Peacock & the worm

What Peacock & the worm does

Peacock & the worm is an open-access printmaking workshop and registered charity (Charity No. 14840) incorporated in Scotland as Peacock Visual Arts Ltd. (Company No. SC056235), founded in 1974 and headquartered at 21 Castle Street, Aberdeen. The organization operates across five interconnected functions structured as 'making, teaching, publishing, showing, archiving': it provides shared access to professional printmaking equipment spanning six disciplines (relief printing, intaglio, screenprint, lithography, risograph, and letterpress), supplemented by a Riso MZ1070E digital duplicator and laser/vinyl cutting capability; it runs an editorial-style publishing program in which staff printmakers edition original artists' prints by hand alongside collaborators such as Ralph Steadman, Jamie Reid, Erica Eyres, and Gayle Chong Kwan; it operates the worm gallery on Castlegate and The Print Room satellite for exhibitions; it delivers one-to-one teaching (£30-£50 per half-day), bespoke group workshops for up to six participants, and youth programs including Free Press Publishers (care-experienced young people aged 14-26) and Boredom Box (ages 8-26 with CFINE); and it maintains a global e-commerce print shop via Shopify.

The underlying technology is intentionally analogue, organized around stone lithography, metal-plate intaglio (copper, zinc, steel), wood/metal relief blocks, hand-cut screens, and a heritage letterpress collection with wooden type from 3pt to 43pt, including century-old blocks. Equipment is shared across members and visitors under an open-access model that includes communal kitchen, paper, and proofing inks. Digital technology is limited to Shopify for retail, Mailchimp for newsletters, PayPal and Braintree for payments, and Google Analytics for web reporting.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model. Earned income comes from three annual membership tiers (£50 Occasional, £150 Regular, £300 Frequent), pay-as-you-go Open Access day passes (£9-£18 full price; £6.75-£13.50 concession), one-to-one teaching (£30-£50 per half-day), bespoke group workshops, and Shopify-based print sales with worldwide insured shipping. Core operational viability is sustained by ongoing grants from Aberdeen City Council and Creative Scotland. Customer segments include practicing and amateur artists (primary), learning/teaching users, schools and community groups, care-experienced youth, and collectors of original editioned prints. The organization was rebranded from Peacock Printmakers / Peacock Visual Arts to 'Peacock & the worm' in 2024.

Name

Peacock & the worm

Legal name

Peacock Visual Arts Ltd.

Website

https://peacock.studio

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Peacock & the worm is an Aberdeen-based open-access printmaking workshop and registered charity, founded in 1974, serving professional and amateur artists, schools, community groups, and care-experienced young people through shared facilities across six printmaking disciplines, publishing, teaching, exhibitions, and a global online print shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Printmaking Workshop Services

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151), Printing and Related Support Activities (3231), Printing and Related Support Activities (323)

SIC

Service Industries For The Printing Trade (2790), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media) (EDAMAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Short-Run & Micro-Run Digital Printing Services (POD-adjacent) (MPAJANAI), Crafting Tools & Equipment Retail (Cutting, Adhesives, Heat Tools) (CRALACAC)

Keywords

• Open access printmaking
• Print publishing services
• Art workshop facilities
• Studio membership programs
• Printmaking education

Headquarters

HQ city

Aberdeen

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Studio Memberships: Yearly membership tiers (Occasional £50, Regular £150, Frequent £300) with varying daily fee discounts and benefits including 10% off materials and prints, website feature, ability to sell work on platforms, and exhibition opportunities.
2. Open Access Fees: Daily drop-in fees for one-off projects or visitors: Full Price Half Day £9/Full Day £18, Concession Half Day £6.75/Full Day £13.50.
3. One-to-One Teaching: Personalized training sessions on screenprinting, intaglio, relief printing, letterpress, laser cutting and Risograph. Half-day sessions priced £30-£50.
4. Print Sales: Sale of original artists' prints published and editioned at Peacock through their online shop (Shopify). Includes works by established artists like Ralph Steadman, Jamie Reid, and emerging artists.
5. Bespoke Group Workshops: Custom workshops for up to 6 people - school groups, teambuilding or community sessions. Can be delivered offsite with mobile equipment or in studio.
6. Charitable Funding: Supported by Aberdeen City Council and Creative Scotland as a registered charity, providing operational funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Peacock & the worm operates an open-access printmaking workshop in Aberdeen, Scotland, offering professional printmaking facilities (relief, intaglio, screenprint, lithography, risograph, letterpress, laser cutting) along with collaborative print publishing, studio memberships, one-to-one teaching, group workshops, and a gallery/project space for exhibitions and original print sales. Founded in 1974 as a registered charity, the organisation supports artists of all skill levels in producing original artworks through making, learning, and showing programs.

