About The Bullpen

Introduction

Wesley & Helen Jacobs began The Bullpen as a contemporary arts centre and foundry in 2003. The Bullpen now supports new and emerging artists as well as established sculptors and operates as a foundry, studios and artists’ collective.

What we do

Creativity and learning through making

With funding from Arts Council England, National Lottery and local awarding bodies, we facilitate creativity and learning through making.

Our area of speciality is iron and bronze casting, and we are passionate about using and teaching traditional processes to make contemporary sculpture.

The foundry Studios

Our mission

‘To give artists back their tools’

Our mission is ‘to give artists back their tools’, by which we mean to equip and inspire artists who have not had hands-on training and teaching, and to create an international supportive network.

Our international links

Our story

From an old bull pen to new premises

An artists’ collective which began, as the name suggests, in an old bull pen. With both public funding and private investment, it grew to accommodate artist studios, foundry, workshop and gallery.

2003

The Bullpen begins

Wesley & Helen Jacobs began The Bullpen as a contemporary arts centre and foundry.
2006

International links

The Bullpen established its international links with the first Iron Casting Workshop and the building of the first UK Continuous-flow Cupola Furnace. International
2006–11

Workshops for artists and community groups

The Bullpen ran large-scale metal casting workshops, mould-making workshops and a host of other creative opportunities for artists and community groups.
2012

New premises

The Bullpen re-located to new premises to pursue more ambitious iron and bronze casting projects, studio practice, exhibitions and collaborations.

Introduction

Creativity and learning through making

From an old bull pen to new premises

The Bullpen begins

International links

Workshops for artists and community groups

New premises

Find out more about The Bullpen