Go to any local art gallery that specialises in screenprints and chances are, the artists they…read moreexhibit will have learnt their craft at BIP. A fantastic, community based print studio, it was founded in 2000 by local artists Jane Sampson and Ann d'Arcy Hughes and offers affordable screen printing, mono printing, etching, collagraph, lino, woodcut and letterpress facilities. There's a one-off joining fee of £20 for new members and the hourly rate to use the studio is £4.75 plus materials. Beginners can learn the tricks of the trade by enrolling in workshops and evening classes run by Sampson, Hughes and fellow local artists Rich Townsend and Helen Brown. In short, a wonderful resource centre and a hot-bed of creativity.

Having studyed here to make stained glass I can recommend this venue. It is a fun place where all…read morecan find something one might like to do. There is dance,music,arts,health,yoga and weekend events. This is the place to learn to draw. Theres life drawing or acrylic painting. And for the budding photographer there is creative photography. Feel the need to change? What about life coaching? Or just Indian head massaging to Thai massage! Give it a try. http://www.evolutionarts.org.uk

Evolution offer a range of classes in yoga, art, dance, meditation and various other artistic and…read more'self improvement' areas. There are a wide range of evening courses and weekend workshops, with prices hovering around the £80 mark for a ten week course - roughly equivalent to council run adult ed courses. I came however, for the drop in yoga session. Quite apprehensive, having never done yoga before, I crept up the stairs to an airy and comfortable room, with a friendly, welcoming teacher. Despite my lack of experience, I never felt out of place. I'd certainly be interested in trying some of the other courses here.

If like me you don't live in Brighton and only visit on the odd weekend for a stroll down the lanes…read moreand fish and chips on Brighton Pier, you'll never even notice Phoenix Art Gallery despite its imposing size - it's massive! Once inside you forget its ugly interior and the traffic outside. I came for the opening event and artist talk for an exhibition of digital art. There is a second exhibition of sound art teamed with ceramics in the other gallery space - both are part of Brighton Digital Festival and run until the end of September, not to be missed!

A gigantic building a small walk from the North Laines and Brighton City Centre, Phoenix is a large…read morearts organisation run by a co-operative. There's over a hundred affordable art studios and workspaces and a busy annual programme offering short courses in drawing, painting, fine art, print making, life-drawing, performance art, jewellery making and -don't laugh! - puppetry. Open to the public as well as resident artists and members, it also has a couple of gallery spaces which show contemporary art, multi-media and photo exhibitions. The priority seems to be local and national group shows but there's also regular installations by visiting artists from Europe and overseas. Sadly, the couple of times I've visited I thought the work was abysmal. I also went to an event they held on Saturday night as part of the White Night festival and wish I hadn't bothered. I was expecting to see great bands and some mind-blowing work and instead was met with hundreds of pissed students and locals talking loudly and drinking cans of lager infront of a tired performance poet and a bad improvisational jazz band. I have friends who claim to have seen great work here though so I'm hoping I will have better luck next time I visit!

This is another one of those little gems that Brighton is riddle with. The HUSH Art Cafe is an…read moreindependent gallery that also offers classes in and art and video production Its a wee bit small but deffo worth a stop off for an afternoon tea and peruse of the art work, its only open as a cafe in the afternoons and because of the size they ask that you make an appointment. The multimedia Arts company, that run the HUSH Art Cafe are educated and experience enough to ensure that the work exhibited is always fantastically modern and interesting. I would advise popping in if you a local art student or take an interest in modern art.

The Friends Meeting House is a strange building, slap bang in the middle of the Lanes. It seems…read morealmost incongruous, a huge garden and old house sandwiched in between two shops, but once you enter through the iron wrought gates, what's on offer is even more of a surprise. First things first, the Meeting House itself is a church space, used primarily by the local Quaker community. The space is large, wide and open, with plenty of light and that pleasant non-denominational church atmosphere: lots of space, no oppressive imagery. I'm not the worshipping kind, but it looks like a great space to sit and contemplate. Also, the space is sometimes used for fringe theatre: normally projects that are a bit more niche, which means the space is now known to be slightly arty and kooky as well as spiritual: a nice blend. As well as all that, the Meeting House is also home to the Friends Centre, an adult learning annex. Offering courses from modern languages to more esoteric skills and crafts, it is a great and cheap place to learn new hobbies with some useful applications. The course list is varied enough to offer something for everyone, and is a nice, open space to sit and learn: a great service alongside everything else the Meeting House offers. For all of its offers, the Friends Meeting House has managed to find a perfect Brightonian niche: known to some as a church, some as a theatre venue, some as a college, it has become somewhat of an esoteric institution in the Brighton landscape. If all of that doesn't appeal, the Meeting House also has a very pleasant garden in the middle of the Lanes: another good place to soak up the rays on a lunch break.

The Meeting House is home to Brighton's Quaker community, with regular open meetings and events…read moretaking place. It is also the home of 'The Friends Centre', which offers an impressive adult education programme. Courses are varied and diverse, including many modern language and adult literacy and numeracy courses. If you fancy dabbling in a new hobby, there are also arts and crafts classes, including textiles and card-making! The centre also makes academic subjects accessible to those who may not have the time or desire to commit to longer-term study: choose from Art history, Local heritage, Literature and Creative writing. As well as providing more formal education opportunities, the Meeting House can be hired out and so often hosts one-off events and lectures. I went to a really interesting talk on Guantanamo Bay here and have seen other politically and culturally themed events advertised, so if you're interested, check out their website and see what's going on! This place has a real community spirit and makes me grateful to be living in Brighton!