What does opening your home or studio mean to artists and how would you describe the charm for this gallery experience? 

Both artists and visitors greatly value the experience of meeting and discussing the work; for visitors learning about the processes of making and of ideas behind the work is intriguing. For artists a direct engagement with and response from visitors is greatly appreciated and can be a useful learning – and often rewarding – experience. Seeing work in a welcoming domestic setting, rather than the more sterile environment of some galleries, has the added bonus of offering an experience of seeing the work in the environment where most artworks live – in the home!

How does Brighton — its communities, its architecture & landscape, its uniqueness — shape the festival? 

Brighton and the surrounding  area is recognised as a major creative hub. Enabling artists to flourish is integral to maintaining the nature of the city. In a place that continues to have little major gallery representation and few post-industrial buildings to repurpose, both exhibition and studio space are at a premium. Because of this, exhibiting in domestic spaces has become a norm both through design and necessity. Utilising domestic space in creative ways whether through performance or installation work, or through more traditional art forms, the specificity of the nature of ‘home’ has always impacted the festival and given it an accessibility that is greatly loved by visitors.

What do you hope someone feels when they see the campaign on the street? 

Our cover artist for this May’s festival, Alej ez, is an extraordinary artist. The designs he has produced for the campaign are incredibly vibrant and eye catching. Each of the three designs reflects an aspect of the city of Brighton and Hove and the countryside and seascape around us. Each explores different aspects of the history of the city, such as the Volks railway and famous sea swimmer Martha Gunn. I hope people will be stunned by their impact and then intrigued by the many fascinating details each image contains.

In fact, yesterday I was with Alej Ez across the street from a billboard with the three designs displayed side by side, when two young women walked by and began inspecting the artworks close-up, in great detail and with evident excitement. We pointed out to them they could take away a postcard of the images from the little box to one side of the billboard and, indeed, this was the artist who had designed the images. It was amazing to see the effect the artwork had on two people who happened to pass by!

What’s a memorable moment of connection between an artist and a visitor you’ve witnessed? 

Here is a little visitor feedback from last May’s Artists Open Houses festival:

You get to speak with artists and understand more about the meaning behind the art. Such an immersion experience.

I was drawn to the original artwork displayed inside, which added a personal and creative touch that made the space feel truly special. The combination of architecture, art, and craftsmanship/ pottery specially created a beautiful harmony. It was great to see how much my kids enjoyed it as well.

Getting to know the city and the community through art.

I love seeing the creative process up close and the behind the scenes view it gives into the artists’ lives – the tools, the mess, the magic behind the finished work. Meeting the artists and hearing their stories brings the art to life in a whole new way. Every open house feels like a window into someone’s imagination. It’s personal, inspiring, and always surprising.

The amount of creativity & talent Brighton hosts. What an amazing city to live in.

The huge range of arts – and being able to support local artists. The AOH helps give artists a voice and a place and time to showcase their works.

It’s so brilliant having the opportunity to see such a vast array of talent and for free too – what an asset to the city AOH is!!

Always a fascinating adventure

When thinking about the future of Artists Open Houses, is there something you’re looking forward to? 

Each year the festival feels ever more alive and vibrant – the excitement and anticipation it brings to the city each May is phenomenal. For the future, the festival is directionally artist led, with new artists working in new disciplines and exploring new ideas. This year a bio-artist is creating intricate sculptures working with living bacteria and exploring ideas around AI and genomics. There are several houses in which mothers and daughters exhibit together, in one case with a grandmother too, for whom the shared creative journey has helped ease the experience of her progressive dementia. Local cabaret-star-turned-ceramicist, Boogaloo Stu, has created a range of talking pots and, in the Dog Show, which displays dog related art in a large variety of media, a pop-up dog tattoo parlour will be offering dog tattoos for humans. Each Open House is a small miracle where ideas take form in myriad ways.