Winner of Latest TV’s Best Open House 2020
The Artists Open Houses Festival announces new June dates for the 2021 festival.
Plus the Winner of Best Open House 2020
The Artists Open Houses festival has decided to move its May festival to June this year, to ensure maximum safety for the artists and visitors. The festival, the largest event of its kind in the UK, will now take place over four weekends, starting on the bank holiday weekend of May 29, and run through to June 20. The festival will coincide with Brighton Fringe, who are also moving to June for 2021.
Registration is now open online and artists have until the end of February to register. Registration link here: aoh.org.uk/register
The Artists Open Houses weekend festival dates for 2021 are:
May 29, 30, June 1
June 5 & 6
June 12 & 13
June 19 & 20
The Artists Open Houses Festival is also pleased to announce the winner of the Best Open House award for the 2020 festival, as chosen by Latest TV.
The winner of the Latest TV Best Open House Award is Milton House. The judging team ‘visited’ all Open Houses taking part in the AOH 2020 Winter Festival virtually this year, viewing them via their online Open House listings. The Winter festival was rescheduled from its original May date due to the pandemic and took place instead in November/December 2020.
Milton House belongs to artist and illustrator Sarah Jones, who showed the work of 12 artists and makers during the festival. A stalwart of the Artist Open Houses, she has organised and exhibited at four locations since she first participated in May 2008. Sarah has recently completed an illustration and a stamp for The Royal Mail, The National Trust, the Radio Times and Waitrose. www.sarahjonesprints.co.uk & www.sarahjonesillustration.co.uk
Sarah Jones says, “I’m so pleased to be voted the Best Open House. Milton House has been on the short list many times, but this year in particular it’s lovely to be recognised, as opening was obviously more challenging than usual. Over the years, being part of the Artists Open Houses festival has opened up lots of opportunities and made many friendships. I have opened every May and Christmas since 2008 until last May, so it will feel especially good to be back this time.”
The shortlist:
Milton House: aoh.org.uk/house/winter2020/milton-house-9/
Red Brick House: aoh.org.uk/house/winter2020/red-brick-house-4/
Montefiore Artists: aoh.org.uk/house/winter2020/montefiore-artists-3/
Peggy Poppleton: aoh.org.uk/house/winter2020/peggy-poppletons-house/
Free to visit, the festival will see over 1500 artists and makers open the doors to their houses or studio spaces in more than 180 venues to exhibit and sell their artworks direct to the public. The Artists Open Houses gives festival-goers an exclusive snapshot of how artists live and work. There is a hugely diverse selection of artworks on show, from original paintings, prints, ceramics and textiles to photography, sculpture, crafts, jewellery and more.
The houses are grouped into one of 14 trails around different areas of the city and beyond, each with its own unique character and atmosphere – from the beautiful Regency houses in Brunswick to the colourful fishermen’s houses of Hanover to the urban warehouse spaces of the North Laine and cottages of the South Downs village of Ditchling.
Full listings can be found at www.aoh.org.uk
Instagram:artistsopenhouses
#AOH2021 artistsopenhouses
For media information or images please contact:
Pandora George at Bullet PR [email protected], 07729 469220 (mobile)
Notes to Editors
About Artist Open Houses
Brighton and Hove Artist Open Houses, the originator of the Open House movement, dates 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.
The Artist Open Houses festival is now the largest event of its kind in the UK. Around 200 houses and studio spaces across the city open their doors for the main festival in May and around 60 open during the Christmas festival. Over 2,000 artists and makers share their work and homes each year.