The Open Studios Directory

Approximately 13,000 copies 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

• Have a Display Advert

For 2024 we’re introducing the idea of Artist Bursaries for artists 30 and under, to work with an established artist mentor - we're keen for established artists to sign up to be a mentor and collaborator. If you are 30 or under and are interested in participating in Open Studios with a bursary to cover the costs, please email kazz@sva.org.uk.

Which one to choose?

1. Open Studios registration - To get the most from being in the Open Studios directory, registering as an Open Studios artist gives you the most publicity and profile for your artistic practice. It gives the visitors your artwork as the main image, your contact details and description of your work. You also get added to the Artist Network website, get the opportunity to get £50 back with the Payback Scheme, get to take part in the Taster Exhibition for extra publicity and become an SVA member. With a long shelf-life, it offers visitors your information for months and years to come.

2. Listings and Features - offered as an alternative for a collective or group of artists who perhaps run in a more casual format, who wish to be on the Open Studios route but have a smaller amount of publicity per artist.

3. Display adverts - 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.

Open Studios Fees

Register as an artist to open your studio for both weekends, as a solo artist or as a group. 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.

Fees range from £43.50 (for a Young Artist sharing with 5 or more artists, doing payback scheme) to £226 (full price, not sharing with anyone, and not doing payback scheme).

The deadline for registering is 14th February 2024.

• Full Fee : £226 per artist : 1 x artist (£198 + £28 membership fee)

• 2-4 artists : £203 per artist: (£175 + £28 membership fee) 10% discount

• Sharing 5+ artists : £187 per artist: 5 or more artists (£159+ £28 membership fee) 20% discount

• Discount for Young Artist (under 25) : 50% discount off above

In order to get a group discount :

A group is classed as 2 or more artists, so if you are two artists sharing a space then you can get a group discount.

There are two types of groups :

• 2-4 artists - 10% discount at £203 per artist

• 5 or more artists - 20% discount at £187 per artist

Not sure if you’re sharing or not, or not sure how many people?

Don’t worry! On the form there’s the option to tell us, however you will need to pay the full fee and then be refunded the difference. We aim to refund you within 10 working days of you informing us.

So, for example, if you're based at a larger studio such as Victoria Works or Three Storeys, but you're unsure if it will be 2-4 artists, or 5 or more artists, you should pay the £220 fee and be refunded the difference when you confirm how many will be in your group.

Do you have a space you’ll like to share for Open Studios? Let us know on the form and we will put you in touch.

In order to get an Young Artist discount you need to:

For the purposes of the Open Registration form, Young Artists are artists 25 and under, and you complete the same registration form, but with a discount code.

You will need to send us a bit of information about yourself and then we will send you the Young Artist discount code. Please email kazz@sva.org.uk with this information :

1. Your date of birth

2. If you have recently graduated, give us a short description of your course (what you studied, where and when), or other relevant experience to your practice

3. Any links to work that you'd like to share with us.

Listings and Features

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.

We developed this idea as an alternative to Open Studios, to give collectives a simpler way to be on the Open Studios routes, but with one single “profile” in the directory.

You will be part of the Open Studio routes and on the map in the directory. It will publicise your exhibition as a listing on the Open Studio Route pages, PLUS a Feature on the Open Studio “Featured Events” pages. The prices range from £273-£427.

The deadline for registering is 28th February 2024.

1/3 page : £273

2/3 page : £355

Full page : £427

You can find out more on the Listing and Feature page.

Display Adverts

We’re working in partnership with local businesses to promote local artists’ work, so if you think you’d like to work with us by promoting your business, then we’d love to talk to you about advertising in the directory.

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.

Our Site Festival directories are high quality and carefully curated by in-house designers, and are often kept for years by audiences using it for reference. Our distribution goes across the Stroud District and selected areas in the South West.

Display Advertising offers a 1/3 page, 1/2 page or full page advert in the directory. It’s a high quality full colour 48 page publication produced to publicise Open Studios, with a shelf life of over a year, so it provides a great space for advertising events, businesses, services or an organisation’s arts programme.

It can cost between £160 and £440.

Booking deadline: 28th February 2024

Artwork deadline: 27th March 2024

Find out more about booking a Display Advert for 2024.