AOH: Hello Idil, we’d love to hear about your new project with a group of emerging artists, called New Grounds. Can you tell us about the artists who will be taking part, what kinds of media they work in and how you selected them? Featured image: New Grounds Logo. Photo: Joshua Redfearn   IB: There […]

AOH: Hi Jehane – welcome back to Artists Open Houses – we’ve missed you! JBS: Thank you – it’s exciting to be back! I’m opening as a new member of the Fiveways Artist group this year. Our address is 89 Waldegrave Road, Fiveways, BN1 6GJ AOH: When did you first start taking part in the […]

All Creation Groans by Amanda Greavette Your Open House exhibition is called Birthing a Better Future – can you tell us about the ideas behind this exhibition? The Birthing a Better Future exhibition was established to increase public awareness about the key issues and importance of the first 1001 days of life from conception to […]

THE OPEN HOUSE HOST: the planning, the guest artists, the event!  In this series of interviews we ask experienced Open House Hosts what they love about taking part in the Christmas Festival. In the second part of the series we visit Martha Mitchell of Martha Mitchell Design in Hove. A drizzly, grey day did not […]

Welcome to the Artists Open Houses – is this the first time you have taken part? Hello and thank you for having us! As a group, we’re newbies! But Bry, Sarah, Kate and I all have our own different experiences to add to the pot. Bryony, my cousin, used to frequently take part in the Brighton […]

Ceramic  House (photo: Syl Ojalla) We asked you to tell us what you loved best about visiting Artists Open houses – and here is the really wonderful feedback: ‘I love to see Brighton from different viewpoints and to see the amazing work of artists and artisans that we have locally.’ ‘All of it! Definitely coming […]

Welcome back the Christmas Artists Open Houses! How many artists in how many studios will be taking part at New England House Open Studios Christmas? We have more than 38 artists exhibiting this year. Some stalls will be in the spaces around the lifts and wide corridors leading up to the open studios of the […]

  Hi Anna – we are delighted that the Box House is part of the AOH festival this year. Can you tell us how you decided to take part? The Box House is run principally by myself and John Goodison, both artists. Although we have been in Brighton thirty years, and often considered the Open Houses, […]

You are taking part for the first time in Artists Open Houses this year in a rather unusual venue. Would you like to tell us about it? Yes! We are a family run independent funeral directors situated on the Preston Road in the Preston/Fiveways area of Brighton. We opened our office here in 2016 after […]

  What is a Virtual Open House listing? If you don’t feel like you want to open your actual house at present, you may like to take part in the AOH festival as a Virtual Open House, with your listing appearing on the AOH website during the  festival period (and subsequently accessibly archived). What do […]

Just one more feature open house post before the festival gets under way this Friday.  The Cicada Christmas Cracker is hosted by Nick Osborn & Moira Macfarlane. As a watercolour artist and jewellery maker, Nick has had great success.  The open house is named for Cicada Jewellery, a line Nick developed in the seventies.  After […]

All photos: Syl Ojalla You tell us what you liked best about your favourite Open House: Vida Active Artists Open House: ‘Great variety of colourful, lively work, friendly welcoming artists, surprising garden with refreshments and live music. Loved it! ‘ ‘Really friendly mix of multi cultural and international artists from as far afield as Mongolia!’ […]

AOH:  Hello Lenin.Guru! Welcome to the Artists Open Houses. Is this the first time you have taken part in the AOH festival? LG: Yes, it is our first time when we take part in AOH. Before we were only visiting places open by others viewing their exhibitions and houses, but this year decided to take […]

Art on the Line Open House Temple Group Open House Temple Group Open House Art on the Line Open House Art on the Line Open House Debbie Lawrence Open House Debbie Lawrence Open House Debbie Lawrence Open House Faye Bridgwater Open House Faye Bridgwater Open House Faye Bridgwater Open House Faye Bridgwater Open House Northern […]

After a busy summer of pop-up shops and growing online sales, 11 Rugby Road is back for Christmas Open Houses with some new products, great gift ideas and a room full of Christmas Trees. Dan and Adam and co. are looking forward to the flurry of Christmas, but took the time to answer a few […]

Hi Jo, where are you exhibiting your work in the Christmas Open Houses? This winter I’m really excited to be selling scarves, gloves & cushions at three Christmas Open Houses: Firstly at Milton House at 72 Clyde Road Brighton, which is offering mulled wine and a chance to meet the new open house kitten Percival […]

