How do I open my house? Anyone living within the BN11-BN14 area can open their house as part of the WAOH. You simply need to register your venue using the registration link on the WAOH website during registration periods (ie from 1st March to the end of March for the September event.
Do I have to be a professional artist or maker? No – artists and makers are welcome to take part in the WAOH event at any stage of their career – even if they are just starting out.
Is there a selection process? The WAOH is open to all and there is no selection process.
Do I have to live in Worthing? To open your house as part of the WAOH you have to live within the BN11-BN14 area. You can live outside the area if you are a guest artist in someone else’s venue.
Can I take part if I'm using a space that is not a house? Although the majority of venues are houses, some people, eg students or recent college leavers, may not have a suitable venue of their own. It is fine to make use of shops, bars or other commercial premises offered to you. Several institutions, eg schools, day care centres, also take part in the WAOH event, as do galleries many of which are artist-run galleries. Some artists prefer to open their studios than their houses and this gives visitors a variety of experiences seeing artists and their work in both their homes and studios.
What does it cost? For September 24 it is 95.00 per venue.
How do I find other artists to exhibit in my house? You can find artists working in a broad range of media by going to the Artists Seeking Houses section of the WAOH website.
Do I need to take out insurance? All Open Houses must take out public liability insurance to protect you in case of accidents to visitors while in your house. You can do this for a very reasonable fee via AN Air artists insurance: www.a-n.co.uk/air We strongly recommend that you don’t do this via your own home insurance as this can cost you a lot of money.
WAOH guide to Opening Your House. If you would like to read a fully comprehensive manual covering all areas and issues you might encounter when opening your house for the first time, please have a look at the WAOH Guide to Opening Your House.
Trail contact details. Please see the contact page for detail of Trail contacts.
What do I get for my money? A single listing in the WAOH brochure gives you: a single image, a listing for all your exhibiting artists, details of opening times, facilities you may care to offer visitors and a map of your area marking the location of your house. In June 2023, 50,000 WAOH map-leaflets were printed and distributed. The map-leaflet was also reproduced as an insert in inside magazine. The distribution area covers Worthing. Your listings fee also provides venue information on the WAOH web site. The web site has a year–round presence. You also have a dedicated WAOH committee that works to promote and market WAOH through all forms of media throughout the year.
Can I open my house if it is rented? You do not need to be a house owner to take part in WAOH. However, please check that you are not infringing your rental agreeement, or if living in shared occupancy premises, upsetting any neighbours.