Chiswick gets a fifth Sunday market for the High Road

Open Art Markets; openartspaces Instagram

Open Art markets planned for the fifth Sunday of the month

Chiswick will be getting a fifth Sunday market for the High Road, in addition to the food market in Dukes Meadows, which runs every Sunday.

Since September 2020 Old Market Place outside the George IV pub has been bustling with outdoor markets – first the Flower Market on the first Sunday of the month; then came the Antiques & Vintage Market on the second Sunday, the Cheese Market on the third Sunday, and most recently the Food St market on the fourth Sunday.

But every now and then there is a fifth Sunday in the month. Providing they are allowed to renew their licence each time, no longer will visitors fetch up, demanding to know which market is on, only to be told there is none.

Chiswick Open Art Market will fill the void, opening on Sunday 29 March and planning to fill in the remaining gaps in the calendar on Sunday 31 May, Sunday 30 August, and Sunday 29 November.

Run by Emma and Eve, Open Art Spaces offers ‘a carefully curated mix of artists selling original artwork and unique handmade pieces, with prices to suit every budget — from small, joyful finds to standout statement works’.

They have been in Chiswick before, as guests of the Flower Market, extending the reach of the flower market on several occasions with added art stalls.

“After an incredible response to our recent Chiswick events, we’re thrilled to be adding a brand-new Sunday market”, they say, and promise to transform Old Market Place into “a lively, feel-good art destination” on those four Sundays.

Chiswick Flower Market

Eve told The Chiswick Calendar she had been inspired by the Flower Market:

“Chiswick High Road has such a distinctive character. I lived here when Chiswick Flower Market was just getting started, and it’s been incredible to see how a local market can truly bring a community to life.

“People in Chiswick are naturally social and open to connection, which makes it the perfect place for the Open Art Market. With so many artists in the area, it’s important to have a platform where they can share and sell their work, and meet one another.

“At every event we also offer free drawing stations and creative workshops—seeing people who ‘aren’t artists’ try something new and leave feeling empowered is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do”.

Ollie Saunders, one of the Flower Market’s directors told The Chsiwick Calendar:

“We are delighted with the news this week that Open Art Market has been granted a license to become the fifth Sunday market. The flower market collaborated with them, and they operated alongside us at several markets – and we found them to be a real hit with our visitors.

“They brought something new and fresh to the High Road”.

READ ALSO: Chiswick Flower Market – Sunday 1 February

Punters would agree, it seems. They offer several testimonials. A visitor to one of their previous pop-up markets in Chiswick said:

“Chiswick is full of emerging and talented artists, makers, potters and designers, so for them to have an opportunity to showcase and sell their creations regularly is really exciting”.

Another said:

“An art market just adds something that’s missing in my opinion … It’s a heavily a family orientated area, and a youthful art market would bring in a younger crowd. Especially when you guys have little workshops during the day, I think a lot of families would like that.”

Open Art Market in Chelsea last year; openartspaces Instagram

A mission to create ‘affordable, welcoming platforms that showcase diverse artistic voices’ across London

Emma and Eve started Open Art Spaces in 2022 in Portobello Road, transforming the underused Tavistock Piazza into ‘a vibrant cultural hub’, and gaining a London-wide reputation for ‘high-quality, diverse art and genuine support for independent artists’.

Since opening in Tavistock Piazza, they have held markets in Duke of York Square, Chelsea; Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross; St James, Piccadilly; Phillimore Walk, High Street Kensington and Worlds End + Chelsea Theatre, Chelsea, as well as Old Market Place in Chiswick.

They operate Open Art Market as a social enterprise, reinvesting in the growth and accessibility of community art markets. They are planning up to 41 pitches for the Chiswick market and say they welcome participation from local businesses.

Open Art Market in Piccadilly in December; openartspaces Instagram

Growing opportunities for local artists to sell their work

Chiswick has many artists but until fairly recently it has been hard for them to find outlets to sell their work. That has changed over the past few years; opportunities for them to sell their art are increasing.

The Hyde Gallery started showcasing the work of local artists with its first exhibition in 2024 and is holding the next exhibition of work by local artists from 3 – 15 February.

The Chiswick Calendar has been holding twice annual exhibitions for quite a few years now. Our next one opens at the Clayton hotel on Sunday 1 March. We have also held a couple of 3D art exhibitions at the Fuller’s Griffin Brewery and hope to do so again this year.

Bedford Park Festival’s annual Art Exhibition has a much longer pedigree, opening this year on 12 June for a week, and so does Artists At Home open studios weekend, in which a hundred or so artists open their homes and studios in Chiswick, Shepherd’s Bush and Hammersmith. Artists At Home celebrated 50 years in 2023.

A newer Chiswick art experience, the W4 Art & Design show at St Albans Church (recently renamed Christ Church Acton Green) has already become a Christmas tradition. The W4 Art & Design show will this year be on the evening of Friday 21 and all day Saturday 22 November.

The artists at the new studios at Chiswick House will be wanting so show off their new work, so we can expect open days there, and there are also several cafes and businesses – the Post Room Cafe, Chiswick Cinema, the Old Cinema and the Hogarth Club, which now exhibit the work of local artists, so there should be plenty of opportunities to buy affordable art by local artists in Chiswick this year, which we will endeavour to keep up with on the What’s On pages.

Emma and Eve plan to run the Open Art market in Chiswick from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm and are currently asking for artists to apply for a stall.

openartspaces.co.uk

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar