Latest News

Thank you for visiting us!

Thank you from everyone at Derbyshire Open Arts for visiting us this year. We hope you had a splendid time viewing the art on display, chatting with the artists and touring round our beautiful county. We look forward to seeing you next year!

Breaking news...

Bob Neill, pyrographer exhibiting at Venue 48 in Turnditch, will be interviewed on BBC Radio Derby on Tuesday 21st May at 12.00 noon. The slot is 45 minutes long so plenty of time to find out more about pyrography and what's happening in Turnditch. 

Not long to go now!

We're all so excited! Artists and makers across the county are getting ready to welcome all the lovely visitors to their venues. Make sure you put it in your diary, create a reminder, set an alarm so that you don't miss out on the best arty weekend of the year! 

Let's get the news out there! 

Help us fuel the buzz around Derbyshire Open Arts by telling friends, family and posting about it on social media. We have such a special event; let's make sure everyone knows about it!  Meanwhile, if you would like a brochure to supplement what you can see on this website, they are now available in libraries, schools, cafes, hotels and almost anywhere you can think of across the county.

2024 Brochures are here!

Grab the balloons – set off the fireworks!  The 2024 brochures have been delivered, and mighty smart they look, too!

Over the next few days, a team will get to work sorting quantities for the distribution agencies and then for the 200 or so artists, along with all their other promotional materials – a mammoth task!

The artists who have volunteered to be distribution hubs will be fetching these next week and will contact individual artists on their lists, to arrange collection of their ‘goody bags’, shortly after that.

Huge shout-out to the brochure sorters! Thank you!

Preparing the 2024 brochure

Exciting news - your committee volunteers are gathering to proof read the 2024 Derbyshire Open Arts brochure, this Friday!  Every section and every entry will be read and re-read by at least 4 different people in a process that takes most of the day.  This means that we are nearing the moment of printing and we will keep you posted here, as to when the brochures will be available.  Watch this space!

Applications for 2024 now closed

Applications for the 2024 event closed on 15th January. If you have had problems with your application and haven't yet finalised it, please email us at [email protected] for assistance. 

2024 Derbyshire Open Arts website is open for applications

The wait is over and the 2024 Derbyshire Open Arts website is open!  Now is the time to plan your application - where to exhibit, what photos to use and what you will write about your art.

Participation is inclusive, so there is no selection process.  You just need to ensure that your practice is suitable for family viewing.  You can apply any time between now and January 15th.  All artists taking part will become viewable on the website shortly after this date.

Apologies for the delay

We're very sorry but there is a slight delay to the opening of applications for Derbyshire Open Arts 2024. We hoped to open at the end of October, but updates to the website are taking longer than we expected. 



As soon as we are ready to open we will send out a newsletter to alert you. Don't worry, there's plenty of time for you to do your application as the closing date is the middle of January 2024. 

If you do not subscribe to the newsletter, you can sign up using the button at the bottom of the home page. 

A big thank you to all!

The Derbyshire Open Arts 2023 committee would like to say a huge thank you to all the fantastic artists that took part this year, and to every one of the visitors that came in to any venue. We hope you all enjoyed the event as much as we did and we look forward to welcoming everyone next year. The website remains open, and any artist can be contacted through their page if you regret not buying something that took your eye! 

Misprinted brochures

We apologise to people who are finding brochures with pages missing, and some printed twice. Other than trying to get hold of another brochure from a different place, you can download a brochure on our website from the third big button on the home page. Also, in the artists pages you can filter by location and by genre which may be useful. Hopefully when you get to your first venue they will still have some brochures that you can use from then on while you're out and about. 

Last minute updates on venues 28, 39, 60 & 66

  • Venue 28 Caudwell's Mill in Rowsley is partially closed but our artists are still exhibiting. Free parking is still available.
  • Venue 39 John Sutcliffe regrets he will no longer be able to exhibit. Please contact him if you are interested in his work.
  • Venue 60 has moved round the corner from Mellor Road to 43 Whitle Road, New Mills SK22 4EH only about 400m away.
  • Venue 66 in Hayfield is actually 2 venues on Swallow House Lane - 76 Swallow House Lane and Bank Vale Paper Mill also on Swallow House Lane.