Important Information for Artists 2021

Times continue to be uncertain, but we are forging ahead towards a summer Trail in 2021!

This is a lengthy letter of news, but fresh opportunities develop in response to the changes that uncertainty can bring…so please read on to discover such things as the Art Trail Hub, the additional Online Trail, procedures for Test & Trace and our Festival of Chichester events.

 

         2 weekends – 10th, 11th and 17th, 18th July

• We have had a positive response to running a July Trail. In the main, Trail artists have been very pleased to retain the opportunity to share all the work they have been making and aim towards a summer Trail for 2021.
• 12 or so artists are unable to open their Venues, so an additional Online Trail has been created to keep their presence, and their art, under the watchful eye of our visitors until next year.

• The Online Trail has been added to the website alongside the 5 regional Trails
• Online artists are highlighted in blue in the website listings.
• The Trail Guide carries information about the Online Trail.
• All Online Trail artists will remain in the Trail Guide, their entries and map locations highlighted in blue – so that visitors know NOT to turn up!
• Visitors are invited to contact artists to arrange a visit at a future convenient date.
• Advertising and social media include promotion of the Online Trail

 

Very important – please read this information carefully

IF YOU FEEL UNABLE TO COMPLY, YOU MUST NOT OPEN YOUR VENUE


We will be happy to include you in the Online Trail

On reading relevant documents and speaking to helplines, the Government is clear that, as lockdown restrictions are lifted, the Test & Trace system will become ever more important in identifying local outbreaks and rapidly responding to any new variants of concern. 

In order to run a multiple Venue event, every Venue must be part of the NHS Test and Trace system.

The implications for you as a Trail artist opening your Venue to visitors are:

• Your Venue will be registered with a QR (Quick Response) code which will create a poster encrypted with your Venue number, location and contact details. If they need to, the NHS will use this information to contact you. (You have given permission for your email address to be used for Art Trail purposes when registering for the Trail).
• You will be required to make a Covid safe Venue by adhering to appropriate regulations in place in July.
  By opening your Venue to participate in the Art Trail, you are agreeing to comply with NHS Test and Trace.

THERE ARE FINES FOR NON COMPLIANCE

This sounds a bit daunting but really is quite manageable!!

We will:

• Do all the technical requirements for you beforehand.
• Provide you with your own location specific QR poster and a Privacy poster concerning the collection of visitor information.
• Provide you with a Venue Safety poster and a Covid poster of the current regulations.
• Provide you with a Test and Trace form.
• Give you these on Collection Day (read on!) with all your other Venue supplies.
• Alert visitors in the Trail Guide, and on all advertising, that they will be required to adhere to Covid regulations in place at each Venue.

In order to comply, you are required to:

• Display the 4 posters prominently.
• Ask visitors to fill in the Test and Trace form as they arrive at your Venue (unless they can use your QR poster on their own NHS phone app).
• Keep visitor data securely and destroy 3 weeks after the Trail.
• Cooperate with the NHS if you are contacted via Test and Trace about someone who has visited your Venue.
• Facilitate a Covid safe Venue by applying the regulations in the Covid poster eg wear a mask, provide hand sanitiser, enable social distancing etc.

This year, you will not be required to:

• Keep track of visitors and sales for an Art Trail evaluation – no usual clickers or form to fill in, as this is unlikely to be a typical year!

 

This is a watershed day in the Art Trail year – pick up supplies to turn your workplace into a Trail Venue, plus, see yourself and your Venue in print!

• Collect your bright green Chichester Open Studios Art Trail signs so visitors can spot your Venue.
• Printed publicity materials will be ready for you – Trail Guides, flyers and posters.
• The QR code registered to your Venue, your Test & Trace form, Privacy, Venue Safety and Covid posters will all be printed for you to collect.

Please put this date in your diary – Saturday June 12th at Courtyard Studios
See Collection Day under JOIN US, for the necessary information.

You will need these supplies, so it is important to attend or arrange for someone to come on your behalf.

We will adhere to appropriate Covid regulations and may need to stagger artist arrivals to limit numbers at any one time – we will keep you updated about more detailed plans for Collection Day

 

For reasons explained in a previous Newsletter  we have been unable to book a Preview Exhibition at the Oxmarket this year.

So we would like to announce a new approach for 2021, the

ART TRAIL HUB

At Courtyard Studios, we are creating a place to house and discover all things Art Trail

…with an added new gallery space to hang Trail artists’ work

2 weeks just before the Trail:
Saturday 19th June – Sunday 4th July

There will be roadside, social media and Press advertising, and this will be a Festival of Chichester event too (read on!).

Potential Trail visitors can pick up information, see some Trail art and get a taste of the Trail to follow later in July.

If you would like a piece of your work displayed at the Art Trail Hub, please:

• Bring one small piece of art on Collection Day.
• Clearly label it with your name, title and the price.
• Jewellers please bring work in its own enclosed box/frame/case – sorry, we do not have room for jewellery cabinets.

 

Since we have had to postpone the Trail to July, an exciting chance opportunity has arisen!

Our 2021 dates now fall under the umbrella of the Festival of Chichester running from mid June to mid July. So not only can we can include the Art Trail itself within the Festival events, but we can also include and advertise the Art Trail Hub with its show of Trail artists’ work.

This silver lining will increase our visitor reach and afford us significant extra publicity through the Festival’s website and advertising. We will keep you informed…

 

With hope and anticipation, the preparations for a July Trail are continuing. We aim to print the Trail Guide at the end of May. We are mindful that there is still a chance that

• the Covid situation could worsen and we will not be able to hold the Trail.
• things could go awry between printing the Guide and the new July dates and artist refunds would then not be possible.

We will of course monitor the situation and update you in the Newsletters.

If all other options elude us, we will hold and publicise an Online Trail and distribute the Trail Guides if they have been printed.

 

A short ending to wish everyone well and hope you are enjoying the prospect of a few more creative months before the Trail is upon us.

We will keep you up to date via Newsletter when we have things to report.

With very best wishes
Nicola

P.S. If you want to contact us, please send a new message to info@chichesteropenstudios.org.

We will respond, so if you do not get a reply, please try again or contact us via the website.

 

Read the full Newsletter