Product overview

Peacock & the worm (formerly Peacock Printmakers and Peacock Visual Arts) is an open-access printmaking workshop and charitable arts organization based in Aberdeen, Scotland, established in 1974. The organization offers a unified portfolio of interconnected creative services: core printmaking workshop facilities for producing original artists' prints using techniques including relief printing, intaglio, screenprint, lithography, risograph, and letterpress; publishing services where artists collaborate with technicians to edition prints; studio membership programs providing flexible access to facilities; and educational programs including one-to-one teaching, group workshops, and youth engagement initiatives such as Free Press Publishers and Boredom Box. The organization also operates the worm gallery space for exhibitions and maintains an online print shop via Shopify. The offering is structured as a platform model where the workshop facilities serve as the foundation, supplemented by publishing, teaching, and community programs that together support the organization's mission of enabling artists in making, learning, and showing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• the worm: The project space and gallery of Peacock Visual Arts, located on Castlegate in Aberdeen. It hosts exhibitions, events, and public programming.

Products and services

• Printmaking Workshop Facilities
• Publishing Services
• Studio Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported thousands of artists since 1974
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aberdeen City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary local government partner providing ongoing funding and support as a registered charity. Part of the core funding structure enabling Peacock's open access mission.
• Creative ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational arts funding body providing core charitable funding support. Partner in sustaining Scotland's printmaking heritage and contemporary arts infrastructure.
• CFINEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for Boredom Box project - distributing free creative activity packs to young people and families in Aberdeen since March 2020. Combined with Inspiring Scotland's Creative Communities fund.
• Art in PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Art in Partnership initiative bringing Scottish painters to public spaces. Co-published works with Peacock and Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
• Scottish National Gallery of Modern ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publisher of public art installations including Bruce McLean's Haymarket Station works, with funding from ScotRail.
• Ricefield Chinese Arts and Cultural CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped in partnership with Ricefield Chinese Arts and Cultural Centre for The Obsidian Isle exhibition and related events.
• ScotRailminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFunding partner for public art installations at railway stations, enabling display of large screen prints at Haymarket Station.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Leicester Print Workshop: Charitable open-access printmaking studio offering membership-based studio access, publishing, exhibitions, and learning in the East Midlands. Direct structural analogue to Peacock's open-access studio model.
• Hot Bed Press: Liverpool-based printmaking workshop providing open access to intaglio, relief, screenprint and other techniques alongside courses and exhibitions. Directly comparable operating model to Peacock.
• Edinburgh Printmakers: Scotland-based open-access printmaking workshop and charity offering facilities, exhibitions, and education. Operates the same hybrid studio/gallery/teaching model as Peacock and is the closest geographic and structural peer.
• Spike Print Studio: Bristol-based open-access printmaking studio and charity offering workspace access, courses, and exhibitions. Strong peer on facility access and workshop-membership pricing.
• Leeds Print Workshop: Open-access printmaking charity in West Yorkshire providing facilities, courses, exhibitions, and a community-focused publishing program. Comparable in size, mission, and operating structure to Peacock.
• Northern Print: Newcastle-based printmaking charity running open-access facilities, education, and artist publishing. Closest English mid-tier peer to Peacock in scale and programming.
• Glasgow Print Studio: Charity-run open-access printmaking studio in Glasgow offering equipment access, editioning services, exhibitions, and learning programs. Mirrors Peacock's workshop + publishing + exhibition model within Scotland.
• Yorkshire Print Workshop: Open-access fine art printmaking charity in Yorkshire offering workshop access, learning, and exhibitions. Comparable range of techniques and member-driven studio operations.

Others

• Create (UK arts charity network): UK-wide charity supporting access to creative opportunities for people facing barriers. Relevant as an ecosystem peer for Peacock's youth engagement and social-program work (Free Press Publishers, Boredom Box).

Broad incumbents

• Royal Society of Edinburgh Artists / Royal Scottish Academy: Established Scottish institution presenting fine art exhibitions and supporting artists through peer-elected membership. Comparable to Peacock's exhibition and artist-publication role, though at a broader remit and larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/peacockvisualarts
• Facebookfacebook.com/peacockandtheworm
• Instagraminstagram.com/peacockandtheworm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peacock-and-the-worm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Peacock & the worm