Workshops and events for all the family
The Artists Open Houses festival will take place in Brighton and Hove and beyond over the four weekends of May. The biggest event of its kind in the UK, the festival will see around 200 houses and studio spaces across the city opening their doors to exhibit and sell the work of over 1,000 artists and makers.
There will be plenty of opportunities to get hands on - with a whole range of exciting workshops and events ranging from stone carving to giant games of consequences, pirate and fairy workshops to ceramic tile making, letter carving and screen printing to the craft of mamking essential oils.
There will also be live demonstrations – the chance to see a blacksmith hard at work, artists stone carving and print making with a genuine 19th century Imperial Press.
All the events are family friendly and many are specifically for children. Full listings of all events can be found at www.aoh.org.uk
Here are some of the highlights:
- Art @ Mister Magnolia, 1 High Street, Ditchling, East Sussex
This family friendly arty cafe in the heart of the village of Ditchling will be holding “Be a Pirate for the Day” and “I Wish I was a Fairy” workshops for children every Sunday in May. Meanwhile, every Saturday in May will see the cafe filled with live music, food and cocktails. Also exhibiting during the day will be paintings and sculptures by Claire Fearon and Seb Pedley. Family Friendly http://www.mistermagnolia.co.uk
- AfricArt 18 Redhill Drive, Brighton
For the first time, AfricArt’s Zimbabwean stone sculpting workshops will be run by a Zimbabwean sculptor and a sculptor and teacher from Brighton. Will Richards began sculpting as a schoolboy after attending a workshop run by two Zimbabwean stone carvers organised by AfricArt. After specialising in stone sculpting at university, he now teaches art and sculpts in his spare time. As well as co-running workshops during Artists Open Houses with Zimbabwean sculptor Hilary Manuhwa, some of Will’s work will be available to buy alongside over 100 Zimbabwean stone sculptures, Nigerian art and works by local artists.http://www.africart.tv
- The Ceramic House, 75 Stanmer Villas, Brighton
Make your very own Ceramic House tile! The Ceramic House is always one of the festival highlights and now you have the chance to create your very own piece to take home. Workshops take place every weekend throughout May. No previous experience is necessary and the workshops are suitable for all ages. Booking online is recommended to secure a place. http://www.theceramichouse.co.uk
- Jo Sweeting, 72 Ashford Road Fiveways Brighton
The third opening of this house, workshop and garden sees sculptor, letter carver and printmaker Jo Sweeting demonstrate and teach visitors how to carve their own letters. Seven established artists working in various disciplines including decorative wooden lighting and shade maker Sarah Lock, painter, printmaker and photographer Garrick Palmer and jewellery designer Kayo Saito will also be exhibiting.http://www.josweetingsculpture.com/
- NHR Organic Oils, 24 Chatham Place Brighton
Visit the HQ of the first company ever to sell exclusively certified organic essential oils and take part in inspiring workshops. Learn how to screen print with artist Georgia Novis, or how to make organic cream with essential oil consultant Laura Hoy, distill essential oils with Kolinka Zinovieff and cooking with Heather Hardy from Love~bites. www.nhrorganicoils.com
Live demonstrations of work will also be happening throughout the festival, including:
- Anvil Ironworks, 222b Ditchling Road, Brighton
A chance to see contemporary and traditional blacksmithing along with other sculptural forms. Come into the garden from 1pm onwards (weather dependant) and see a blacksmith at work. http://www.anvilironworks.co.uk
- Olive Tree Artists, 16 Clifton Street, Brighton
Paulien Gluckman will be demonstrating stone carving in the garden, or wood letter carving inside, depending on the weather.
- Printhouse, 52 Hollingbury Park Avenue, Brighton
A unique opportunity to see artists using a genuine 19th century Imperial Press to create prints every Saturday of the festival. http://www.5waysprinthouse.co.uk
Full listings can be found at www.aoh.org.uk
About Artist Open Houses
Brighton and Hove Artist Open Houses, the originator of the Open House movement, date back to 1981 when an artist from the Fiveways area of Brighton, Ned Hoskins opened his house to the public to view his work, and that of a group of friends.
Other artists in the area followed suit to form the Fiveways Artist Group. In a city full of creatives, the idea proved popular and soon Artist Open Houses sprung up all over the city. It has become the largest event of its kind in the UK, with around 200 houses and studio spaces opening their doors across the city to exhibit the work of over 1,000 artists and makers.
Some of the most exciting work from The Artist Open House festival will be featured in The Open Houses Open Exhibition 2014, a curated open submissions exhibition showcasing some of the most exciting work from the festival. The theme for this year’s exhibition is “Translations.” Open Exhibition will be shown in the Regency Town House upstairs Drawing Room over the weekends of May.
The Artist Open Houses offer the chance to buy artworks directly from the artists and makers themselves. There is hugely diverse selection of art works on show; from original paintings, prints, graffiti arts, ceramics, textiles to photography, sculpture, crafts and jewellery and many other media. Entry to the Artist Open Houses is free.
