PRESS RELEASE
Herts Open Studios 2018 – Discover more this September
Herts Open Studios 2018 will run for 3 weeks from 8th-30th September 2018 inclusive. This popular annual event connects art-lovers and artists and is even bigger this year, with 150 artists are taking part at almost 70 solo and group venues across the County. As always, visitors will be able to enjoy a rich mix of free-to-enter experiences including personal studios, live demonstrations, exhibitions and more. Hosted by Herts Visual Arts and established almost 30 years ago, it’s a unique opportunity for inspiration and discovery - a popular fixture of Hertfordshire’s annual art calendar.
The widely-acclaimed Big Art Showcase at Welwyn Garden City’s New Maynard Gallery gave visitors just a taste of Open Studios. Our July Big Art Fair in Hitchin during the Hitchin Festival not only provides a feast of art, but again marks our Open Studios Brochure Launch. Other Herts Visual Art Showcases include Hatfield’s Living Crafts and the Herts Show are also part of the lead-in to Open Studios.
What can Open Studios visitors expect? Our artists, artisans and designer-makers across Hertfordshire offer enormous choice and opportunities. With painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, glass, photography, ceramics, textiles, jewellery, a blacksmith and more in the 2018 #HertsOpenStudios mix, visitors will be able to plan amazing personal art trails. Our artists are ready to show, demonstrate or talk about their work, or just allow quiet browsing if preferred. Regardless, a warm welcome is assured at every venue.
This year’s sought-after Open Studios brochure is again in the new A5 format that proved so popular last year. An amazing mine of reference information about individual artists and venues, venues and opening hours, including demonstrations, refreshments and accessibility information. Widely available at public locations across the county as well as from participating Open Studios Artists, the brochure is also available on-line via the Herts Visual Arts web site. To help plan visits and personal trails, there’s also a central at-a-glance mini-guide listing all venues, dates and art forms.
“Last year’s new-look brochure proved very popular and this year we have even more artists taking part” said Herts Visual Arts Chair, Hillary Taylor, who continued “Open Studios is always an fantastic opportunity for inspirational connections between artists and visitors. How often can you be sure of a chance to talk to an artist about their work, watch work in progress or perhaps even have a go yourself? Whatever your interests, there’s bound to be somewhere local to visit, from individual studios to larger mixed groups. Welcome to Open Studios 2018 - what’s not to like?”
www.hvaf.org.uk ‘More creativity, more fun, more buzz, more laughter in our lives’
About
Herts Visual Arts is the largest county-wide volunteer run organisation for amateur and professional artists and makers in Hertfordshire. An annual programme includes members meetings, exhibitions, Art Showcases, the Big Art Fair and Herts Open Studios.
For more information visit http://www.hvaf.org.uk/Open-Studios/Open-Studios-2018