'Secrets' Postcard Fundraiser

SECRETS POSTCARD FUNDRAISER
Saturday 24 - Sunday 25 November 11am - 5pm
Join us for our fun and relaxing fundraiser in the historic Brock Keep, to raise much needed funds 

for OpenHand OpenSpace. Postcards donated by artists will be for sale for £20 each, 

the artists' identity will be kept secret. 

In addition to the secret sale, will be a sale of small artworks and prints by OHOS artists, 

a raffle and bidding board with some great prizes. 

It’s a chance to buy something unique for a loved one this Christmas while supporting OHOS.

SECRETS SUPPER EVENING
Saturday 24 November 6pm - 9pm

Relax with a bowl of homemade soup and puddings at our ‘Secrets’ sale and supper. 

Plus a chance to meet OHOS artists and find out whose artwork you have purchased!
Tickets £5 (includes homemade soup and puddings).

BOOKING ESSENTIAL email info@ohos.org.uk

DONATE A POSTCARD WORK OF ART
Artists are invited to produce a ‘postcard’ work of art.
A6 size, onto card, in any medium, email info@ohos.org.uk
for more information. Deadline for submissions Sunday 18 November.

Money raised will go towards supporting 
the continued development of OpenHand OpenSpace

Finds From The Roof

An exhibition of weird and wonderful found objects 

stored by generations of artists and occupants of Brock Keep.

Thursday 8 - Sunday 11 November 2018

Opening times:
Thursday & Friday 3pm - 7pm
Saturday & Sunday 11am - 5pm

Getting back to normal - and fundraising now

OpenHand OpenSpace is greatly relieved that the recent encampment of travellers has been removed from the Keep's car park and garden, thanks to generous help from ClarksLegal, and the professional actions of HCE enforcement and the police.  Cleanup and repair is under way, and we are also extremely grateful to our supporters who are donating through OHOS's fundraising page at GoFundMe: "Make Heritage and Arts Centre secure"

This funding will also help us put in place improved security to enable us to keep the gates open to visitors in future during exhibitions and other events without fear of a further unwelcome invasion.

Apologies to visitors who may be inconvenienced by the increased gate security.  Until we can install a height restriction barrier (which needs Listed Building and planning consent) the gates will only be unlocked on request.  If you need keys for regular activities please contact our admins who are now back to normal hours: Wed and Fri from 11am - 1pm.

Triangulations

EXHIBITION POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Sarah Britten-Jones, Peter Driver, Robert Fitzmaurice

Due to unforeseen circumstances the artists regretfully have to postpone this exhibition. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. 

Heritage Open Days: Brock Keep

Friday 7 - Sunday 9 September 2018  from 11am - 5pm

Exhibition 

Guided tours of the Keep

Artists at work in studios

Children's Trail

A warm welcome

Refreshments

www.heritageopendays.org.uk  

Every Story Tells a Story

Exhibition by Ivilina Kouneva and Sharon Haward

TUESDAY 28 AUGUST – SUNDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 

Meet the artists Tuesday 28 August 2018 5pm - 8pm 

OPEN: TUESDAY 11-5pm | WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY 3pm-7pm | SATURDAY - SUNDAY 11am-5pm 

OpenHand OpenSpace Brock Keep, 571 Oxford Rd, Reading, Berkshire. RG30 IHL 

“Thus I rediscovered what writers have always known (and have told us again and again): books always speak of other books, and every story tells a story that has already been told.” Umberto Eco 

Works of art often speak of other works of art or they comment on their meaning, bringing forward their new narrative - a story which has been started somewhere else, in another creative mind. Works of art are based on other people’s stories or emerge from them. We create our stories, keep on walking, braving our way through life and changing the places we have visited, adding new meaning. 

