Cambridge Edition July 2019

ARTS & CULTURE

THE ANNUAL CAMBRIDGE OPEN STUDIOS EVENT IS A CHANCE FOR LOCAL ART LOVERS TO MEET ARTISTS AND DISCOVER WHERE AND HOW THEY WORK. SIOBHAN GODWOOD FINDS OUT MORE

C ambridge may be famous for its contribution to science, technology and academia, but there is a thriving artistic community here too. Cambridge Open Studios is one of the oldest open studio events in the country, and can be traced back to the 1960s, when a small group of Cambridge artists joined forces, opening their studios to the public as part of a movement to demystify arts and make them available to all. Although Open Studios has grown enormously, the ethos remains the same, and the aim is to make art accessible and to welcome the public in to see how artists produce their work. Artists open their doors to the public over four weekends in July, and a wide variety of media are represented, from jewellery and fine art to ceramics and furniture making. Artists are spread out across the city and in lots of Cambridgeshire’s villages, as well as in Ely. The event is free to the public, and most of the artists offer a range of different items, so if a painting or piece of jewellery isn’t in your budget, you can buy some cards or a mug featuring the artist’s work. As well as a way for art lovers to discover local talent, COS allows artists and craftspeople to meet each other and have their work included in the event’s promotional materials and social media activity. We talked to some of the artists involved in this year’s event to find out about what being part of Cambridge Open Studios means to them.

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