Brighton’s Artist Open Houses Christmas Festival 2016

Brighton’s Artist Open Houses returns this Christmas for three weekends starting on Saturday November 26. During this time artists and makers across Brighton & Hove, Lewes, Ditchling and beyond will be throwing open the doors of their houses and studios to showcase a hugely diverse selection of artworks.

The festival is the perfect way shop for unique presents this Christmas in a relaxed setting – with a glass of mulled wine and mince pie in hand! Artists from all over the area will open the doors to their homes and studios, showcasing a diverse selection of unique artworks and Christmas gifts – all available to buy directly from the artists themselves.

Many artists will also be holding an array of family-friendly and adult workshops, craft activities, puppet shows, drawing and making classes.

The houses are grouped into one of 14 trails around different areas of the city, each with its own unique character and atmosphere – from the fishermen’s houses of Hanover to the urban warehouse spaces of the North Laine and cottages of the South Downs village of Ditchling.

Judy Stevens, Artists Open Houses Festival Director says: “Visiting Artists Open Houses is a great way to take the strain out of Christmas shopping and this Christmas the Artist Open Houses Festival promises to be bigger and better than ever. The wealth of established and professional artists and makers, as well as new and emerging artists, offers the perfect opportunity to pick up a unique and original Christmas gift for friends and family.”

May’s festival saw over 60 new artists houses and studios taking part in the festival, with around 200 houses and studio spaces across the city opening their doors to exhibit the work of over 1,500 artists and makers.

Highlights from Christmas Artist Open Houses Festival 2016

Cat-Arzyna

If you are on the lookout for beautiful Christmas decorations for your home or unique presents for your relatives and friends, then you should pop in to the Polish designer Cat-arzyna’s house – open only at Xmas.
She transforms everyday objects with her unique blend of Polish-meets-French style of vintage chic. Expect decorations made from paper, embroidered home wares, handmade dolls, needle felted sculptures, shabby chic painted furniture and much more. 11 St Keyna Avenue, Hove BN3 4PN

Hove Museum

Fabula is a collective of local and international artists from many different backgrounds and disciplines. These include illustration, moving image, writing, textiles, art therapy, fine art and graphic design. They are united by a desire to tell stories through image, objects and text. Hove Museum is holding an open house to mark the start of the exhibition Fabula presents: Many ways to tell a story. Here you will be able to buy artwork produced by Fabula including prints, notebooks, small and large gifts, jewellery books and Christmas cards. 19 New Church Rd, Brighton and Hove BN3 4AB
Opening days – Saturday 3rd, Sunday 4th December

Studio Loo

Studio Loo is back for a second year with another specially curated selection of design-led work from local designers and makers – all set within a converted public WC design studio! From graphic prints, illustration and paper cuts to homewares, upcycled pieces and bold laser cut jewellery, there have a fantastic range of pieces to suit all budgets. 201 Portland Road Hove bn3 5JA

The BigForest Emporium

TheBigForest (aka silly artist makers Mr Rowling and Mr Craven) are delighted to welcome you to their retro Christmas emporium. Art and handmade gifts for grown-ups include felt dog sculptures, dog brooches, miniature animals, cut out and dress Brighton men dolls, limited edition felt Christmas decorations and lots more. Founded in 2012 work by TheBigForest has featured in publications in the UK and internationally. 56 Chester Terrace, Brighton BN1 6GB

William Collier House- Brighton YMCA

An eclectic selection of work created by the residents in this Open House right in the centre of Brighton. The organisation houses and supports men and women who have experienced unsettled housing and homelessness and the works on display will include paintings, sculptures, creative writing, collages and colouring. 40 North Road, Brighton BN1 1YG

No.66

No 66, welcomes visitors for the first time, to browse the array of new designers work that will be on display. Artists from two families include contemporary jewellery Chloe Buckley, lino prints from Maya Buckley, flowers from Betty Buckley, textiles from Sharon Cole and illustrations from Laurie Cole.
66 Queen’s Park road Brighton BN2 0GL

Grace Eyre

An inspiring collection of works by some of Brighton and Hove’s finest outsider artists.
Featuring paintings, prints, mosaics, ceramics, photography, sculpture, knitted items, cards and Christmas tree decorations.
36 Montefiore Road, Hove, BN3 6EP

