New Sussex art fair opens at Brighton Racecourse

After a highly-successful debut at Goodwood Racecourse this spring, Sussex Art Fairs turns its attention to Brighton Racecourse.
Sussex Art Fairs Team left to right Fraser Renton, Leah Michelle, Oliver NorrisSussex Art Fairs Team left to right Fraser Renton, Leah Michelle, Oliver Norris
Sussex Art Fairs Team left to right Fraser Renton, Leah Michelle, Oliver Norris

The organisers do so with confidence high.

Once again, they will be showcasing thousands of artworks for people to invest in.

Sussex Art Fairs (West) at Goodwood has now paved the way for Sussex Art Fairs (East).

The key dates are

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Friday October 11 (preview evening): 18.00 to 21.00, £12 per person

Saturday October 12 (open all day): 10.00 to 18.00, £6 per person

Sunday October 13 (open all day): 10.00 to 18.00, £6 per person

125 exhibitors will come together showcasing affordable artworks starting from as little as £50 for prints and smaller works, to more than £5,000 for those hoping to pick up a masterpiece.

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Masterminding it all are the Sussex Art Fairs team Fraser Renton, Leah Michelle and Oliver Norris.

“We were all really pleased with the way it went at Goodwood,” says Leah. “We had a really good turn-out, and more than 70 per cent of the visitors turned into art buyers. In terms of art fairs, and especially new ones, it was a really good team effort. Fraser is from the area and does a lot of art fairs. He brought in lots of artists, and Oliver and I have more than seven years’ experience running art fairs in London. The partnership came together really well.

“Fraser had exhibited with us and went on to do other fairs as well and then he had this idea that there were not any serious art fairs in the Sussex area and asked Oliver and me if we would be interested in setting something up.

“The idea is that racecourses are really good places. They have got big halls and easy parking and the names are easily recognisable. It is fairly easy to get people to come to Goodwood because it is a brand as well, and so is Brighton. Brighton Racecourse will be great. It has got lots of space around it for people coming to visit and artists coming to exhibit, but it is not very far from the centre of Brighton.”

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Now it’s just a question of building on the lessons learnt from Goodwood, a greater need to engage with people through flyers and through focused, targeted marketing: “We are going to be focusing a lot on social media to try to get a different type of buyer in. There are a lot of people who might not necessarily come to art fairs, but younger people who are interested in beautiful things for the home, people who are interested on that social side. We are going to be targeting a lot of social media influencers, people who are interested in beauty. After all, that’s what art is. It is about beautiful things.

“In an ideal world, everybody would sell something, but really what we want is for everyone to go away content, the visitors as well as the exhibitors and for everyone to be happy with the atmosphere of the whole thing and with what happens next. A lot of artists have had commissions from people coming back or people just coming back and saying ‘I liked this piece and I am now ready to buy it.’ It is really cool what is happening in the art world right now.”

As Leah says, it will be the perfect way to start your art collection or expand your collection.

“All exhibitor details will be available in the Sussex Art Fairs (East) limited edition brochure at our event and also online before the event to provide all of our visitors and buyers a taste of what will be on display.”

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At the Brighton fair, Sussex Art Fairs will be continuing their collaboration with Sussex Wildlife Trust. Exhibitors will donate works for the charity to sell on their stand with all proceeds going to the Trust.

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