At the Australian Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) awards ceremony last Thursday night, Queen Street Studio and Frasers Property were awarded with a national Encouragement Award, for their work on the FraserStudios project in Kensington Street, Chippendale.

Owned by Frasers Property and managed by Queen Street Studio, FraserStudios is a three-storey multi-arts converted warehouse space housing visual arts and performing arts residencies, writing and directorial workshops, play development programs, as well as studios to hire for rehearsals, classes, exhibitions and functions.

Since September 2008, Queen Street Studio have managed FraserStudios, after being approached by the company to make use of the empty warehouses that were once part of the Carlton United Brewery site.

Attempts to activate a thriving arts community in the Chippendale area have been successful, with around 13,000 artists utilising the various spaces (either for free or for some of the most affordable studio hire rates in Sydney) over the last two years.

"We're absolutely ecstatic to receive this national award as a testament to all the hours and work put in by the QSS team. We hope that this inspires new relationships between artists and property developers in the future." - Sam Chester, co-director of Queen Street Studio.

Frasers Property is committed to the FraserStudios project for one more year.

Queen Street Studio have also opened Heffron Hall in Darlinghurst with the aid of a City of Sydney accommodation grant, to further service Sydney's inner city arts community.

For more information about Queen Street Studio head to www.queenstreetstudio.com or to find out about AbaF head to www.abaf.org.au.