BELFAST 1984 was a very different place from what it is today, but what QSS studios and Gallery and Belfast Exposed have in common is that  both organisations started in that  same year.

Somehow with everything that was going on in the city people got together to support each other's creativity and started arts organisations that have helped countless artists through those years. 40 years on the two organisations also share the precarious nature of not having their own secure premises. The Belfast Exposed gallery in Donegall Street has wobbles in its tenure and QSS, which moved from the city centre to participate in the continued enhancement of East Belfast in Bloomfield Avenue, have to leave their studios by March next year.

So while the possibility and creativity of artists has built over those years, their access to secure, purpose-built workspace has not.

Despite artists being part of the fabric of the city in 1984, there was no studio provision, or even art suppliers in Belfast, no gallery accessibility for non-established artists and little support for graduates. This was the environment where artists took charge and with the help of a £3,000 grant from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and strong legs to get up the 91 steps to the original studios in Queen Street, a movement was born.

Damien Coyle was the first administrator of the organisation and talks of that time being a sea change, showing how artists could do something for themselves. By contrast, QSS currently has 48 studios across two floors and the exhibition – 'We Are QSS At 40' –  exhibits works by over sixty artists in their two galleries.

Curator Eamonn Maxwell invited current members to name past members they wished to include and fourteen past members are included in this expansive exhibition. Eamonn, originally from Antrim, quotes the Siouxsie and the Banshees line, 'a jamboree of surprises', as a fitting description of the exhibition.

Although he is well known, having been involved in over 100 exhibitions in Ireland the UK and Europe, this is Eamonn's first show in Belfast. 

While the archive photos up the stairwell tell of the past of the organisation, the exhibition itself very much leads to the future. The eclectic selection of work gives an overview of a talented and prolific charity that nurtures talent and has "given protection to artists living and working in Belfast since its inception". Long may this work continue.

We Are QSS At 40  is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 5pm until December 12. There are a some interesting events running throughout that period including open studios, curators' talks, workshops and artists' talks. See www.queenstreetstudios.net for details.

Belfast 2024 continues and the Shadowdock performance at the dry dock where the Titanic was built felt very science fiction if you got a ticket to be at the top of the dock looking down. The night I went the weather was great. The risk assessments must have been a nightmare, but the evening seemed to go off without a hitch. It would be great to see this space used more, weather permitting.

If you're following what's going on with Belfast 2024, the Wiggle Room is open until November 29 at the Mac. It's a free interactive play space designed for children 5 to 11 years old and is open Tuesday to Sunday 5pm to 11pm. No need to book.

This week is of course Late Night Art on Thursday when all galleries are open late for your enjoyment. If you're interested but not sure where all the galleries are, find one and pick up  the new, updated Belfast City Council art map.

East Belfast has started to run an art tour specifically for that part of the city. The next one is October 10 and while tickets are free, you're asked to book at Platform Arts. The tour starts 5.30pm at Connswater Shopping Centre.