Open School East

General information

Open School East is a space for artistic learning and production that is experimental, versatile and highly collaborative. We run two mutually reinforcing strands:

- A free study programme for emerging artists;
- A multifaceted programme of events, activities and training open to all.

Central to Open School East’s approach is a commitment to foster cultural, intellectual and social exchanges between artists and the broader public. We do this by opening our study programme outwards, responding to our locality and providing an informal environment for the sharing of knowledge and skills across various communities – artistic, local and otherwise.

Open School East was originally founded in 2013 in East London, in response to spiralling tuition fees and student debt, and the decrease in both studio provision and civic spaces in the capital. From 2013 to 2016, Open School East operated from the Rose Lipman Building, a former library and community centre in De Beauvoir Town, East London. In 2017, we relocated to the coastal town of Margate in Kent, where we will contribute to the town’s cultural vitality and open up creative opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds. We are located on the ground floor of the Pettman building, below Resort Studios, in Cliftonville.