The first East Neuk Open Studios event took place in 2003, so this year is our twenty-first birthday. That used to be marked by getting the key to the door, but for the Open Studios, you won’t need that – our doors will be open to welcome you into our home and studio exhibitions.
Participation by artists has returned to pre-Covid levels, and we are looking forward with enthusiasm to our summer visitors. From Lower Largo to Kingsbarns we have a fantastic art trail through the coastal villages of the East Neuk of Fife, with its golden beaches, birdlife, terracotta roofs, cobbled streets and its colourful harbours. There’s no better time to visit than when our talented local artists, designers and makers invite you into their homes and studios to view and chat with them about their work.
Our 2024 brochure has examples of artists’ work, maps and other tips to help people follow the trail, and there’s a wealth of information about each artist online. Every artist has their own unique style, with an exciting range of paintings, prints, jewellery, cards, photographs, textiles, ceramics and glass art on sale. Venues also displayed our new large red balloon signs to make them very easy to spot!
.
Our Christmas Markets at the Bowhouse have been great successes – and we are planning to repeat that in 2024. Our thanks go to everyone involved.
Our summer Open Studios in 2022 and 2023 saw a return to full programmes after two difficult years.
In 2020, it had been impossible to schedule any Open Studios weekends or the Winter Showcase, so we went virtual – a virtual tour of our artists, village by village; Open Studios became Online Studios; and we organised a virtual Winter Showcase. These are still available to view on our website.
In 2021, Covid meant that most of our artists were unable to open their studios and houses. We did however hold two very successful showcase weekends, in July and November, in the Bowhouse event space – leading to make that a regular venue for our winter event.