Open my studio is a suggested framework for an autonomous network of artists in the Stroud district. It has been created by artists, for the benefit of artists. We hope to facilitate a culture of peer to peer support, discussion and collaboration.
This is not open studios as you know it. You are not here to provide a public service. This is for YOU and we want you to run with it.
It exists as a google calendar and booking form which together allow artists to self organise.
The model builds upon social media’s ability to connect strangers through common ideas or goals and transposes it to a physical location. It’s pretty simple. You decide you would like to open your studio for whatever reason- maybe you just had a big tidy and want to show the whole town. Maybe you’re stuck and you need a crit, you want some new art friends, you have a performance you want to test out on a small and forgiving crowd. Whatever it may be, just go to the booking form and choose an available slot, and book yourself in! There are a few simple questions and we need some images too of course! We will share your event on instagram and via the monthly newsletter. We strongly advise that you do your own promotion too and we will support you with all the likes and shares.
Don’t have a studio? That’s okay, put your work on a wall in your house, choose a pub or cafe in town (we recommend the ale house or curio for guaranteed seats) or take your work to a random location and include the location pin on your booking form.
FEEL THE URGE TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN THIS NETWORK? KNOW HOW WE CAN RUN THIS MORE SMOOTHLY WITHOUT ADDITIONAL ADMIN WORK OR MONEY? WE WELCOME INPUT!
THIS PROJECT IS UTILISING FREE SOFTWARE AND CONSEQUENTLY IT DOESN’T DO EVERYTHING, WHICH MEANS IT MIGHT NOT BE AS INTUITIVE AS YOU WOULD LIKE. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN FIND YOUR ANSWERS HERE, GET IN TOUCH IF NOT EMAIL open.my.studio.network@gmail.com
I want to open my studio at 7pm on a Thursday but the slot starts at 6, can i do that?
Yes, so long as the bookings are within the Thursday evening, Sunday daytime structure you can specify the times you are open on the form.
I can’t work out where the slots are when I go through the dates
If there is an available slot there will be a button which says ‘6:00′ on thursdays or ’12:00’ on Sundays. If there is no button then someone has booked it already. It might be an idea to look at the calendar first to see what dates are free but this is not guaranteed to be totally up to date since the calendar is filled in manually.
I want to put on an event but need to limit visitor numbers, is this possible?
Yes, you can use the open my studio eventbrite account to create an event and specify the number of guests. We will share it and stress the importance of the rsvp for you! More info on this will be included in the email you receive upon booking your studio, but get in touch if you can’t work this out yourself, we can help.
Alternatively if it’s not such as specific number then we will have google calendar rsvps to give an idea of anticipated attendance.
I’m not sure if my event is appropriate..
If your event is free to attend, if it is a cultural happening in the Stroud district and if it allows for peer to peer exchange then it is appropriate.