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This August, Towner is opening up its ground floor studio to become an interactive workspace and creative community for artists.

Over four weeks, forty artists — selected after an Open Call earlier this year — will come together to share ideas and perspectives, form intergenerational and intercultural connections and support each other in generating new artworks, collaborations and opportunities from across disciplines and regions. Everyone taking part will then have the chance to book a space at Towner to use again, either as a group or individually in the future.

The space will be open to the public for the duration of Open Plan. It is free, drop-in event so you’ll get an opportunity to view the artist's process and artistic practice firsthand.

This week's participating artists told us a bit more about their work and what they're looking forward to about Open Plan:

I'm interested in tangents, talking, nature and the nature of change and currently landscape drawings/paintings as a way of capturing the multiplicity of experiences, memories, narratives and changes. I'm really looking forward to meeting new folk, exploring new ideas, becoming energised with opinions, changing my mind and dedicating a whole week to whatever will happen. 

instagram: @samsamayre

I make earthenware ceramic pieces with a maritime narrative on a domestic scale. I look forward to experimenting with and exploring new ideas on a larger scale and working in an environment with other artists to bounce ideas around.

instagram: @anne.barrell

My work is always informed by the circumstances and context of my environment, and my current interests/obsessions. The work below was made during the first lockdown when I spent a lot of time alone in a caravan ruminating on ideas of safety and sanctuary, and trying to paint in a very restricted space with limited materials. I am looking forward to space, company, freedom and not having to store everything away at the end of the day.

instagram: @lesleygreeninglassoff_painter

Kareen Herbert is a printmaker based in Portslade.

instagram: @kareenherbert

I enjoy using collage and drawing as an instinctive way to make sense of the layers and materials we surround ourselves with. I'm looking forward to responding to the space and hopefully challenging myself, as well as being in a group of creative thinkers. 

instagram: @pipmjohnson

I have a starting point, usually one or more reference images, make choices on scale and materials to start with; after that the form of the work gradually arrives by doing it. I have worked mostly individually and independently, in working collaboratively with other artists in Open Plan I hope to encounter stimulus for new ideas.

I make art to heal; sometimes it's about the act of making calming my chaotic consciousness, sometimes it's about the characters and symbols that come out of my subconscious and teach me something or help me to create my story/a new story, and usually all of those things collide, all becoming part of the process of healing complex trauma. I'm looking forward to meeting other local artists and spending a whole week focused on making art and making connections with the community! It's going to be so different to my every day life with two kids at home, having the dedicated space and time is going to be magical for me.

instagram: @ione_mggg 

I am a painter, making large works on paper which represent plants and explore themes related to the natural world. I am interested in expanding my painting practice so that the works transition from 2-dimensional wall-based forms to an installation that can be physically navigated by the viewer. I am looking forward to sharing a studio space with other artists and using this as a chance to experiment with the production and installation of my work. I am excited to develop new connections and dialogues with the rest of the Open Plan cohort and to receive feedback from the visiting public. 

instagram: @laura.ribbons

I am a contemporary landscape artist with a fascination with nature. I use colour and large expressive strokes in all directions to build interest in my paintings. I'm looking forward to this opportunity to work alongside fellow artists and to boost my creativity and techniques at Towner, this most prestigious ART Gallery.

instagram: @carolanne7303

My work is a process-based exploration of internal and external worlds through the medium of walking and drawing, using collected data to create multi-layered artworks. I am looking forward to sharing practice, collaboration, exploration, conversation, having my brain stretched and finding a creative family network. 

instagram: @staff.jenny

I work with paper as a sculptural medium, using its fragility, instability and textures to inform both the sculptural forms and relation to space. I am looking forward to stretching my artistic practice through collaboration with others and taking my mind in diverse directions.

instagram: @aprilyasamee

Learn more about Open Plan on its web page.

Follow us on instagram for updates on public events associated with the programme:

@townergallery

Week One artists

Week Three artists

Week Four artists