About Harbour Studios

Harbour Studios is a creative community space in Sunderland, supporting artists, makers, young people and local communities.

Soon to be based at Biscop House in Sunniside, Harbour brings together affordable workspace, making facilities, exhibitions, retail, workshops, events, artist development and a coffee shop.

Supporting artists. Creating opportunities. Remaining local. Supporting local.

Supporting artists. Creating opportunities. Remaining local. Supporting local.

Our Story

 Harbour began as Harbour Printworks in 2024, built around a community of printmakers, artists and creatives. As Sunderland’s Glass and Ceramics provision came to an end, another creative community was losing its home, facilities and place to connect. Rather than allowing those communities to become separated, we brought them together.

That became Harbour Studios.

Print remains part of our identity, while glass, ceramics and other creative practices now sit alongside it. Harbour is deliberately multidisciplinary and shaped by the people who use it.

Our Team

  • Co-Director, Harbour Studios

    Annie Flora James is a Sunderland-based artist and creative organiser working primarily in glass, ceramics and participatory arts. A first-class graduate of the University of Sunderland’s Glass and Ceramics degree, her creative practice explores identity, visibility and shared human experiences, often inviting people to become part of the work.

    Alongside her own artistic practice, Annie is passionate about bringing artists together, creating opportunities and supporting Sunderland’s creative community. Through organising exhibitions, collaborative projects and artist-led events, she has worked to build connections between artists at different stages of their careers.

    As a co-founder of Harbour Studios, Annie has been instrumental in bringing together the Harbour Printworks community and Sunderland’s glass and ceramics artists, helping create a new home for making, learning and collaboration.

    At Harbour, Annie focuses on creative programming, exhibitions, artist development and community engagement, with a particular interest in supporting emerging artists, breaking down barriers to participation and ensuring creativity remains accessible to everyone.

  • Co-Director, Harbour Studios

  • Co-Director, Harbour Studios

    Michaela Wetherell is a Sunderland-based curator, producer and creative practitioner with over 10 years’ experience working across exhibitions, artist development, community arts and cultural projects. Her work is particularly interested in women’s stories, working-class identity, overlooked histories and creating opportunities for people who have traditionally felt excluded from arts and cultural spaces.

    Alongside Harbour Studios, Michaela is the founder and director of Pink-Collar Gallery CIC, an arts organisation dedicated to championing underrepresented voices and using art as a platform for equality. Founded in 2020, Pink-Collar Gallery grew from Michaela’s interest in female underrepresentation in the arts and the importance of working-class identity. Since then, the gallery has worked with more than 160 artists, commissioned new work and delivered exhibitions, workshops, talks and community projects exploring themes including gender inequality, mental health, femicide, class and social inequality.

    Through Pink-Collar Gallery, Michaela has focused on breaking down barriers to the arts, supporting emerging and working-class artists and creating spaces where contemporary art feels approachable rather than exclusive.

    Her own creative practice has increasingly developed through embroidery, textiles and craft, with a particular interest in the histories of women’s making, collective creativity and the relationship between art, craft, class and identity.

    As a co-founder of Harbour Studios, Michaela focuses on programming, artist development, partnerships, funding and community engagement. She is particularly interested in building opportunities for emerging and working-class artists, developing strong relationships with Sunderland’s communities and helping shape Harbour as a place where people can make, learn, experiment and develop their creative practice.

  • Founder, Harbour Studios

    Gerard Purvis is the founder of Harbour Studios and owner of Port Independent, a coffee shop and grassroots cultural hub in the heart of Sunniside. Port has become a space for much more than coffee, hosting exhibitions, talks, workshops, events and creative projects while supporting Sunderland’s independent arts community.

    Harbour has grown from Gerard’s own creative journey — from developing a T-shirt brand and working with print, to establishing a studio and ultimately helping create a larger permanent home for Sunderland’s makers and artists.

    At Harbour, Gerard will lead on the coffee shop and hospitality side of the space, bringing his experience from Port Independent into creating a welcoming place where people can meet, work, socialise and connect with the wider creative community. He also brings experience in independent business, community building and grassroots culture, helping shape Harbour as a space where creative ideas can grow into something bigger.

  • Co-Director, Harbour Studios

    Tom Jordan is an artist based in Sunderland and was part of the final group of graduates from the MA programme at National Glass Centre. His practice explores a love of pattern, material and British folklore, alongside the relationship between modern technological manufacture and traditional hand-making skills.

    Alongside developing his own creative practice, Tom has experience making and installing work for other artists and has worked freelance on projects with National Glass Centre and Sunderland Culture.

    At Harbour, Tom will lead on technical support within the makerspace, helping artists and members use equipment safely and confidently, supporting installations and specialist processes, and making the space practical, accessible and well supported for people developing their work.

Our Mission

To keep creativity, skills and communities connected, creating an inclusive place to make, learn, share and belong.

Harbour Studios is a Community Interest Company, created to benefit the communities around us. Our key aims are to support artists and makers, create opportunities for people to develop creative skills and careers, and help more creative people remain and work in Sunderland.

We have a particular focus on supporting 16–24 year olds, creating opportunities for skills development, mentoring, work experience and routes into the creative industries. We are committed to supporting LGBTQ+ communities and making sure people feel welcome, represented and able to take part.

We are also rooted in Sunniside. Harbour is not just a workspace for artists; it is a place for local residents, families and communities to meet, take part in activities, attend events, see exhibitions or simply come in for a coffee.