As 2010 swings into action, Bristol’s independent art scene starts the new decade in rude health. Away from establishments like the Arnolfini and Spike Island, there has been a marked growth in the kind of community work previously only found at places like the Trinity Centre. Although it’s merely the tip of the iceberg where the entire city is concerned, these days a walk down Stokes Croft is a sensory blur of colour and texture. Between the great waves of Hillgrove Street and the murals that skirt the derelict front of Westmoreland House, you find Turbo Island’s bold font, a tiny medieval Apothecary and countless tiny oddities that reveal themselves only with careful inspection.

And that’s only on the street. Over the course of last summer the Peoples’ Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) held several auctions of work from local artists in their gallery on Jamaica Street. The Here Gallery on the corner of Ashley Road regularly hosts tiny exhibitions from both local and national artists and further down, both The Junction and The Wonder Club put on regular events. Beyond this small stretch of road the same pattern fans outward and new gallery spaces seem to appear on a surprisingly regular basis: Friend & Co, The Nails Gallery, Room212, View, Centrespace and The Arts House are but a few of the others that are to be found.

But what has prompted this seemingly sudden explosion in number and popularity? The city has always been home to a vibrant artistic community. The rise of the ‘Bristol Sound’ to national status during the early nineties, heralded by the success of artists like Massive Attack, Tricky and Portishead, had a strongly defined visual counterpart. Their genre-bending musical aesthetic, taking in aspects of punk, reggae, hip-hop and soul, birthed an equally colourful graffiti and street art movement to match.

This same crossover still exists, and while the music scene’s heath has never been in dispute, the artistic element that went with it shifted gradually out of mainstream consciousness. Two years ago Sam and Cheba began hosting Weapon Of Choice at Mr.Wolfs, a night that places as much emphasis on live graffiti art as on music. They have since expanded the night into something far larger, inhabiting a gallery at the bottom of St. Michael’s Hill and producing a regular magazine to showcase others’ work. Since opening its doors ten months ago, the WOC gallery has seen its profile grow impressively in stature, putting on exhibitions by artists ranging from local street writers to long-term Radiohead associate Stanley Donwood.

And all from something typically perceived as a social nuisance. Yet in Banksy’s wake, the doors have been opened for a wider public acceptance of street art. “‘In the last two years graffiti has been brought more to the forefront. People are starting to accept that it is a form of art,” says Sam, “Some people are good with pencils, some people are good with pens – some people are good with a spray can.” The unprecedented success of Banksy’s exhibition at Bristol City Museum renewed interest in a culture that has existed, in one way or another, since it first arrived with hip-hop in the late seventies. It’s brought some surprising developments. “‘We get kids from the school coming in and saying “I want to be a graffiti artist.” We even get their mums coming in to say “I want to get my son into graffiti!”’

Mr. Wolf’s have also recently taken over Stokes Croft venue The Junction, and since its renovation have provided a space for regular events that blur the lines between art, music and community gathering. It wasn’t intentional, says Steph Wolff. “With The Junction, it felt like it came very naturally. We wanted to keep the live music element when we took over but once we arrived, we found that the space was beautiful and naturally shaped to display art.” Ending up with collaborators keen to follow that premise, she says, happened instantly but not on purpose; “The first few promoters we spoke to were interested in incorporating both art and music elements.”

One of the main factors in Stokes Croft’s renewed vitality has been the tirelessly inventive work of the PRSC, transforming an area typically seen as run down into a living and breathing work of art. Along with Coexist, one of several organisations in the area that offers studio space, it seems to provide a focal point to draw an already present community closer together. The defining factor seems to be the need for a central space for previously unconnected people to gather. Local artist and musician Hal Camplin emphasises this point; “When I moved here in 2001, I felt there wasn’t enough going on and because I had no connections with the art community, I set up Kangaroo Kourt - my lounge in the house I was renting. It brought out all these artists from everywhere and became a great social scene.”

This presence of a central hub creates a space for the sharing of ideas – something that has a knock-on effect on surrounding areas. Ultimately though, it may be that the city itself is as responsible as those in it, says Sam. “It couldn’t have happened somewhere like London. In Bristol, it’s so small that it has to cross over. You can’t choose to avoid it. The city is so small that you can’t help but know that things are going on.”

Rory Gibb