Tuesday, 26 August 2008
10:00pm

Located in Melbourne's industrial inner west, Footscray's crumbling MREAM Studios (Maribyrnong River Edge Artists Movement) are currently the cheapest art studios in Melbourne - $25 per week for a space, as opposed to the standard $50-$80.

Unfortunately for the 23 resident community artists, the studios’ days are numbered. Despite being located on Footscray's official 'arts strip', gentrification pressures have meant the building was recently sold.

As news of a savvy developer's plan to build town house 'studios' on the site hits home, the artists look to the local Maribyrnong City Council for help. They also decide to hold what could be their last exhibition MREAM's SCREAM - a combined homage and protest at what looks likely to be the end of an era.

Artists at Work follows the studio collective's struggle to survive primarily through the eyes of still life artist Eileen Muir, textile artist Laura Power-Davies, naïve painter Pol McMahon, photo-media artist Karenne Rees and Ethiopian realist painter Desalegne Hailu.

As the story unfolds it becomes obvious that large community art studios such as MREAM hold an immense and irresistible allure. As the chief location of artistic expression and production, the studios' importance to the community thoroughly transcends their practical functions.

Artscape: Artists At Work: MREAM Studios will be repeated on ABC2 - Sunday, August 31 at 7:00pm