Artists Open House

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.

History

Artists Open Houses are perhaps best known in Brighton UK as taking place alongside 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. In 2008 there were around 1,000 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, known as AOH, producing its own brochure and website. It still runs concurrently with the Brighton Festival, and the Brighton Festival Fringe. These three organisations work together to create a diverse range of art available for display around Brighton.

External links

* [http://www.aoh.org.uk Brighton Festival Of Artists Open Houses]
* [http://www.artistsopenhouses.org.uk/ Cheltenham Artists Open Houses Organisation]
* [http://www.brightonfestival.org/ Brighton Festival]
* [http://www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk/ Brighton Festival Fringe]