Custom House Studios and Gallery

Custom House Studios and Gallery, also written Custom House Studios + Gallery, is an artist-run visual arts centre located at 4 Castle Street, Westport, County Mayo, Ireland. Established in 2002, it operates seven studios, a print room, and a public gallery within a restored nineteenth-century customs house. The organisation is funded by Mayo County Council, Pobal, and the Arts Council of Ireland, and functions as a hub for professional artists in the region while maintaining strong ties to the local community and visitors.

The origins of Custom House Studios date back to the 1980s, when locally based artists in Westport identified the need for a dedicated centre providing both studio and exhibition space. Mayo County Council and Westport Town Council became involved, making available the old Custom House at the Quay for the project. Local artists took over the derelict building in 1999 and carried out refurbishment work. The partnership behind the establishment included the Artists Group in Westport, Westport Town Council, Mayo County Council, the Department of Arts, and the wider Westport community. The new Custom House Studios and Gallery opened on 26 November 2002. The organisation celebrated its twenty-first year of operation in November 2023, marked by an extensive exhibition opened by Maureen Kennelly, director of The Arts Council of Ireland.

Custom House Studios and Gallery does not maintain a permanent collection in the traditional museum sense. Rather, its programme centres on temporary exhibitions, studio provision, and community engagement. The facility houses seven individual studios, a printmaking workshop, and a gallery space. Its aims include providing studio and exhibition space for artists, facilitating contact between artists in the Mayo area, assisting in the development of careers within the visual arts, and linking the work of artists with the local community. The organisation also seeks to provide young artists with facilities to work in the county, contributing to an enriched cultural and tourism offering for Westport.

As a non-collecting institution, Custom House Studios and Gallery is distinguished by the calibre of artists who have exhibited there rather than by permanent holdings. Notable artists who have shown work at the gallery include Camille Souter, Mick O'Dea, Alison Pilkington, Niall McCormack, and Alice Maher. The 2023 twenty-first anniversary exhibition featured works by more than sixty artists, including Margaret Adams, Kian Benson Bailes, Bryan Gerard Duffy, Eoin Mac Lochlainn, and Dermot Seymour. The annual Winter Exhibition remains a signature event, with the 2025 edition featuring artists such as Christina Bauer, Emma Bourke, Thomas Brawn, and Breda Burns, among others. Solo and duo exhibitions also form part of the programming, as seen in scheduled 2025 shows by Niamh Clarke and by Emma Bourke with Fiona Byrne.

The building was constructed as a customs house around 1820 to a design by Dublin architect Dominick Madden. In 1837, Samuel Lewis described it in his topographical dictionary of Ireland as well arranged, noting that it had collected duties of £577 8 s. 4 d. in 1836. After becoming obsolete, the structure fell into ruin before its adaptive reuse. The refurbishment carefully conserved its historical architectural features while accommodating contemporary arts functions. The building sits at Westport Quay, a location that reflects its original maritime commercial purpose.

Custom House Studios and Gallery is located at 4 Castle Street, Westport, County Mayo, Ireland. The nearest public transit access is the Westport Mill Street bus stop. The organisation is owned by Custom House Studios Ltd. Its present role combines artist studio provision with public exhibition programming, serving both the professional arts community and the general public. The facility continues to operate with funding support from Mayo County Council, Pobal, and the Arts Council of Ireland. Visitors can access the gallery during exhibition periods, with events such as opening receptions offering opportunities for public engagement with contemporary visual art in the region.