This exhibition is a mixed media show, where different stories and experiences will be located in the different areas/chambers and corridors of The Keep. It is a dialogue between two artists who respond differently to the environment of the Keep and the idea of stories within stories.

www.ivilinakouneva.com

www.sharonhaward.com

Encounters

Photography exhibition by Linda Vanuska

Tuesday 17 - Sunday 22 July 2018

Tuesday - Friday 3pm - 7pm
Saturday and Sunday 11am - 5pm

Linda Vanuska is currently a third year BA Art and Film student at the University of Reading, and a volunteer at OpenHand OpenSpace.

The selection of exhibited photographs is an instagram format record of a 2016 installation work of metal wire figurines exhibited at the University of Reading 1'st Year Art Final Show.

Encounters is an abstract illustration of hollow and hungry individuality on its journey towards satisfying the curiosities of life through mystical encounters with other life forms and entities, and the conjuring and exchange of substantial abundance as a result. It is also a portrait of the oppressed and restrained wandering vessels, enslaved by the demands and limits of their own capacities, yearning for the taste of freedom. 

LAST MINUTE CHANGE - Due to England's success so far in the World Cup we have decided to change our Private View from Wednesday night to Friday 13th 7PM to 9PM. We hope you'll come along on Friday evening, enjoy the cool air and drinks inside The Keep while chatting with the artists about their work and reminiscing about life, the universe and everything. We will remain open on Saturday and Sunday as advertised, so if you are like a few of us and would like to find something other than football or tennis to engage with then stop by for a visit!!

Cerebral Gas - Open For Art

Cerebral Gas exhibition at OpenHand OpenSpace, 3 - 8 July 2018.
Open Tuesday to Friday 3 - 7pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am - 5pm.
Late opening Thursday 5 July for arjeea 21 meeting, 7.30 - 9.30pm: all welcome.
Interactive installation by Ingrid Jensen, plus works by Peter Driver and John Percy.  Come and join the conversation!
Venue 38 of Jelly's Open For Art 2018: jelly.org.uk

Brock Keep, 571 Oxford Road, Reading RG30 1HL
Free parking in the Keep's car park: turn south off Oxford Road into Brock Gardens, then first left and through the black gates. 
Bus stop: Brock Gardens on routes 15, 16 and 17.

Remind me to remember . . . 

A contemporary art exhibition exploring ageing and memory 

12^thto 15^thJuly 2018

Brock Keep, Open Hand Open Space

571 Oxford Road, Reading RG30 1HL

www.ohos.org.uk

“Maybe this is what growing old was like, she thought. Maybe the world gets smaller and smaller until there's nothing 

but the walls around you to show you where you end and the rest of the world begins.”  

- Naomi Jackson, The Star Side of Bird Hill (2015)

This July, Brock Keep at Open Hand Open Space in Reading is the venue for a contemporary art exhibition on the theme of ageing and memories. Twenty-two artists from Reading and the south of England were selected from an open call for artwork exploring the experiences of ageing, both personal and universal. Painting, print, sculpture, video and sound installations - artwork inspired by elderly relatives; introspection of artists personal lives; issues surrounding memory loss; views of ageing in contemporary society; these are just some of the topics touched on in this short exhibition.

Artist Salma Ahmad Caller from Reading will be taking over one of the 'cells' in The Keep with a multi-faceted installation she considers“the space of memory is hollow, it is in a space inside the mind, inside the body, inside the imagination, that is filled with recollection fragments. Triggers like notes of music, sound, touch, are mnemonics, codes that release a cascade of recollection. Memory is intangible yet it is so physical, embodied.” Another Reading based artist Cathy MacLennan will be showing work from an ongoing project entitled 'Half Memory' which she says “is greatly influenced by older people, including my grandmother who recently died aged 105. She claimed never to be lonely as she would go over the story of her life repeatedly, sometimes telling herself her own life story, editing it like a film, but always with a difficulty of conjuring up faces and places – different each time – never fully there.”

The exhibition organiser, selector and curator is OHOS Trustee Janet Curley Cannon. Participating artists include: Louise Anderson, Vivienne Akerman, Jan Bastow, Rukshi Brownlow, Salma Ahmad Caller, Janet Curley Cannon, Shona Davies, Jan Gaska, Jane Glennie, Samantha Humphreys, Jill Iliffe, Ros Ingham, Jon Klein, Cathy MacLennan, Charlotte McClelland, James McColl, Orande Mensink, Dave Monaghan, Caroline Penn, John Percy, Mary Riley and Jonathan Spencer. 

