Crouch End Open Studios
2014 marks the 10th running of Crouch End Open Studios, an event that has grown into an important date in Haringey’s artistic calendar. This year, 30 artists will be showing their work at venues within walking distance of Crouch End’s famous clock tower, over the weekend of 10/11 May, with a group exhibition representing all of the artists running in the Original Gallery in Hornsey Library from 2 – 15 May.
One of the questions often asked of Crouch End Open Studios artists is why the event is concentrated on only one weekend. As many artists show their work in their own or other peoples’ homes, there are practical questions around transforming their domestic space into a gallery for more than a few days. But this year is different. For the first time in the event’s history, a group of artists will be showing together for an extended period. At the invitation of Collage Arts, 17 artists from the group will be exhibiting at Karamel from mid-June to mid-July. It promises to be a vibrant and diverse show, bringing together the talents of artists who have shown with the Open Studios for many years with those who have joined the group for the first time this year. Examples include Martin Davidson’s stunning black and white woodcuts, Yana Stajno’s uplifting paintings designed to be a “joyful antidote to these austere times” and Ahmed Farooqui’s sculpture that combines multiple elements in an investigation of scientific insight into the hidden patterns of the natural world.
The Crouch End Open Studios began as the “brainchild” of local artists Helen Lindon and Kim Valdez in 2003. Since then, the Open Studios has grown: new artists have applied each year and been selected, others artists have left. The audience has also grown year on year, with hundreds of visitors walking round from venue to venue, talking to the artists about their practice, seeing work in a range of setting from shops, cafes, houses and galleries, and buying directly from artists without the need to pay gallery commission. Crouch End Open Studios has also been successful in attracting sponsorship from local business even during the hard times of the recession. On this, the 10th anniversary, several artists have created works that celebrate the support of the Crouch End Open Studio sponsors, to be exhibited at the Original Gallery from the 2 – 15 May.
Crouch End Open Studios are also actively involved in working with the inspirational local charity Action for Kids. Artists from the group recently ran an art workshop at Islington Arts Factory, and the Original Gallery show will feature some of the postcards produced by the young people that the charity supports. One of the artists who participated, Liz Brown, commented on the workshop: “The students…produced some wonderful images inspired by the creative input of the CEOS artists…we all had a good time and laughed a lot too”.
For more information on Crouch End Open Studios please visit:
www.crouchendopenstudios.co.uk
www.karamelrestaurant.com