by Harriet Mancey-Barratt
We kicked off the day at the Regency Town House (HOUSE Venue 6) in  Brunswick Square, currently in its incarnation ‘House Open: Regeneration’. It was an interesting range of work, and I enjoyed the Spectrum photography prize winners’ work in particular. It’s just a shame the lighting wasn’t better so we could have [...]

by Harriet Mancey-Barratt
Prefer an N-dash in the hand to an artistic flash in the pan? Some of my favourite picks of this year’s Artists Open Houses have been those using paper or print in an exciting, fresh way. There’s so much modern, witty work going on, from the cool letterpress prints by Flowers & Fleurons [...]

by Harriet Mancey-Barratt
Sometimes a venue can blow you away, and even more so if you haven’t been expecting it. I must admit that my eye hadn’t been caught by the small image in the brochure listing for Andrew Ford’s photography, showing at Willie Hendry Hair on Upper Gloucester Road (Venue cb1), but I’m so glad [...]

By Harriet Mancey-Barratt
Every May, I remember what life is about. This isn’t the beginning of a suicide note, just an expression of the joys of spring in Brighton. The whole month is packed so full of such inspiring, witty, imaginative events that it’s hard to know what to look at first.
Whatever you do, though, don’t [...]

by Harriet Mancey-Barratt
Warning: Sunday made me grumpy. Rain, cold, and more rain – but my misanthropic tramping up deserted hill and down lonely vale was considerably lightened by, as ever, some real gems in the form of Artists Open Houses.
I started out at Into the Woods at 4a Florence Road (Venue fw6), which was packed. [...]

Well knock me down with a reasonably priced piece of feather art, if it isn’t May already – and in Brighton that can mean only one thing. Or, in fact, four, seeing as we have not only the Brighton Festival, Festival Fringe and Artists Open Houses, but now (for the second year running), HOUSE, the [...]

Harriet Mancey-Barratt analyses the business opportunities available to Open Housers in her article on the Creative Choices website.
Click here for further details.

My name’s Harriet, and I have a jewellery problem. So it has been, is and will be for time immortal. For me, anchored happily in my magpie-like state, the highlight of the festival so far has been catching the work of silver jeweller Gil Stark at workhaus (18a Arthur Street, Venue 7). Using cotton and [...]

First to Blank Gallery (Venue 1), approached via a particularly unprepossessing Portslade road; we filled ourselves with Much Courage and Plenteous Fortitude – and it was worth it. There’s not a lot on sale but it was a great glimpse of what is evidently an innovative and warm community of artists and makers. I loved [...]

Day one of the Artists Open Houses went off with a bang, despite the drizzle. We started off in Ditchling at the Handmade House (Venue 69, 98 Lewes Rd), which, quite apart from having some of the most cosy-looking bedrooms I’ve ever seen, offered some beautiful jewellery from Emma Willcocks, local paintings (and a nice chat) [...]