This free exhibition is open Thursday 12th July to Saturday the 14th July from 1PM to 7PM and Sunday 15th July 1PM to 5PM 

Opening reception Wednesday 11th July 7 - 9PM

Reading International: NOVEL Project Launch and Summer Event

Exhibition launch with music and BBQ

Thursday 14 June 2018
6 - 9 pm

A reproduction of three weeks in May 1970
Organised by NOVEL
May 2018 – May 2019

An introduction to the forthcoming programme of commissioned events alongside a presentation of the NOVEL archive and a video programme of past, present and future collaborators.
https://readinginternational.org/programme/novel/

Reading International Summer BBQ
Please join us to celebrate the mid-point of Reading International’s artistic programme with our partner organisations and contributors. With music provided by Uncle Peanut and food courtesy of Afghan BBQ.

At Open Hand Open Space, Brock Keep, 571 Oxford Road, Reading RG30 1HL
Please note, there is no parking available at this event, buses 15, 16 and 17 Brock Gardens stop right outside

Only The Sunny Hours

Contemporary photography with a KODAK Brownie 127

Curator Cally Trench, invited twenty artists to work with this sixty-year-old technology. 

Wednesday 20 - Sunday 24 June 2018

Exhibition open:

Wednesday 20: 3pm - 7pm
Thursday 21: 3pm - 7pm
Friday 22 June: 3pm - 7pm.
Saturday 23 June: 12 noon - 6pm
Sunday 24 June: 11am - 5pm

Open Day: Saturday 23rd June, 12 noon - 6pm

Performances, short films, talks, discussions and readings by the artists, plus a Brownie 127 studio where you can be photographed, and an indoor Picnic, where you can sit, eat, drink and chat. All welcome.

Artists: Marco Calí, Alex Dewart, Peter Driver, Barbara Dyrschka, Linda Francis, Judy Goldhill, Jane Grisewood, Hepzibah Hill, Ingrid Jensen, Lydia Julien, Philip Lee, Sophie Loss, John McDowall, Steve Perfect / Jennifer Partridge, Roger Perkins, Ann Rapstoff, Guy Tarrant, Roxana Tohaneanu-Shields, Cally Trench, and Nick Trench.

Kodak Brownie 127 cameras - made between 1952 and 1963 - were used by millions of families to record outings and picnics on sunny days. The Brownie 127 is a simple camera with a fixed shutter speed, focus and depth of field, and no flash or tripod attachment. The film is loaded in a darkened room and wound on by hand.

Imago

Open Studios 2018:

An exhibition by OHOS artists and guests, with tours of the studios

Tuesday 8 - Sunday 13 May

Open evening: Tuesday 8 May, 7pm - 9pm

Exhibition open: Tuesday - Friday, 3pm - 7pm  /  Saturday and Sunday, 11am - 5pm

Part of the West Berkshire and North Hampshire Open Studios

Reading Contemporary Art Fair

20 - 22 April 2018
OHOS members exhibiting at Reading Contemporary Art Fair.
John Percy: abstract mixed-media paintings are full of vibrant colours, exploring ideas of order and chaos, visit stand no14. Janet Curley Cannon: mixed-media work of buildings and cityscapes are transformed through a riot of colour and texture, visit stand no38.
Opening Times
Private View: Friday 20 April 6.30pm - 9.30pm
Saturday 21 April 10am - 6pm
Sunday 22 April 10am - 5pm
At Rivermead Leisure Complex, Richfield Avenue, Reading RG1 8EQ
See website for entry prices:
www.contemporaryartfairs.co.uk/reading

Crafts Council's Hey Clay! at OHOS

OHOS hosted another fantastic Crafts Council's Hey Clay! event, organised by ceramic artist, Cáit Gould. Nearly 100 visitors took part in the clay sessions, creating hand built animals, pinch pots and using the potters' wheel. Local potters, Martin Easterbrook, Louise Cox, Liesl Fletcher, Ursula Waechter and OHOS artist Jane Bunce led the sessions. Our thanks to all the artists for all their hard work, to all the visitors that took part and to Potclays and Blue Matchbox for all their support.

