Site Festival Open Studios 2024 : 8th-9th June and 15th-16th June 2024
2024 Open Studios : Registration Open until 14th February 2024
Since 1997 it’s been really important that SVA was not just about the building but about the community of artists who lived out in the five valleys, working away in their spare rooms, sheds and kitchen worktops as well as the more formal studio spaces.
Site Festival Open Studios are OPEN, not selected - welcoming all artists of all backgrounds, ages, disciplines and experience.
Want to Take Part?
Approximately 13,000 copies of the Open Studios Directory are printed annually and distributed across the South West and beyond. The directories are often kept for years to come, so it can be a really valuable way for people to discover and remember your work (or collective, organisation or venue) long after Site Festival has finished for the year.
To have your information in the directory you can :
Take part in Open Studios and register as an Open Studios Artist
Have a Listing and Feature in the directory, for an exhibition/event
You can find this Archive of previous Open Studios for reference and ideas.
How to register for Open Studios
You will need to provide us with all of your information and images, via the online registration form.
You can find all the information in the Open Studios Guidelines to help you prepare the text and images in advance, and we recommend reading below about the updated form for 2024.
Here are the information pages (or find them in the menu at the top):
You will then be ready to register for Open Studios!
Deadline: 14th February 2024 [12 midnight]
Watch the 2023 film
2024 Artist Bursaries
We are offering 5 Artist Bursaries for artists aged 30 and under, to work with an established artist mentor. Applications open until 22nd February!
The bursary will include:
a fully funded Open Studios registration, with the value of £226.
mentor match with an established OS Artist
and the opportunity to use the Site Festival platform to further your art practice and visibility.
We will expect:
each artist to proactively work with the mentor and collaborate in a way that is appropriate for you both. Our hope is that both the bursary artists and mentors will mutually benefit and learn from one another.
each artist to use the Site Festival online platforms (social media, mailings and website) to benefit your work, as well as proactively publicising Open Studios
approximately 10 hours of supportive work in the SVA office and beyond - for example, helping with the Taster Exhibition, distribution, planning or social media.
Deadline extended - Applications for bursaries are open until 22nd February.
Application priority is being given to artists who cannot afford the Site Festival registration. As a small artist-led team we want to support those with barriers and don't have the means to ask for proof of income even if we felt the need to.
So we trust that artists will apply if the registration fee is unreachable (don’t forget the 50% discount for young artists - find out more on the Fees page).
Benefits of Open Studios
Community
For us Site Festival and Open Studios is about community and connection.
“The thing I like the most about site Festival is that it brings you back to what your work is about. It's so much about the people who interact with it and the joy that it brings people and the happiness. I'm just pleased that we can give that to them for a few minutes”.
“Open Studios is a more inviting space to kind of learn about art when it's so kind of communal... it's built on a lot of connection”.
“I’ve taken part in Site Festival 3 times and I absolutely love it. I can share the space, share conversations with visitors and other artists.” - Alice Sheppard Fidler
“Being part of Open Studios is being part of a community. You’re letting people in which you don’t do most of the time.” - Chris Bingle
“It’s always lovely because you meet other artists, and you feel part of something” - Sally Hampson
Artists Network website for members
By participating in Open Studios you will also be an SVA Member and your work will be publicised on the Artist Network website throughout the year.
Anybody that is a visual artist and an SVA Member can have their profile on our directory, meaning that there is an online source of information for other artists and for the general public.
You can choose the image to include, and the information to include, and it’s another great way to add to your online presence. You can find more information about SVA membership at www.sva.org.uk.
Openness
Since 1997 it’s been really important that SVA was not just about the building but about the community of artists who lived out in the five valleys, working away in their spare rooms, sheds and kitchen worktops as well as the more formal studio spaces.
The word OPEN not only reflects the open studio door welcoming curious visitors to discover the wonderful world of the artists studio but also it reflects SVA’s OPENNESS to all artists of all backgrounds, ages, disciplines and experience.
Open Studios is not selected and we welcome conversations with artists who may be held back in their practice.
Questions?
Haven't got a studio to open?
Let us know if you are having trouble finding a studio as we might be able to help. We are working with lots of different artists and partner organisations and there may be a space for you in a mill building, empty shop or another artist's studio.
We’ve added another question to the form where you can say you need to find a studio, and also if you have a studio to share.
How much does it cost?
It varies depending on your situation. The registration fees are in a tiered system to give artists more opportunities to take part with discounts for groups of artists and young artists. Open Studio Fees range from £41 to £220 depending on discounts and support work offered.
See full details of Registration Fees here. Also see our FAQ page for frequently asked questions.
Want to know other ways you can take part?
You can also register for a Listing and Feature : you can register your exhibition or event, and have your information in the Open Studios directory. You will need to be open 11am-6pm on both weekends. The prices range from £265-£415. The deadline for submissions is 28th February 2023. Find out more about registering for a Listing and Feature.
Have a Display Advert : A display advert is suitable if your exhibition, event, talk or workshop is being organised for a time that doesn’t fit within Site Festival, but you would still like to take the opportunity to promote it. Or if you have a local business that promotes local artists in some form. It can cost between £150 and £430. The booking deadline is 28th February 2023. Find out more.
Want to know more about Site Festival and SVA?
You can see previous Site Festival programmes on the Archive page. For more information about SVA and other previous programmes, find the SVA Archive page at www.sva.org.uk.