Chichester Open Studios
Setting up your Studio
Ready to become part of it?
Setting up your venue
As artists, the great joy of Open Studios is the buzz you feel when interested visitors, who have chosen to come and visit you, want to find out what you do and how you do it; the whole experience is positive and one that we are sure you will enjoy.
Setting up your studio
A focus on art
An Open Studios event is an experience in itself. As well as the opportunity to view and purchase original works of art, we also extend the unique invitation to see an artist’s work in the context of its creation.
At your Studio, art is the focus; bring your walls and surfaces to life with the creative dialogue that connects your tools, materials and the details of making. Do intrigue visitors with a flavour of the way you create; your work in progress, sketches or studies. It is these associations that catch the imagination of the visitor and make your work desirable. Selling is good of course, so clear labelling, pricing and/or a list of any work for sale is a good plan!
You can arrange demonstrations, give visitors a chance to have a go themselves or inform them about events or courses you may run. They will be sure to find inspiration or even the nudge that starts them on their own creative adventures – it’s quite something that we offer!
Setting up your studio
During the event
The weekend arrives, you have all of your work out, kettle on for tea – and nobody comes! Three hours later visitors trickle in. Alternatively, visitors are queuing at the door at 10.30am! This is the way things are; Open Studios is different for each artist.
For some there are lots of sales, for others the success is in the courage to share your creations with an audience that has specifically sought to find you.
Participating in the event is also an experience in itself; there will always be the pleasure of inspiring talks with appreciative visitors, ideas for new directions, connections to be made and an opportunity to appraise how your work is received by your audience.
Setting up your studio
Signage
The first indication of a Studio venue!
You have our brand new Chichester Open Studios signs to ensure visitors can locate you. There is a sign to put up at your Studio plus left and right arrows to direct your visitors. Studio Numbers, on sticky labels, are provided to add to your signs.
- Please be considerate when placing the signs in your vicinity and do not mount them on traffic signs.
- The signs are for display on the COS days only, not before the event, and may need to be removed midweek and even in the evenings in some areas.
- Please take down all signs immediately after the event and store safely for another year.
- Be sure to provide clear directions for entry and exit to and from your working space; even when obvious, visitors can get lost!
Setting up your venue
Important information
Opening hours
All studios are open from 10.30am – 5.00pm each day. The artist is present during opening times.
About your work
Perhaps have an artist’s biography, a statement of work and details of your creative processes for interested visitors to read. Sketchbooks and photos of more complex processes are a great addition too.
Keep in touch with your fans
A book to collect email contact addresses and comments, as well as a supply of business cards, will help you keep track of visitors who are enthusiastic about your work and may like to be informed of future COS events, exhibitions etc.
Card payments
Being able to take credit card payments can help secure a purchase on the spot.
COS Guides
It is helpful to keep a small supply of COS Guides in your Studio during open days as people may drop in out of curiosity and will be pleased to have a copy.
Setting up your venue
Housekeeping
For Chichester Open Studios 2025
1. Safety
An artist’s working environment can potentially pose hazards to visitors and the Guide will carry a disclaimer to the effect that visitors enter at your Studio at their own risk. We will provide an Important Notice for Visitors that we ask you to display in your Studio to confirm the above.
2. Security
Where possible, lock all doors not being used or use PRIVATE/NO ENTRY signs.
It is perhaps not advisable to let strangers have free access to the house to use the loo.
Wear something with pockets for money, or a money belt.
3. Unexpected Closure
- If you unfortunately find that you are unable to open your Venue, please email info@chichesteropenstudios.org to let us know.
- Contact any nearby Studio so they can inform visitors who may be venturing your way.
- Place a notice outside your Studio explaining your closure.
4. Rogue Artists
It is not acceptable, or fair to fee paying artists, to invite other unregistered artists to exhibit at COS Studios alongside participating artists.
5. You will be required to fill in your Evaluation Form for the COS statistics and evaluation report. Here is how:
We would like you to record daily visitor numbers and sales at your Studio , on the Evaluation Form provided in your COS Goody Bag.
- If requested you have been supplied with a clicker counter to tally visitors.
- Remember the headcount in the morning and afternoon.
- One artist per Studio should fill in the form.
- Notes on the Evaluation Form itself, give more information about what is required and how to submit the data online via the website immediately after COS.
- If you have mislaid your Evaluation Form, you can download and print it from a link which will be live here just before COS.
Your agreement to the conditions of registration commits you to participating in this evaluation of COS. 100% return rate is necessary for us to make a meaningful assessment of the data and to ensure that you will be eligible for future events. All information is kept private and when we have analysed the data, we will follow up with an Evaluation Report in a Newsletter.
The Evaluation Form provides us with information about the organisation and popularity of COS. We use the data to attract new artists and advertisers whose revenue and participation allow the event to thrive. We thank you for your cooperation with this endeavour.
The link to submit the data from your Evaluation Form will be live for the week following COS.
If you have any queries, or need more information, email us info@chichesteropenstudios.org
