Brighton Festival May 2005

Britain's biggest free affordable art fair

The Artists' Open Houses (AOH) of Brighton and Hove are the jewel in the crown of the annual Brighton Festival, held in May. At a typical Open House during the weekends of May, you can see art displayed in an informal domestic setting and buy affordable artworks direct from the artist or maker. Entry is free and it is a unique opportunity to view the studios, homes and gardens of practising artists.

This year more than 750 artists exhibiting in 170 Open Houses all over Brighton and the surrounding area and now, for the first time, all Open Houses are listed in a single 80-page brochure. Most Open Houses are grouped geographically into Trails and in previous years trails produced their own separate brochures and/or were listed in the Festival or Festival Fringe brochures.

As well as the visual arts - paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture - you'll also find ceramics, furniture, jewellery, stained glass, clothing, cards, in fact all of the applied crafts, on sale direct from the maker/designer or craftsperson. And although Open Houses are open access to all artists, local or guest, many exhibitors are professional artists, illustrators and makers with international reputations. The Brighton and Hove Artists' Open Houses model has been adopted by artists' groups and arts festivals throughout the UK.

New for 2005 are guided tours of selected Open Houses. Many Open Houses also offer refreshments.