HOST:06 Call for Artists
"What an excellent idea having so many local artists in local studios! Great - can't wait 'til next time!" (HOST:05 visitor)
Huddersfield's premier art show returns again this November (17th – 19th) for the third annual Huddersfield Open Studio Trail, bringing together local artists and designers with their local audience.
With one artist labelling HOST:05 as "a valuable contribution to the arts in Kirklees", the impact HOST has made, from its launch in 2004 to the accomplishments made in 2005, and to the anticipation for this year's event, has been clear, both for the artists of Kirklees and for the growing numbers of people taking an in-depth interest in local artists and local art.
In 2004, HOST's inaugural year, four studio groups and 25 artists opened the doors of their studios to the public to show how they work and to discuss their inspiration. Artists sold work, received commissions, exhibitions and workshop opportunities and made contact with other artists in the area and, in the general public, with a wealth of new potential customers.
In 2005, the promotional material for Huddersfield's second Open Studio Trail promised an arts event bigger and better than the previous year. These promises were upheld with HOST:05 witnessing double the number of venues, double the number of artists and treble the number of visitors. Over the HOST:05 weekend, around 1000 visitors took part in the trail, paying visit to the artistic talent encased in 8 venues and 46 local artists.
Throughout HOST:05, both participating and visiting artists frequently commented on the desire and need for the artists within a community to meet and share practice and expertise and increase mutual understanding and appreciation. With new relationships forged and new alliances built, HOST enables artists to present their work to their peers in a relaxed and informal setting.
This year, HOST will continue to build upon the relationship forged with the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival over the past two years and will take place between 17th and 19th November 2006, coinciding with the first weekend of the festival, one of Huddersfield's long-standing cultural events, attracting around 8,000 visitors worldwide each year.
With plans for HOST:06 now underway and details finalised, we are now putting out a call for artists to participate in the event, helping to make HOST:06 even more successful than in previous years.
The motivation to get involved:
- The unique opportunity to exhibit in a professional artists' showcase, throwing open your studio doors to a captive audience to whom you can personally sell your own work
- To become part of a thriving creative community, forging important relationships and making crucial contacts
- To get feedback on your work and establish a dialogue for future growth and development.
- Don't have a studio? You can still get involved by showcasing at an existing venue.
Whilst raising awareness of the local artistic scene is certainly a priority for the artist-led event, undoubtedly a commercial element is involved. By displaying and showcasing their best work, Kirklees artists are able to promote themselves and their pieces to a captivated and captive audience.
If you would like to take part in this year's Huddersfield Open Studio Trail or would like to find out more information, please contact Jennifer Sharman at CIDA on 01484 483146 or jennie@cida.org
The deadline for applying to participate in HOST:06 is June 9th 2006.