Hi Idil Can you tell us about your New Grounds exhibition Fake/Make – where does the name comes from? The name comes from the phrase ‘fake it until you make it’ as many of us must have heard it at some point in our life. The phrase has a reasonably long history.  Its early uses […]

Artists Open Houses talks to AfricArt’s Renate Braimah: AfricArt: 18 Redhill Dr. Brighton BN1 5FH 1-Your Open House is called AfricArt. Can you tell us about your open house artists and the media they use? Our artists are a bit different from those in other houses as most of them come from Africa. Some of […]

Katherine Richards Art Gallery – Collection One display   Artists Open Houses is delighted that Katherine Richards Art Gallery will be sponsoring AOH in 2022. We talk to Katherine Richards: Hi Katherine, would you like to tell us about Katherine Richards Art Gallery and how it came into being? I have been running my interior design […]

  Hi Emma,  Can you tell us what made you decide to take part in the AOH Winter festival? I actually exhibited in the May AOH festival back in 2014 – Tony Mills & Friends, Kemptown trail and we won bronze (or 3rd) for best open house. Life, the universe and everything happened in between and, as […]

International artist Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva has preserved one of the iconic Preston Park Twins as a new sculptural celebration of these ancient elms. She exhibits her prints, drawings and small gilded objects in four Open Houses this May (see below for details) in support of  Preston Park Twins project. We talked to Elpida: Can you tell […]

How do you plan your Artists Open Houses visits? Flicking through the brochure, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the variety of artists and houses on offer. Some people like to organise geographically – visiting all the Houses in Hove, for example. Some people seek out particular types of work, searching for ceramicists […]

Ceramic House – Photo: Syl Ojalla We asked visitors to tell us which Open Houses they liked the best and why. This is what they told us: ‘The artwork was displayed in a stunning manner. After going to open houses for years this was the first time I have bought art work. Best house I’ve ever […]

Our Christmas exhibition is a festive and inspiring collection of works made by people with learning disabilities. We talked to some of our artists about what they do and why they like to take part in Artists Open Houses. Why do you participate? ‘What we do is sell things and put pictures in the open […]

‘If I could speak to a younger version of me, the one that left university with less confidence in her creative ability than when she started. I’d tell her, ‘It’ll be ok. Your passion for art will come back, you just need a little time, the right set of circumstances and a few inspiring ‘mentors’ […]

Any story about Artists Open Houses wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Ruffells.  Fran Slade, Colin Ruffell and their daughter, Shyama have been enthusiastic participants of both the Fiveways and now, Seven Dials trails for years.  Fran and Colin were one of five or six of Open Houses originals.  They were welcoming hosts for over […]

Welcome back, Cat-arzyna! How many years have you been taking part in the Open Houses at Christmas now? This will be my fifth or sixth time of  opening my house Cat-arzyna, at 11 St Keyna Avenue, Hove during the Christmas Artists Open House The first year I didn’t expect too much from it, but I […]

Clara Wilkinson Open House. Photo – Syl Ojalla    Northern Lights Open House. Photo – Syl Ojalla    Northern Lights Open House. Photo – Syl Ojalla   One Nine Six Open House. Photo – Syl Ojalla   Northern Lights Open House. Photo – Syl Ojalla   One Nine Six Open House. Photo – Syl Ojalla   […]

Vladimir Jaksic (right) – Quest for Vinca   Hi Margareta and Vladimir We are delighted you are having an Open House this winter. You’ve taken part in AOH before but is this the first time you have opened your own house? We are delighted that we are taking part in AOH this winter. We have […]

We asked: ‘What extra and unexpected benefits did you receive from taking part in the Open Houses festival?’ ‘I was invited to contact a London gallery to discuss options for taking my work forward.’ ‘It was useful for making contacts for illustration work as well as for artists meeting each other and planning further events […]

No 35 Meryl Stringell – Still Life with Silver Pot – Ditchling trail  Why not have a day out in the historic Downland village of Ditchling? Located at the foot of Ditchling Beacon and nestled within the South Downs National Park, Ditchling village plays host to a selection of contemporary artists, craftspeople, and designers/ makers, showcasing […]

It’s been one crazy May in Brighton & Hove. Theatre, dance, music and art have invaded and invigorated the city. Sadly, it will soon be time to take down the bunting and the bright blue posters featuring Marion Brandis’ cheeky seagulls will disappear.  Don’t despair, there is still one more weekend to see some great […]

