Who we are
Commitment to community
Throughout its history, the Fishslab Gallery has remained committed to artistic freedom and accessibility. It has hosted open competitions, collaborative exhibitions with other Kent galleries, and projects supporting community organisations such as Catching Lives and the Swalecliffe Day Centre.
Following the death of founding member Jon Bird in 2016, the gallery renamed its annual competition the Jon Bird Memorial Exhibition in recognition of his major contribution to the space.
To further our ambitions, the Fishslab Gallery incorporated as a Community Interest Company in 2026, and remains a volunteer-run, artist-led space in the heart of Whitstable, showcasing changing exhibitions every week and continuing its original mission of supporting independent artists and the local creative community.
How we came to be
The Fishslab Gallery began as a community-led initiative to create an affordable, artist-run exhibition space in Whitstable. Although the building itself was purchased by Canterbury Council in 1989, the idea for the gallery emerged in the early 1990s when a group of local artists lost their studio space due to redevelopment plans. With support from local councillor Jeanne Harrison, the artists secured the former fish shop that would eventually become the Fishslab Gallery.
A core group of artists, including Jon Bird, Norma Fryer and Estelle Jordan, helped establish the gallery by gathering financial support from many benefactors.
Over the following years, the space was refurbished and formally leased in 2009, allowing the gallery to grow into the established arts venue that it is today.
Credit: Swalecliffe Day Centre