Lambeth Open - South London's new borough wide open studios event

Sept. 6, 2009 - PRLog -- On the first weekend of October, 3rd & 4th, artists and crafts people across the borough of Lambeth will be opening their studios and work spaces to the public. Doors will be open from 11am to 6pm, 3rd and 4th October, admission free, check web site for dates and times of private views.

So far twenty two venues will open their doors, exhibiting over sixty artists and crafts people’s work and more will be signing up over the coming weeks. For an up to date list of participating open studios please check the online map at www.lambethopen.com

The event aims to showcase the fantastic wealth of creative talent tucked away in the borough and help communities discover the various art spaces that are often hidden in their neighbourhoods. It is also timed to coincide with the first weekend of the neighbouring Wandsworth Open House event.

Visitors will be able to see inside the artist’s studios, including 246 Stockwell Road, Brixton Village Market, Streatham Artists, Red Gate Studios and Whirld Art Studios as well as individual artist’s homes such as Chrissy Thirlaway, Kerry Johnstone, Lucy Duke and Lyn Medcalf. Also open will be combined arts and crafts studios such as Bainbridge Studios, Parade Mews, Stockwell Studios and Valentia Studios. For craft lovers there is also the community led Southbank Mosaics.

Lambeth Open is an artist led organisation and hopes the relaxed environment of an ‘open studio’ event will encourage more people to explore their creative neighbourhoods. Originator, artist and organiser Tim Sutton (who also organises the very successful Urban Art art fair in Brixton) explained that “the idea is so simple, and with so many other Open Studio events happening around the UK I thought it was about time we had one here. Lambeth is packed full of artists and crafts people and we really should be showing this off to the rest of London.”

Shiroma Ratne, one of the Streatham Artists, added:  ‘Opening up our studios is a great way for us to meet the local community and them to meet us. It’s amazing how many people say they did not know we were here’.

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Lambeth Open is a collective of artists working in the Lambeth area who run an annual Open Studio event designed to promote the work of artists and crafts people working in the borough.