accept commissions, although please arrange an appointment to discuss your requirements.

Jubilee Stores also hosts many of the workshops and courses on offer. It’s the ideal place to hone old skills, learn new ones and make new contacts with likeminded people.

Support for emerging artists on the Isle of Wight

Quay Arts actively supports emerging talent on the Island, both at the Centre and off-site. During the Isle of Wight Festival, for example, Quay Arts runs the Kashmir Café where local bands, technicians, photographers and bar staff work for free, and the audience pays nothing to get in. Musicians are often chosen after playing at Acoustic Originals, a free-to-watch event held every month in the Quay Arts Café.

If you have a band and want to play here, get in touch. You could be at the Festival next year! If you want to discover new talent for yourself, come along – you could become one of our many regulars.