Talented artists from across North Yorkshire are unwrapping a unique festive treat for visitors this winter – an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes of their creative worlds in one of the UK’s largest events of its kind.
- Venues across North Yorkshire, Saturday and Sunday, 1-2 November 2025
Taking place from 1-2 November 2025, Winter Open Studios will transform the region into a 3,000-square-mile gallery where visitors can explore the places where art is made and even take home some unique Christmas gifts.
Organised by artist-run collective North Yorkshire Open Studios (NYOS), it will showcase a wide variety of styles, media and subjects, as well as locations – which range from an artists’ community tucked away in the loft of a Victorian church in York to a studio with expansive views of the countryside in the tiny moorland village.
The event is designed to suit all types of visitors, from those planning to visit just a few studios to people planning a pre-Christmas weekend break in North Yorkshire.
Winter Open Studios is the final event in a year-long programme organised by NYOS in 2025, with the aim of celebrating and raising the profile of the region’s artistic talent.
Garth Bayley, Project Manager at NYOS who will be opening his own studio to the public, said:
Winter Open Studios offers a rare opportunity to see inside working studios and understand how art is made across North Yorkshire.
It’s a chance to meet the artists, explore a wide range of practices, and find something original, whether that’s a piece of work or simply a new perspective.
We want visitors to see just how much creative talent there is in this region, often in unexpected places.
Artists and makers opening their studios to visitors include:
- Andrew Moodie, from Harrogate, who aims to create energy and expressiveness in his work as he captures the beautiful Yorkshire landscape in a mixture of soft pastels and wet media. His studio is in his converted garage and he will also be showing work in the ground floor of his house.
- Cath Little, a ceramicist from Loftus, who creates vibrant raku ceramic studio ware in an outbuilding containing two kilns and her home studio. Visitors can book in advance to decorate and raku fire a pot to take home.
- Michael Kusz from Graculus Sculptures in Reeth, who creates unique quirky sculptures from recycled materials, mainly copper, inspired by his childhood in an industrial region with access to all sorts of old tools and materials.
