Welcome to the brand new “Open Up Sheffield” blog – a weekly diary from the perspective of one particular artist taking part in the 2007 event.Its not that I’m special in any way, in a mad moment I just put my head above the parapet and volunteered because it sounded fun!
Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Anne Turk and this is the third year that I have taken part in Open Up Sheffield. In 2005 I felt that the time had come to advertise my work more actively and I really liked what I saw of the beautiful colour brochure which is produced for the event.
I also thought that it would be rather nice to use it as an opportunity to invite friends and neighbours round so that I could explain how my artwork was produced and they could enjoy coffee and a chat at the same time.
Being able to show people how you make your art, the processes involved and the skills you acquire over time is, in my view, one of the great strengths of Open Up. Its not just about putting on an exhibition in order to sell your work but rather an opportunity to interact with interested people (I find that many of the visitors are themselves amateur craftspeople) and giving them the opportunity to handle the materials and ask lots of questions. You also get some fascinating interaction between visitors, and no two conversations are the same.
I hope that this first instalment holds something of interest for the reader – I thought next week that I’d tell you a bit about applying for the event.