  Hi Georgia. You and Joy, your mother, have both taken part as Open Houses in previous festivals. What’s it like curating an Open House as mother and daughter? It has been a great experience curating the open house together. We are both so passionate about the art we like and displaying it to its best […]

Get Involved Thinking of registering for Artists Open Houses? Then take a look below at how you can register for our next festival and the many benefits you will receive. How to Register The Artists Open Houses (AOH) has two festivals each year: one during the city’s May festival season, the other in the lead […]

The weather cooperated for most of the bank holiday and made wandering around the first weekend of Artists Open Houses rather pleasant.  It’s just the start and with four weekends to go there is time to see a lot more.   Here are few highlights from the first weekend: ARCH Angels – # 12 Kemptown Trail – […]

Why on earth would anyone open up their house to hundreds of random people over the summery month of May? Surely there are better things to do over peak season in glorious Brighton than locking yourself inside for consecutive weekends. Well, after much debating – we decided to do just that…and as part of Brighton’s Artists […]

The Artists Open is Houses Festival started with many different opening nights around the city and beyond, all with a great turnout. YMCA DownsLink Group are a part of Hove trail and are now in their second year of being an Open House. YMCA’s private view took place in their headquarters (Hove) on Thursday night. […]

Welcome to the Artists Open Houses – is this the first time your Open House Northern Lights has taken part ? I’ve been a big fan of Artists Open Houses for years, but this is the first time I’ve taken part. Friends have been urging me to get involved for ages and this year I […]

Naledi Modupi, Bamako   Hello Raffaella Your exhibition Troublemakers sounds very interesting – you describe it as a dialogue between cultures and includes local and African emerging artists, amongst others. Can you tell us a bit more about the artists and how they were selected? As a curator it is important for me to support emerging […]

Anna Deamer – Hangover Square Netta’s Flat (Brighton Festival  and HOUSE 2012) We asked artist and set designer, Anna Deamer, and AOH artists Kate Scott and Hannah Forward to tell us how their work appeared in the ITV crime drama ‘Grace’.    We talk to ‘Grace’ set decorator Anna Deamer: Hi Anna, can you tell us […]

The Winter of Our Disco Tent – exhibition poster by Katherine Griffin We have to ask about the brilliant title of your show ‘The Winter of Our Disco Tent’, tell us more about it.. Those harsh opening lines from Shakespeare’s Richard III never felt so poignantly relevant! As a studio collective of artists, we wanted […]

  Your project Deep Time sounds really interesting. Would you like to tell us a bit about it? Deep Time is a partnership with the South Downs National Park. In response to participant feedback, we wanted to expand our Arts and Health social prescribing programme and find new ways for patients to get creative with […]

Rhoda K Baker in her studio Would you like to tell us a bit about the new work you will be showing? I make all sorts of work in different media, but most recently I have been exploring collage,  postcard size images created in series with a specific theme. The latest collection is called ‘The […]

Hi Clair! Your Open House BouSham has an unusual name – where does it come from? The name BouSham is a combination of my name Clair Boubli (Bou) and Shyama Ruffell (Sham). It originally started as a joke, but we kind of liked it and it stuck. The BouSham collaboration, with my life-long childhood friend […]

Image credit: Francine Kay (all other images: Syl Ojalla) Hi Sarah, You home is like amazing and exotic installation, reflecting yourself and your work. Can you tell how you came to be doing an Open House this year? I have always admired artists who open their homes, and honestly never thought I had what it took […]

358 Ditchling Road Open House – Photo: Syl Ojalla Visitors to AOH Summer 2021 tell us what they liked best about visiting the Open Houses in this very unusual year. And we take look at some of the wonderful artwork on offer in the 90+ Open Houses who took part in this summer’s very special festival.   […]

SURF AND TURF, 38 Braemore Road, Hove BN3 4HB instagram.com/emmastantonjewellery So I just cleared the last remnants of fireworks from the garden and swiftly reached for the boxes of Christmas decorations …Because it ’s Open House Season !! I have been doing Open House at Christmas for 6-7 years and rather like having a baby, […]

Our visitors told us what they liked best about Artists Open Houses “I love meeting the artists, looking at the lovely work displayed in their homes, talking to the artists and makers about their work. There is a vast variety of art in just about every conceivable form and medium.” “It’s a chance to see […]

Artist: Judy Dwyer Offering a great alternative to royal events, many Open Houses this year will be open on Monday 8th May. Have a trip out to the countryside, visiting the wonderful cluster of Open Houses in the Downland village of Ditchling who’ll be opening that day. Back in town, many houses in the Hove […]

