Backbone Youth Arts

Backbone’s office is located in a Level 3 studio of the Metro Arts building on Edward Street in Brisbane’s CBD. For more than 30 years, Metro Arts has prominently supported artists and is recognised as Brisbane’s centre for independent practice. Metro Arts delivers professional development for artists to achieve sustainable creative practice.

In 1879, the address ’109 Edward Street, Brisbane’ was home to a hairdresser’s shop, billiard saloon and an oyster saloon. In 1889, these stores were replaced with a five-storey warehouse built for glass, pottery and china imports.

Over the next 80 years, the building survived a fire and changed ownership many times to finally be approved as a community arts centre in the mid- 1970s. July 1981 brought about the official opening of the Brisbane Community Arts Centre, now Metro Arts. In 2001, Metro Arts received a grant to purchase the heritage-listed building and became its own landlord.

Metro Arts currently provides 35 tenancies, including individual artist studios, small creative businesses, retail outlets (a café, bar and restaurant) and arts organizations, including Backbone and Playlab.

Metro Arts’ two galleries fill an important gap in the visual arts sector by providing professional exhibition space that offers the affordability and accessibility of an artist-run space with the support and reputation of an institutional gallery. The two performances spaces, the Sue Benner Theatre and the Studio, provide performing artists with a  professional, low cost, intimate venue appropriate for both new work and work in development.

Visit the Metro Arts’ website.