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Hampshire Artists Open Studios 2007, 18th August - 2nd September

This event is an annual art trail allowing the public the opportunity to visit artists and craft makers in their homes, studios and workshops. This is our seventh year and there will be 176 venues to visit throughout the county - that's around 400 artists involved.
Established artists and first time exhibitors will have work on show and for sale with the benefit of direct selling. Visitors have the unique experience of meeting the artists, and maybe watching them giving demonstrations. Most venues are exhibiting for all sixteen days and most are open from about 11.00 to 6.00 each day.
Consult the Visitors Guide for precise times and days and details of disabled access.
All venues are free, some artists may suggest a donation to their chosen charity.

The Visitors Guide is available from Tourist Information Centres, galleries, libraries, museums, etc:

Or by post with SAE from
Wendi Watson / Hampshire Artists Open Studios
95 Station Road, Netley Abbey,
Southampton
Hampshire SO31 5AH
02380 453475

wendi.watson@virgin.net

or from the website:

www.hampshireartists.org.uk

BACKGROUND INFO
How it started
Returning from a visit to the neighbouring county to see a few of the Dorset Art Weeks studios in 2000, H.A.O.S. organisers Wendi and Mike discovered to their surprise that Hampshire didn't have its own event. They had only been Hampshire residents for 3 years, but decided to have a go. Jackie Donaldson, a Dorset Art Weeks organiser, gave them a lot of helpful advice before they took the plunge.
Wendi, a freelance graphic designer, designs and produces the free Visitors Guide and liaises with the printer. Mike is a professional commercial photographer, who does the scanning for repro and takes photos of much of the artists' work at his studio in Netley Abbey. .
How it works
The artists pay a fee for an entry in the Visitors Guide. Most of that money is absorbed by the cost of printing the Guides and posters, advertising and direct mailing.
The Guide has a centrefold map and smaller regional maps with all venues colour coded and numbered. Each entry in the Guide shows at least one artist's image, a description of their style or method, brief directions to the venue, and advice for disabled visitors.
During the year the exhibitors receive a newsletter to keep them in touch and a few weeks before the exhibitions there are "collection days" at organisers and co-ordinators' houses, where they collect their "kit" which includes 200 or more Guides to distribute, pink direction arrows, posters and Hampshire Hog banners to highlight their houses.
Cash!
The organisers were fortunate to have received some funding from Hampshire County Council from 2001- 2006, and still have a regular prize draw donated by Perry's art materials shop in Southampton's East Street
Some of the local borough councils give financial support. Our sponsor is Craft in Focus, on a barter basis
The website: www.hampshireartists.org.uk is designed by Steven Fenton.

The "Hampshire Hog" has been adopted as the event's logo/mascot, even though its not certain if the beast was truely a hog, or a hogget, the old dialect name for a sheep (up to one year old, yet to be sheared)
Wendi Watson