  Hi Yvette We would love to hear about your Dolls’ House project. Can you tell us about the origins of the ‘derelict dolls’ house’ you were given? And how  the current lockdown circumstances influenced  this project? Hello AOH. Yes, my name is Yvette and I am an artist and a prop maker. Due to stress and […]

Faye Bridgewater and Ben Nazarko The AOH Summer Festival 2021 ended in grand style with our Awards Night, generously hosted by The Old Ship hotel. Our wonderful AOH sponsors presented Awards to shortlisted artists in a real celebration of what has been a fantastic Festival month! Mark Tulley and Suzanne Heaven present the Gemini Print Awards […]

Welcome back to the AOH Christmas festival – how many times has LittlePapa House taken part at Christmas? This will be the third LittlePapa Christmas Open House. Christmas is by FAR my favourite time of year, the excitement and pure joy that I get setting up the house always outweighs the hard work involved. I […]

Hi Evelyn. Your venue is called The Chocolate House – that sounds intriguing! Can you tell us something about it? I love chocolate not just eating it but also working with it. Chocolate is a wonderful and very versatile medium. I created Chocadyllic six years ago after making a friend “a proper chocolate cake”. As […]

Image: As Intended BPF17 This year we’re not running the Brighton Art Fair as the Corn Exchange is unavailable due to an extensive restoration but we’ve taken the opportunity to play and organise a show that we’ve been thinking about for some time. Sarah and I have a strong history as printer and printmaker, right from […]

Preparation – the more you put in, the more you get out! Plan the space that you are going to use to exhibit – wall space, floor space, garden, etc. Think about “gallery” but also the space as your home – important to get the balance right. Cordon off areas that you don’t want visitors […]

What a great first weekend of Artists Open Houses. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Even the rain didn’t stop visitors  – or the AOH team from – heading out and visiting you! There are some brilliant Open Houses and Artists and as ever we are blown away by the standard […]

It’s not over yet! This may be the last weekend of May 2017 AOH but … it’s a three day weekend .. And over 50 fantastic Open Houses are also open on Bank Holiday Monday, 29th May. Read more… In the Brunswick Town Trail Venue 5: Sue Penrose Mosaics and Guests is open on Bank Holiday Monday […]

Here is a round-up of another fabulous selection of art and Christmas gifts from Open Houses visited by the AOH team last weekend. It was great to meet and to talk to so many artists, who were all so welcoming and informative… and generous with their offers of mulled wine and mince pies! Don’t forget, […]

Encounters  Winners of Best Artists Open House 2018 We visited the amazing Encounters, in the West Hove trial. Encounters were winners of the 2018 Best Open House Award. And here is a round-up of other really great Open Houses we went to last weekend: Ruth Mulvie @ 1 Courtyard Lane Ruth Mulvie is exhibiting her […]

  Hi Clare – Your work is influenced by nature and landscape. How are the influences of the landscape in which you grew up reflected in your work? I grew up in the North Yorkshire village of Goathland and went to school in Whitby. Surrounded by rugged moorland, my playground as a child, I developed […]

How many times have you exhibited at AOH? What advice would you give to others thinking about being part of AOH? We’ve done 5 AOH festivals and this Christmas will be our sixth. When we did our first open house, we did it with a view that we wouldn’t get many visitors and wouldn’t sell […]

… And here are a few more extraordinary Open Houses we visited: Surf and Turf Villa Lucia’s Emporium Red Brick House The Photographer’s Greenhouse Roberto Ponte 11 Rugby Road One-Six-Nine Make sure to catch them all this last weekend of the Artists Open Houses festival All Photos by: I C IMAGE (www.icimage.me)

Could you tell us a bit about Justlife Creative? Justlife is a charity providing support to people who are close to the streets across Brighton and Hove. Our team helps them to progress towards safe, healthy and stable lifestyles, through developing positive relationships, re-building trust in services and ultimately believing in them as individuals. Last […]

For the final festival weekend we visited some wonderful studios taking part in the Artists Open Houses. We’re sad its all over – but look forward to seeing you again in May for some more amazing art and crafts!   Copperdollar Studios   New England House Open Studios

Would you like to tell us a little bit about what you do at William Collier House? At William Collier House, we support people with multiple complex needs in high medium supported housing to overcome trauma and live more fulfilling lives. On the ground floor, our new, floating support and coaching service EVOLVE is based. […]

