Open for Art
Open for Art - Friday 20 June until Tuesday 1 July 2025 - PLAY
Open for Art is Reading’s largest town centre celebration of all things creative. Making, dancing, painting, filming. We are open to all of it.
During the festival we showcase creative groups and organisations that we work with throughout the year. We celebrate individual artists and creators, working with businesses to host pieces of artwork for all to see, creating an artist trail for the town. The festival is the perfect time to try out one of our workshops, many of which are free, we encourage everyone to get involved.
As always, we will bring together a diverse range of creators to share their work with you, highlighting many unusual spaces in the town and how they can be used creatively.
This years theme is PLAY. Our open for art programme will question:
How does play influence your creativity?
How can play create connection?
How can you inspire others to play in your town?
What role does play have in the local and global arts community?
We encourage you to explore the joy, experimentation, and possibilities that emerge through play in all its forms. Whether through playful processes, reimagining spaces for play, or exploring the deeper meanings of playfulness.
All our Open for Art events are now LIVE - Click here to view our full programme of Open for Arts events and book
Open for Art Events
Best viewed on desktop — apologies, mobile users! Dates may appear out of sequence….
Breakfast with an Artist, Sarah Graham - in conversation with Sami Chokri
PlayDay - Sketch Your Way
Play Day - I see you like this by Jessica Wilson
New Wave Creatives - arts trail
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!
Knit Night
Triologue: A Three-Way Exchange
Workshop: Assemblage (ages 13-17)
Open for Art 2025: Book Club birthday party
The Playful Sculptor -
Family session
PlayDay - Lucky Dip
The Playful Sculptor - Adult session
Family Cardboard Challenge
Mother Tongue Crafting Group
Stitch Up
Open for Art at WaterFest
The Cradle of Vodun - a film by
Lisa-marie Gibbs
'You Too Can Tutu’ by Gandini Juggling + ‘the album: skool edition’ by SAY
The Drama Guru presents: Emoji Mask Mayhem!
'You Too Can Tutu’ by Gandini Juggling + ‘the album: skool edition’ by SAY
Adult Cardboard Challenge
Creative Walk Works
Play the Money Game ‘Your Shit is Welcome Here’
Play Parade at WaterFest
Open studio - Laurence Tidy
Open for Art 2024 - Highlights
‘Impact’ is the theme for this year's festival.
How does art impact you?
Do you know what your environmental impact is?
How will you impact your town?
What impact can your art have on the local and global community?
Thank you to venues who hosted art work in 2024
Rise - 4 Chatham Place
Castle Tap - 120 Castle Street
Coffee Under Pressure Speciality Coffee & Tea - St Mary’s Butts
John Lewis - Broad Street
Jacobs the Jewellers - Douglas Jacobs House, 25 King St
Nylon - 7 Duke Street
58 Barbershop - 58 Kings Road
Thames Lido - Napier Road
Simon Dowling Bespoke - 8 The Forbury, Sussex House
Picnic - 5 Butter Market
Eclectic Games - 5 Union Street
Shed and Milk - The Old Forge, 8 Merchants Place
Highlights from Open for Art 2023
In 2023, we created an Open for Art map to highlight our trail of 14 venues hosting 16 artists' work and 16 events including walks, talks, exhibitions, residencies and workshops.
Exhibiting artists were Associate Artists members and our Jelly workshop leaders.
ThoroughFayre on Saturday 1 July 2023 was a day filled with free art activities celebrating our town's heritage and culture that took place during Jelly's Open for Art festival 2023.
The events took place on Düsseldorf Way and Hosier St - the thoroughfare connecting two of Reading’s High Street Heritage Action Zones: Oxford Rd (from the IDR Bridge to the Bridge at Lidl), St Mary’s Butts, and Castle St Conservation Area.
Art workshops led by photographer John Angerson and artists Julie Calce, Laura de Moxom, Kit Yan Chong, Cheri Clayton and Pat Lewis were inspired by Reading's High Street Heritage Action Zones. The event also featured an art market with Reading Indie Market, showcasing the artwork by local artists and designers, a Reading Urban Sketchers @rdgUrbansketchers workshop and a Dance Jam with Dance Reading - a charity passionately committed to making dance accessible to all.
We extend our thanks to the amazing sponsors, supporters and venues who made this event possible: Blue Collar Corner, Broad St Mall, Dance Reading, Reading Borough Council, Reading Indie Market, Reading Urban Sketchers, and the generous funding from Arts Council England, HM Government, Historic England, and National Lottery Heritage Fund.
We are incredibly grateful for the collective effort that made ThoroughFayre such a success,
Flimed by Matt Hulse Photographs by John Angerson
If you are a venue in Reading town centre and would like to be a part in Open for Art please get in contact by filling out our form below
For all our other workshop and events happening at Jelly and in our community please see our eventbrite page for FULL listing
Our regular workshops
