Published 12 May 2021
Studios are now open!
All welcome.
Revised hours 11 a.m. to dusk, Wednesday to Sunday.
We look forward to welcoming you again.
Paddy and Bridget.
Published 12 April 2021
Dungeness Open Studios will be partially reopening in a
joyful manner on the 12th of April, providing a wide selection of hardy plants grown here in the
greenhouse and beach gardens, in collaboration with Ocean View Studio from the
east side of the beach.
Proceeds will go The Wildlife Trusts.
The cultural arm of the studios will reopen in early May.
We
have been hard at work setting up an exciting programme of events and
collaborations for the summer months.
These include:
Kimmie McHarrie – artist showcase – 25 June to 1 July
Lynda and Ron Wilson – artists' showcase – 10 July to 12 July
UK Cardboarders (collective) – 17 July to 27 July
Please contact us if you are interested in booking your own
showcase here on the beach.
Normal opening times for the studios will be from 11am
daily.
*
Published 9th January 2021
WE ARE IN A NATIONAL LOCKDOWN
Studios are closed as is the Dungeness Estate
!Don't panic! we are OPEN 24/7 here *online*
All enquiries are welcomed
Do please leave a message, email or phone 07815 047307
*
Published 3 December 2020
Our area is currently designated as a high risk tier 3 zone.
Cases are rising fast in our surrounding towns.
After
much research and deliberation we have decided that although we could
open to the public under the strict guidelines (as we understand them)
we would have to primarily classify Dungeness Open Studios as a ‘shop’.
Plausibly we could do this, however it seems surreptitious and not entirely truthful to do so.
We want to open to our lovely friends and visiting art lovers.
We
await the next review of our situation and hope to open prior to
Christmas during the magical five day period which we have been ‘half
promised’...!
In the meantime we are open online: https://paintings-for-sale.net
Blog: https://paddyhamiltonstudios.blogspot.
Published 9 November 2020
Studios are closed until at least 2 December 2020 dependent upon government advice.
Published 4 October 2020
We have been open for nearly four months since lockdown and several hundred people have now enjoyed our COVID-safe experience.
Currently, all visitors must call Paddy on 07815 047307 for prompt access.
The studios are closed and cleaned between visitors and the NHS venue check-in QR code is available to scan on entry.
Visitors are able to take their time and each group (of up to six people maximum) has exclusive, intimate access to the studios, which has proved to be very successful. Artworks and the garden can be viewed at a leisurely pace and we can answer questions, make sales or remain completely hands-off to suit.
The 'call to view' system has worked so well that we have decided not to return to the open-door, access all areas policy that we employed in the past.
Plans for the year ahead are ongoing, including bookings for artist showcases within the studio complex (Dungeness Beach Batch Patch). We already have confirmed bookings for next June and July (2021), details of which will be made available closer to the time.
We aim to offer more artists' residencies and practical workshops for sculptors, painters, musicians, writers and photographers, providing exhibition space for artists from outside this area.
Thank you to everyone that has called from the door and made our herculean efforts during lockdown so worthwhile.
Paddy Hamilton and Bridget Wilkins
Published 15 June 2020
🎶Current message🎵
*Happy announcement*
#Dungeness Open Studios
is now open by easy appointment
We have established a one way system which gives generous access to the garden areas
Strict cleaning will take place between each visit
Appointments welcomed
*Contact us*
Published 17 April 2020
Dungeness Open Studios are currently closed to all visitors.
We will (C-19 circumstances allowing) be open again by prior arranged appointment from mid June.
We aim to offer more artists' residencies and practical workshops for sculptors, painters, musicians, writers and photographers, providing exhibition space for artists from outside this area. We need to develop our programme during this period.
For 22 years, we have provided a showing space on Dungeness beach, which has developed from one studio to four over the period. Free to enter, operating on trust and goodwill, the work here celebrates and informs the public about this community, its history and its relevance outside of its reputation as a resort/tourist destination. All works directly reflect this wonderful and unique landscape. All my income as a sole trader comes from the selling of related works, postcards, books, workshops and residencies. Our inclusive and affordable pricing structure reflects our desire for people to be able to experience and own art democratically. Organised visits and talks with students of all ages are common practice and we have welcomed many thousands of visitors here for over two decades without any external funding, grants or bursaries.
We have had to close the studios entirely and cancel upcoming shows, residencies and workshops. After each event, we learn more about what artists require from our spaces and our in the main hands-off overview. We need to re-model showing spaces, access points, create garden areas, provide shelter and consider safe spaces for the future. We do not envisage that more than one person at a time will be able to visit these small spaces for the foreseeable future. This requires thought and practical development including our online presence, which will become crucial to keeping our core values visible and accessible. I have no current income to develop anything further but I do have infrastructure which can be made ready to meet the challenges of the future new normal regarding public access and interaction.
My current practice relies on the generosity and feedback of the people who visit, their ideas, expertise and enthusiasms. This creates Dungeness Open Studios in symbiosis, working as it does with this wonderful beach.
Currently our website and social media presence are who we are.
A bursary would remove this anxiety and help us to create peace of mind/solvency for us to develop our presence as an online entity, but with a secure foundation of having remodelled the experience, the access points and showing spaces to suit the future.
Examples of projected costs:
Web costs: copywriting and proofreading -- £30 per hour -- £600
Building materials including timber, fixings, signage, paints, preservatives, roofing materials, display items, barriers, gates, soft landscaping to create a slower, subtle flow of visitors.
Safety equipment -- £600
--
Paddy Hamilton