Snug

Runner up in the Artists Open Houses Best House award 2015, Snug’s artists and designers are inspired by the natural world. Jessica Christie-Miller will be selling pheasant feather wreaths made from feathers from her friend Lucy’s farm in Barcombe and new for Xmas 2016, ceramicist Cecilia Bicknell will be exhibiting her work for the first time.7 Caburn Road, Brighton BN3 6EF

Christmas with the Brown Dog

Brown Dog Studio Very Special Christmas Open House comes but once a year. Just one weekend. But what a weekend! A warm and welcoming working studio with gifts and gorgeous things from £2. Illustrator Sam Toft will have new calendars, Christmas cards, prints on wood and canvas, mugs, limited edition prints, bronze sculptures, bags, mugs and cushions, Cadi Froehlich will be showing Salvaged copper sculptures and ceramic and Graham Alborough will be selling portrait busts, stone carvings and showing the Brown Dog. Child Friendly.
Brown Dog Studio, 12 Chapel Mews, Off Waterloo Street, Hove, East Sussex. BN3 1AR

11 Rugby Road

Runner up for Best Open House, 2016, every room of this flat is open and crammed to the rafters – even the bathroom- with an eclectic mix of gifts ranging from illustrations and ceramics to jewellery and prints to suit all budgets.
11 Rugby Road, Brighton BN1 6EB

The Cicada House Xmas Cracker!

Nick Orsborn’s paintings, prints & Cicada Jewellery, plus 16 Guest Artists showing stained glass hangings, kiln glass, felting, mosaics, ceramics, bags, fabrics, tree decorations and a superb selection of smaller gifts, all at affordable prices. 30 Stanmer Villas, Brighton BN1 7HP

Christmas Boutique

Christmas Boutique returns with a fabulous selection of local talent all brought together to make your Christmas shopping easy. Amazing mosaics from Anna Tilson, upcycled quirky lights from Lost and Foundry and Patrick Edgely’s retro screen prints and Sarah Rickard’s decorative ceramics – including ceramic angels perfect for the tree. Recommended.14b Cross Street Hove BN3 1AJ

Rosie Wooldridge Photography, Lewes

A small gallery in the centre of Lewes showcasing Rosie’s work as a portrait and reportage photographer, with a focus on the use of natural light in local landscapes. Featuring her new exhibition Images of Childhood, a series of portrait photographs of children and young people. Each chose to be photographed in a setting that is meaningful to them and an activity that is important in their lives. The portraits are accompanied by individual drawings and writings expressing their voices and telling their own stories in different formats. 18 Fisher St, Lewes BN7 2DG

New England House

New England House is unique in Brighton: a diverse community of creative and entrepreneurial people working under one roof. Now in its 17th year, the December Open Studios Show is the only time in the year when the artists and makers open their doors to the general public. Visitors will have a chance not only to buy work direct from the makers, but will have the added excitement of seeing how and where they work and even to commission unique new work.

Over 40 artists and makers exhibiting and selling beautiful hand-crafted items from their studios in New England House: drawings, paintings, prints, artist’s books, cards, ceramics, sculpture, jewellery, knitwear, textiles, accessories and lots more. Artists include etchings from Jo Riddell www.joriddell.net, ceramics from Rowena Gilbert www.rowenagilbert.com and work from fascinating jeweller John Moore whose work has just swept the board at the Craft and Design Company Awards 2016. www.johnmoorejewellery.com

Open 12 noon – 8 pm Thursday 8th, Friday 9th, Saturday 10th December 2016

The 2016 Artist Open Houses Christmas Festival will take place in Brighton, Hove, the South Downs village of Ditchling and beyond, during the last weekend of November and the first two weekends of December.

Weekends:
November 26 & 27
December 3 & 4
December 10 & 11

(Houses may open for a selection of these dates)

Artists Open Houses 2016 is sponsored by ARCHangels Architects.

-ENDS-

For media information or images please contact:

Pandora George and Sam Leimanis at Bullet PR

[email protected]
[email protected]

01273 775520 (office)

07729 469220 (mobile)