Chichester Open Studios
24 years of open studios
Chichester Open Studios
Our story
For 24 years Chichester and the surrounding areas have opened the doors of our artistic work spaces welcoming visitors into our unique worlds.
24 years of open studios
Our beginnings
Taking us back to July 2001, local artist, Susan Cutts, embarked on a journey to encourage other local artists to share their work spaces, techniques and experiences as working professional artists to the local community.
The vision for “Open Doors” as it was known for ten years, was to allow artists to open up their work spaces and embrace local visitors; venturing into our unique, magical spaces to learn our trade and purchase our work. In 2002 the Trail was set to its well known May bank holiday schedule.
Chichester Open Studios “COS – Art Trail”, as it is now known is an experience for visitors to learn directly from artists, their concepts, processes and personalities and to physically see their creative spaces.
Participating artists have gained avid supporters, secured contracts from commissions and additionally exhibiting at our annual ‘Snap-Shot’ exhibition, which is held at the Oxmarket Contemporary Chichester for two weeks in April 15th-27th 2025.
24 years of open studios
A wide range of creative activity
Since the very beginning, the Chichester Open Studios Art Trail has grown to a healthy Trail and now supports six separate areas all combining to an exciting trail within the local art community.
The separate areas, Downs, Harbour, Peninsula, Seaside, Eastward and City can be explored individually over 5 days.
Alternatively you can explore the Trail using the “Artist By Category” lists – this year showcasing a phenomenal mixture of techniques, processes and media: artists’ books, ceramics, digital art, drawing, leatherworks, dressmaking, encaustic, found objects, glass, jewellery, knitting, metal, mixed media, mosaic, painting, paper, pastels, photography, printmaking, prints, sculpture, textiles wood and Other.
24 years of open studios
Welcome to the trail
Each May our studio doors are wedged open to welcome, intrigue and teach our beloved art.
Visitors come from far and wide, to see professional, established and highly admired artists as well as new, upcoming, emerging and amateur artists alike. Visitors use the Trail Guide to create their own unique adventure into our worlds where magic is created.
We are all are incredibly excited to show you our processes, the work we live to create, sharing our lives work with you and look forward to welcoming you in May 17th, 18th, 24, 25th & Bank Holiday Monday 26th.
24 years of open studios
Creativity in the time of lockdowns
Technically the Chichester Open Studios Art Trail, beginning in 2001 has been going for 25 years.
However, the pandemic and lockdown of 2020 meant we were unable to open our workspaces.
An online opportunity with the website being available and lots of artists running social media campaigns, meant we had some presence despite the physical Trail being unable to materialise.
This resulted in 2022 being our 21st Year Opening our Studios to the general public.
