Seven Local Artists Have Open House this Weekend

Last year I spent a scorching hot afternoon walking from house to house near Sunshine Garden Centre viewing the variety of works on display. This year you don't even need to go far to gorge on local art: Maidstone, Goring, Clarence, Palmerston Roads and Cornwall Avenue all have open houses. There will also be a craft market and craft activities at The Step Bar/Cafe.

Seven local artists are having exhibitions in their houses this weekend as part of the AP&Beyond Festival. With luck someone has already put a brochure through your door. It lists all the artist, and has a handy map to help your plan your afternoon of viewing. You can go online to see the listing for 2012 giving opening times and a map reference. If you want to plan a walking route, then use this map.

It's the second year that Sonya Sabbagh is organising the event. She told me that what's special about it is there are no fussy entrance criteria for artists and musicians. The aim is for us to visit our neighbours and see their creative achievements. There are also plenty of opportunities for people to participate and make art and music themselves.

I'm looking forward to dropping-in at the Durnsford Recreation ground where a programme of craft activities, exhibitions and live music will be held 'till 7pm on Saturday and Sunday.

What a  wonderful poke-in-the-eye for our consumerist-iPod-X-Factor culture! So get planning, here's the full list of events.