ArtHouses is an artist-led project in which the homes, gardens and public spaces of Whitley Bay become the venue for contemporary visual art. Through hosting artworks in people’s homes, ArtHouses develops unique situations to exhibit and experience artworks, building new connections and communities in Whitley Bay.
ArtHouses has grown from a series of annual summer events that commission artists to create new work in people's homes. These artworks give a vibrant focus to the conversations between artists and householders hosting the works, enabling people to become advocates of the artwork in their home, and share it with a wider public during the event.
Hosting artists in Whitley Bay is at the centre of ArtHouses’ ways of working. Our focus on developing strong relationships between residents and artists creates shared spaces to engage with contemporary arts practices, opens practices to a wider audience and celebrates the home and local community as a place for action and creativity.
Our recent projects have evolved from these ways of working to bring innovative strands into the programme and create new dialogues between artists and people living in Whitley Bay. INVERTED, LOCALwifi, Home Actions, Unperforming and ROCK UP! have all offered new ways to engage audiences and participants, inhabited different venues and given artists opportunities to test out and share new ideas in a supportive environment.
ArtHouses was initiated in 2010 by Tracey Tofield as a part of Whitley Bay Film Festival. Since 2017 the project has been led by artists Sophie Buxton and Rob Smith, alongside a team which has brought in new members each year and has included artists Tracey Tofield, Lois Hobby, Dominic Smith, Sneha Solanki, Lesley Guy and Alan Boxshall.
ArtHouses has also grown with the support and partnership of Whitley Bay Big Local, North Tyneside Council, The Newbridge Project, Laurels and funding from Arts Council England.
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