The Vision
The Space is located in the centre of Oliveira do Hospital, an historical town nestled in the foothills of the Serra De Estrella mountains in central Portugal.
It's a place for creativity, wellness, art, learning, teaching, gathering, exhibiting and celebrating.
We aim to bring together artists, teachers, students, participants and facilitators to share and promote their skills and passions; to evolve, inspire and join with like-minded people.
Whether you are looking to ...
- hire the space for a celebration, teach arts & crafts, promote wellness, or educate;
- attend a class or workshop to learn a new skill or improve your existing ones;
- exhibit or promote your creations and talents and meet new people or share experiences with friends, the Space is for you.
So ... what could YOU do in the space?
A little about me...
Background: Originally from Cornwall I grew up with a love of the arts, starting at age 6 I joined the local theatre group and proceeded to be part of many projects, play and musicals. I received a Btec national diploma in Performing arts at college and then went on to study the same at university achieving a degree. I have a strong passion for all things performance and am excited to bring some of this to our space and area.
Being creative by nature I found myself drawn to clothing. I’ve always loved clothes and dressing up to express myself. I am a self-taught creator and love to design and see my projects come to life. I run a small upcycled clothing business (Pantastics) you can check out my work in our virtual shop, here on the website or come to the space and see in person.
My love for creating has taken me down the path of teaching. I now teach small groups of children, teenagers and adults. For more information on that, check out our events page.
During my life I have gained experience in organising and running events and have spent a good amount of my time working with children in the outdoor activity sector.
I moved to Portugal to be closer to nature and to have a bit more freedom in my life. I live locally off grid with my partner and 5 year son with my mother as our neighbour, we share our Quinta with a few cats, dogs and chickens, I love living in Portugal and the lifestyle it can offer.
Teaming up with Julia to create the space and to have the potential to bring other creatives together, to be able to offer an abundance of activities to our community is truly exciting.
Thankyou to everyone involved.
It can be a lonely life in our field of work so this project was borne to bring together artists and wellness practitioners, to work, play and inspire each other and develop an artistic community and a hub of creativity, all in one comfortable, welcoming place.
Meet the team
Panama
Julia
I am a dressmaker, a crafter and an artist and started making my own clothes and toys when I was about 8 years old, inspired and taught by my mum who was a pattern cutter for Vogue and a dressmaker for the royal family.
My love of craft came from my grandmother, whose extensive craft cupboard was a thing of delight and an obsession of mine from a very young age.
I studied 3D Crafts at Brighton University and taught dressmaking at the Brighton Sewing School and Steiner school plus many years of one-to-one teaching.
I was born in England and now live here in the mountains in Portugal with my partner, my dogs and chickens.
My many passions include sewing, sculpting with clay and papier mache, collage, crochet and macrame, and these are some of the many arts and crafts courses I hope to be holding and hosting here at The Space in the future. I will be also offering specialised dressmaking and pattern making classes with emphasis on learning advanced sewing techniques such as collars, jeans, installing zippers, reading patterns and a variety of fitting techniques. These will be in small groups or one-to-one sessions. I look forward to sharing these skills with you and also inviting others to join us to teach and inspire the community and its visitors.