STEAM@the studio  

British Science Week and Heritage Pilot Study

Thank you to everyone that came to join in the fun during British Science Week to take part in all the activities. These included: Automatas and Pop-ups led by Think Lockhart, Wacky Races led by The Annual Daydream Harvest, A Building Has Influence led by The Engine Room, The Magic of Green led by Nature Nurture, Discovery Den led by Mini Professors.

Please help OHOS with an audience survey!

Dear Friends, Neighbours and hoped-for New Visitors,
We are working hard on a Heritage Lottery Fund development project - "A Roof with a View" - to provide a three year programme of heritage learning activities for the community - and we want to include as many visitors as possible in these activities.  Please complete the anonymous survey at the link below to help us plan the best possible visitor experiences for you.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CX38KJT
The project also plans to repair the roof of Brock Keep, remove the scaffolding, provide public access to the rooftop (with a small cafe), restore the ground floor verandah.  Fingers crossed for second round success later this year! Thank you for your help.

OHOS presentation in Tate Exchange

OHOS artists had fun in Tate Modern on 27 January 2018 delivering a presentation in Tate Exchange as part of the Reading International Summit. https://readinginternational.org/programme/tate-exchange/
The aim was to present information about OHOS's public activity programme and future plans, but also to raise awareness of the costs and anxieties to small groups of balancing art practice with arts admin and sustaining public artspace - all while trying not to fall off the career ladder as individual artists.
Many thanks to Susanne Clausen and Reading International for organising the event, to Tate Modern for hosting the event, and to Sarah Hacker and Reading Borough Council for additional support.

Trevor Thomas

OHOS remembers with love and thanks all the help and friendship from Trevor Thomas, who volunteered his time and energy to developing Brock Keep's garden over the last five years, with the help of David Ebdon.  Sadly Trevor passed away last month, and his friends and family have planted his Christmas tree in the garden.  Trevor's work has provided a beautiful garden of flowers, bulbs, shrubs and vegetables for everyone to enjoy.  We are grateful to Dave for his continued help.

OHOS artist joins on-line residency exploring the idea of dissent

OHOS artist Peter Driver has been selected to participate in an online residency organised by practice-led contemporary art collective CAS.

Block_Chain > The Power of Two is an eight week project running from 9 January – 8 March was designed by CAS Associate Susan Francis to expand upon CAS’ emerging dissent methodology and engage artists and audiences in their ongoing dialogue through creative experimentation, observation and discussion. The project will culminate in a symposium on the theme of dissent at Winchester Gallery, Winchester School of Art later in the year.

You can follow this project on social media using the hashtag #BlockChainDissentArt, and on the website: https://block-chain.chapelartsstudios.co.uk

OHOS artist selected for NN Contemporary

OHOS studio member Robert Fitzmaurice has been selected to take part in this juried global open call.

Every two years NN Contemporary Art hosts its Open Exhibition of work by artists from across the world in a wide range of media. The show is selected by a changing panel of judges; this year’s panel were co-directors of originalprojects Kaavous Clayton and Jules Devonshire and artist and Goldsmiths Senior Lecturer in Fine Art Practice (Studio Practice) Roxy Walsh. 166 artists responded to the open call submitting 347 individual works. From this selection the judges chose 73 artists to feature in the exhibition.

The Open Exhibition launches at NN on 12 January 2018 at 6pm and visitors will be able to see a wide range of artworks: from a video about slugs to utopian philosophy, from washing machine parts and wool to photographs of doves and much more from across the globe including Ukraine, Iran, France and the UK.

Opening night: Friday 12 January 2018, 6–8pm

Full details: http://www.nncontemporaryart.org/exhibitions/open-exhibition-2018/