Artists Open House

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An Artists Open House is a special example of an Open Studio where by the studio is a residential venue, usually a house or a garden. The format of an Open house is generally very similar to an open studio however it provides an opportunity for more artists to exhibit their work as the cost of exhibiting in a residential venue is significantly lower than a studio space or gallery space.

[edit] History

Artists Open Houses are perhaps best known in Brighton UK as part of the Brighton Festival and 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. They were soon followed by other groupings of Artists' Open Houses, including Beyond the Level (founded 1996) and Kemptown Artists. As of 2007 there are now 14 such trails and additional independent venues.

In recent years, Open Houses feature both as part of the Artists Open Houses Festival, which runs concurrently with the Brighton Festival, and as part of the Brighton Festival Fringe. These two organisations offer different opportunities for Open Houses and the artists who exhibit within them, and work together to create a diverse range of art available for display around Brighton.