Artists Open House
Encyclopedia
An Artists Open House is a special example of an Open Studio
whereby the studio is a residential venue, usually a house or a garden. The format of an Open House is very similar to an Open Studio, but the significantly lower cost of exhibiting in a residential venue than a studio or gallery provides more artists an opportunity to exhibit their work.
and Brighton Festival Fringe
.
In 1982 Ned Hoskins filled his home with his and other artists work in protest at the lack of visual arts in the Brighton Festival.
Ned had started a new phenomenon. This became the now well known Fiveways Artists Group, named after the area of the city known as Fiveways. They were soon followed by other groupings of Artists' Open Houses in other areas around Brighton and Hove, including Beyond The Level, founded 1996 (from city area The Level) and Kemptown Artists (from city area Kemptown
). In 2008 there were around 1000 artists exhibiting work in over 200 houses, divided into 13 trails, together with many independent open houses.
In 2002 the Artists Open Houses Festival broke away from the official and fringe Brighton Festivals to become an independent organisation, often simplified to just AOH, producing its own brochure and website.
, the Artists Open Houses Festival still runs concurrently with the Brighton Festival
and Brighton Festival Fringe
. These three organisations, along with many other projects that happen during the three weeks of the festival, work together to create a diverse range of art available for display around the city.
A similar organisation in Cheltenham
also runs for a week at the beginning of June. Originally called Cheltenham Artists Open Houses, but now known as Cheltenham Art Festival & Open Studios.
Also unlinked Artists Open House events happen in other areas of the UK. Bath, Birmingham
, Bristol
, Leicester
, Manchester
, Oxford
, Stroud
, Somerset
and Worthing
all have ones of their own.
Open Studio
A studio or workroom which is made accessible to allcomers, where artistic or creative work can be viewed and created collaboratively. An Open Studio is intended to foster creativity and encourage experimentation in an atmosphere of cultural exchange, conversation, encouragement, and freedom of...
whereby the studio is a residential venue, usually a house or a garden. The format of an Open House is very similar to an Open Studio, but the significantly lower cost of exhibiting in a residential venue than a studio or gallery provides more artists an opportunity to exhibit their work.
History
Artists Open Houses are perhaps best known in Brighton and Hove in the UK as taking place alongside the Brighton FestivalBrighton Festival
The Brighton Festival is an annual arts festival which takes place in the city of Brighton and Hove in England each May. It was founded in 1966, and is the largest multi-art form festival in England...
and Brighton Festival Fringe
Brighton Festival Fringe
The Brighton Festival Fringe is an open access arts festival held annually in Brighton, England. It is the largest annual arts festival in England.- Introduction :...
.
In 1982 Ned Hoskins filled his home with his and other artists work in protest at the lack of visual arts in the Brighton Festival.
Ned had started a new phenomenon. This became the now well known Fiveways Artists Group, named after the area of the city known as Fiveways. They were soon followed by other groupings of Artists' Open Houses in other areas around Brighton and Hove, including Beyond The Level, founded 1996 (from city area The Level) and Kemptown Artists (from city area Kemptown
Kemptown
Kemptown is a small community running along the King's Cliff to Black Rock in the east of Brighton, East Sussex, England.-History:The area takes its name from Thomas Read Kemp's Kemp Town residential estate of the early 19th Century, but the one-word name now refers to an area larger than the...
). In 2008 there were around 1000 artists exhibiting work in over 200 houses, divided into 13 trails, together with many independent open houses.
In 2002 the Artists Open Houses Festival broke away from the official and fringe Brighton Festivals to become an independent organisation, often simplified to just AOH, producing its own brochure and website.
Currently
In BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, the Artists Open Houses Festival still runs concurrently with the Brighton Festival
Brighton Festival
The Brighton Festival is an annual arts festival which takes place in the city of Brighton and Hove in England each May. It was founded in 1966, and is the largest multi-art form festival in England...
and Brighton Festival Fringe
Brighton Festival Fringe
The Brighton Festival Fringe is an open access arts festival held annually in Brighton, England. It is the largest annual arts festival in England.- Introduction :...
. These three organisations, along with many other projects that happen during the three weeks of the festival, work together to create a diverse range of art available for display around the city.
A similar organisation in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
also runs for a week at the beginning of June. Originally called Cheltenham Artists Open Houses, but now known as Cheltenham Art Festival & Open Studios.
Also unlinked Artists Open House events happen in other areas of the UK. Bath, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Stroud
Stroud
Stroud a town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England.Stroud may also refer to:*Stroud, New South Wales, Australia*Stroud, Ontario, Canada*Stroud , Gloucestershire, UK*Stroud...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
all have ones of their own.
External links
- Artists Open Houses – website for separate element of the Brighton FestivalBrighton FestivalThe Brighton Festival is an annual arts festival which takes place in the city of Brighton and Hove in England each May. It was founded in 1966, and is the largest multi-art form festival in England...
. - Cheltenham Art Festival & Open Studios (formerly Cheltenham Artists Open Houses) – official website.
- Brighton Festival Fringe – fringe festival official website.
- Brighton Festival – main festival official website.
- Brighton Festival Chorus – website for separate element of the Brighton Festival.
- Same Sky – arts organization, forms part of the Brighton Festival.
- Brighton Festival feature on Brighton information website View Brighton.
- Three Weeks – website Three Weeks, featuring complete guides to both the Brighton Festival and Edinburgh FestivalEdinburgh FestivalThe Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
. - Brighton Fringe reviews from Brighton and Hove local newspaper The ArgusThe Argus (Brighton)The Argus is a local newspaper based in Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, with editions serving the city of Brighton and Hove and the other parts of both East and West Sussex.-History:...
.