Preview: Jamaica Street Artists Open Studios

The Open Studios at Bristol’s city-centre artists’ community Jamaica Street Artists is a reliable summer highlight for local art lovers. And this year’s Open Studios looks as packed and inspiring as ever – and with one key new feature.

Jamaica Street Artists is a collective of some 40 artists, working in a Grade II listed former carriageworks in Stokes Croft. The group, now over 20 years old, is a unique and ambitious collective, with members exhibiting, collaborating and working both nationally and worldwide. With internationally renowned painters, installation and sculpture artists, famous illustrators, photographers, printmakers and many more opening their studios up for the weekend, their annual Open Studios is always a highlight of Bristol’s art calendar.

This year’s event begins with an opening party on Friday 10 June (7-10pm), where you can explore the Studios in the company of friends, with music, art and a great big party. It then continues across the weekend at a somewhat more relaxed pace. Visitors are invited to wander round the building, talk to artists about their work, and generally soak up the creative atmosphere. Teas, coffees and refreshments will be available across the weekend.

The event concludes with JSA’s ever-popular mini-canvas auction. “Our auction is the Studios’ main fundraising event of the year, and proceeds go towards keeping our studios affordable for Bristol’s artists,” explains studio manager Lucy Ward. “All our studio artists contribute a unique mini-canvas artwork to the auction, and they go for anything from £30 to several hundreds. It’s a great opportunity to start your art collection, or pick up something affordable by one of your favourite studio artists – and support the studios all at the same time.”

This year’s other highlights include a silent auction of work by Abigail McDougall, JSA resident and creator of hugely popular watercolours of Bristol scenes; an Open Studios debut for new resident, printmaker and children’s book illustrator Charlie Brandon-King; and, perhaps most excitingly, a showcase of art work by children from the refugee camp in Dunkirk, France, created with studio artists Elaine Jones, Emma Dibben and Liz Verde.

“A group of studio holders have been raising money and collecting clothing and supplies for refugees in the French camps for a number of months,” Lucy explains. “This year, a group of studio artists have gone out to the Dunkirk refugee camp to deliver – with help from our neighbours Bristol Bike Project – a batch of re-conditioned bikes. The artists have also raised money towards a new Family Centre in the refugee camp – and have begun holding a number of art workshops with the children who live there. They’ll be showcasing a selection of the work made by the children.”

JSA’s residents are tenants of the building, and their annual fundraising is an essential part of covering the costs of the Studios and keeping the studios affordable. “For new and exciting work to develop, artists need to be able to challenge themselves,” Lucy explains. “You can’t do this if your studio rent is so high you need to sell every single thing you make to keep going – you need space and time to test and make mistakes. Keeping our studios affordable means our artists can continue to develop.

“Open Studios is a really popular event,” Lucy concludes. “That’s partly through the exciting mix of artists we have here, and partly because we know how to throw a good party! Visitors can expect to find a really diverse group of creative practitioners. What’s unique about Jamaica Street’s artists is their dedication to their work, and the infectious success this spreads throughout the collective.”

Jamaica Street Artists Open Studios 2016 June 10-12 (Friday 7-10pm/Sat & Sun 11am-5pm). For more info, visit www.jamaicastreetartists.co.uk