  Have you ever wondered what it’s like getting ready to transform your home into an Open House? Take a look at Jo Moore and Laurence Wallace’s (speeded up) film The Big Hang and get a glimpse into the inside story! https://vimeo.com/818730827   And here is Jomo Hove Open House in action last May! https://vimeo.com/818732816 You […]

20 Fabulous Years Fiveways Trail Adelaide Artists Brunswick Town Trail Art In Bloom Hove Trail Brighton Etch Corner House Beyond The Level Trail Brunswick Basement Brunswick Town Trail Jehane’s Open House Fiveways Trail Milton House Beyond The Level Trail Rex Matthews Fiveways Trail The Jewellery Workshop Brunswick Town Trail The Secret Garden  Hove Trail The Secret Garden – At 142 Fiveways Trail Travelling Tales Brunswick Town […]

Here are some of the brilliant Open Houses we visited last weekend: Milton House Amber Elise Northern Lights Art Across the Line Abigail Bowen Adelaide Artists Dion Salvador Lloyd Progressive Synagogue Look at This: Phoenix Gallery This weekend is your last chance to visit all 60 amazing Artists Open Houses – don’t miss out! All […]

All AOH local trails have a ‘Trail Contact’ who is the first point of contact for Open Houses wanting to a join trail in their area. We asked Shyama Ruffell, one of a group of three Trail Contacts for the Seven Dials Trail, to tell us a bit about her trail and preparing for her […]

  Kate  Strachan, behind the desk at my Artists Open House (in my happy place!) This will be my 9th year opening at Christmas. Previously I’ve curated the show with fellow artist, and neighbour, Shyama Ruffell who lives over the railway line….  hence the name Art Across the Line. This year I’m flying solo so […]

ALTERED Exhibition – Churchill Square Photo: Syl Ojalla   ALTERED is an exhibition showcasing local emerging visual artists in a pop-up in the Churchill Square shopping centre. The work reflects how the artists experimented, modified or adapted their practices during the lockdown restrictions. The 12 exhibiting artists talk here about their work:   Morag Caister […]

Lucianna Whittle – Great White AOH talks to Liz Wakefield of Sussex Nightstop: Hi Liz, can you tell us a bit about Sussex Nightstop? Nightstop was a community response, started in Leeds to address homelessness by opening up volunteer homes to young people in need. It started small, but has now become a national movement, […]

I’ve been participating in Brighton Artists Open Houses since my old dog was a pup… so that’s almost 16 years ! AOH are one of the things that make Brighton such a special place to live. These and the Brighton May Festival, Gay Pride, the the Naked Bike Ride -to name big a few- help […]

Karen Holbrook from Silver, Ceramics and Paintings tell us about her Eastbourne Open House: I grew up in Brighton and have exhibited my work across the South East.  I have collectors in Spain, Switzerland and France. My work in silver or clay is whimsical; I like art to make you smile. I am mainly inspired […]

  Behind the Costa Coffee on London road is Atelier 51 – creative home to a number of artists and artisans.  It was here that I met Elaine Bolt at Christmas Artists Open Houses Festival last December.  As we were chatting, she told me about a fascinating collaborative project she is working on with fellow […]

  Hi Tim, your project working with the Booth Museum sounds really interesting. Can you tell us a bit about both the museum itself and about your project? I got in touch with the people at the Booth after hearing from a friend that they had a new curator who was going to start a […]

  Hi Sam Your work is really intriguing and, on the surface, may be seen as purely about people and their shadows. First of all, can you tell is how you photograph and select the people you paint? Ha, I wonder if that is the hardest and most pertinent question you could ask. I have […]

Jemma Day at Temple Group Open House, Photo: Syl Ojalla This is your first time exhibiting with AOH, what are you most looking forward to? We are a new group made up of established artists that have come together to exhibit in this revamped venue at Brighton Girls School.  I am most looking forward to […]

Does your trail have meetings to discuss Open House preparations with trail members ahead of the festival? As this is my first year acting as the coordinator for Hanover Trail, it was really important to have a meeting for all of the houses on the trail. It is a great opportunity to pass on details […]

Could you tell us a bit about Creative Future? Creative Future was established in 2007 with the aim of making the arts more diverse and representative of the world we live in. A national charity based in Brighton, we specialise in working with under-represented artists. We provide skills training, mentoring, exhibiting, promoting and publishing opportunities […]