Northants Open Studios Art Festival is back - and it's 'bigger and better'

Bigger and better than ever before – that’s the promise from organisers of Northants Open Studios Art Festival as it returns to the county this September.

The Northants Open Studios (NOS) event gives the public behind-the-scenes face-to-face encounters with visual artists and creative talents across Northants and beyond.

The festival incorporates a diverse range of media from painting to textiles, ceramics to jewellery and sculpture to photography.

Katie Boyce, NOS director said: “Art doesn’t happen by chance. Artists create ideas, but they need space and time to develop these ideas.

"For visual artists, it all comes together in the studio, the place where that spark of inspiration catches fire. For most artists, the studio is more than one room set aside for work.

"I encourage everyone to visit and discover this for themselves. It’s not every day an artist will open up their secret world for us all to experience.”

As well as all the studios there are 15 venues hosting group exhibitions as well as the NOS central exhibition at Lamport Hall.

Visitors can browse the display of 288 pieces of artwork from participating artists and choose which where to visit.

Mark Herrod, director of Lamport Hall, said: “Art and the arts are the foundation of cultural fulfilment in Northamptonshire, bringing people together from all backgrounds to celebrate creativity.

"I am delighted to host Open Studios 2022 in the spectacular Lamport Hall Stableyard.”

Running since the mid-1990s, NOS relaunched in 2020 to cover Northamptonshire and some areas just over its borders.

Prior to the exhibition, a sculpture by artist Dave Pearson has been installed in the grounds of Lamport Hall to mark Earth Overshoot Day (July 28), when humanity’s demand for ecological resources in 2022 exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in a year. The sculpture comprises 1¾ spheres welded from recycled horseshoes.

He said: “Last week’s record temperatures and wildfires were a wake-up call for the UK. We are using up the planet’s resources faster than it can cope with.”

Katie said: “It is fantastic that Lamport Hall can support regional artists like Dave and allow him to display his work in a beautiful setting.

"NOS allows members of the public to gain access to art throughout the county in an inclusive and fun way and it allows artists to share their talents with a wide range of people.

“With a growing community of artists this year Northants Open Studios is back, bigger and better than ever before. With more than 160 artists taking part you won’t want to be anywhere else this September.

“Artists welcome you inside their studios, homes or gardens to share the inspiration behind their work, as you explore and discover something new in a friendly informal environment.

”I think it is really important to show works that highlight topics such as climate change and what better way to do this than as part of the largest visual arts festival in the county.”

Sponsored by the Lamport Hall Trust, Northants Open Studios is a free event welcoming everyone to delve into the world of art.

Lamport Hall is hosting the Northants Open Studios Central Exhibition again this year from September 3 to 25.

For more details go to www.northantsopenstudios.co.uk, @northantsos on Instagram or https://www.facebook.com/NorthantsOS.