Open School East

Open School East is a study programme for 12 associate artists and a communal space housed in the old Rose Lipman Library in De Beauvoir Town, East London. Emphasizing cooperation and experimentation, the initiative is set up to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and skills between artists, local residents, neighbourhood organisations and the broader public. Open School East’s study programme supports the artistic and professional development of the associate artists through studio provision, tuition from international and local practitioners, theorists and curators, and the production of locally focused projects. Free to attend and non-accredited, the study programme is conceived as a year-long, partially self-directed residency, which currently welcomes associates working in the fields of visual art, dance and design. Central to Open School East’s approach is a commitment to reflect on and to reactivate the former social function of the building. Open School East’s communal space hosts a wide-ranging programme of events, activities and projects developed by and with the associates, partner organisations, local interlocutors and collaborators from further afield. The space and its affiliated public programme aspire to build a community of interest and to foster social, cultural and intellectual exchanges between people from all walks of life. Open School East launched in September 2013. Its pilot year is commissioned by the Barbican and Create London. The project is also supported by Arts Council of England, the Legacy Trust UK and the London Borough of Hackney. Open School East is initially funded to run for a year (September 2013-August 2014) and is working towards becoming a longer-term project.