Artists urged to sign up to this year’s Wirral Open Studio Tour

Mar 14 2012 by Linda Foo Guest, Birkenhead News

ORGANISERS have called on artists to sign up to the fourth Wirral Open Studio Tour.

Preparations are underway for this year’s event, which showcases work by professional artists based across the peninsula.

They were this week urged to join the art trail and open their doors to allow the public to visit their workshops and display spaces.

The tour takes place over two weekends – September 29-30 and October 6-7.

The tour began life in 2009 as Artists In Our Midst, based around Hoylake and Meols.

It was such a success that artists further afield requested to join and it expanded to other parts of the borough in 2010.

Professional artist and organiser Micheline Robinson told the News: “Last year’s event was fantastic. We tripled the amount of visitors who came from the year before. It attracted people from as far as London.

“Businesses also reported an increase in sales, especially on the Sunday of the event.

“This year we will expand the tour to two weekends and are hoping to once again be linked to Liverpool’s independent Biennial, as we were in 2010.”

The tour is a family event and admission to workshops is free.

Micheline added: “Many of our artists travel around the country and abroad to exhibit but find it hard to show locally – there is a shortage of top galleries and fairs in the area.

“This is a way of introducing visitors to the wealth of talent the peninsula has to offer.”

Artists who would like to join should fill in an application form by April 15 on the website www.wirralart.com and submit it with three images of their work.

Any sponsors and volunteers wanting to get involved should email info@wirralart.com