Art in Perpetuity Trust, also known as APT, is a
London-based charity focusing on developing visual arts. It comprises 37
studios for visual artists and a gallery in Deptford.
APT was founded in 1995, at Harold Works, Creekside,
Deptford. Harold Works was put on the market in the early 90s and in due course
a group of artists from the Greenwich Artists Studio Association (GASA)
negotiated a sale. An agreement was made with their newly established charity,
Art in Perpetuity Trust, to takeout a lease with an option to buy the freehold.
So in 1995, the artists took over and began converting the warehouse and
building into studios.
The conversion of Harold Works was accomplished over three
to four months, mainly by a small number of APT artists. Thirty seven studios
and a gallery space were created and APT artists began to move in from May to
August 1995. The option to purchase Harold Wharf was exercised by APT in 1999.
