Four times a year, dozens of artists at the Essex Studios in Walnut Hills participating in the Essex ArtWalk, opening their studios to allow the public to stroll through the historic building and drink in the creativity that abounds here.

The Essex building formerly housed the Hamilton Tailoring Company, a textile company making fine men’s apparel. In the 1990s the spaces began the conversion into art studios.

The building now provides space for more than 100 artist studios (see the Essex Studios website for a directory of artists – http://essexstudios.com/artists.html).  A huge diversity of media is represented, including oil painting, watercolor, acrylic, photography, sculpture, fused and blown glass, woodworking, wood carving, metalwork, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, graphic design, letter press, silkscreen printing, and artwork created from colored pencils, graphite, and spray paint.

The next open house takes place Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, from 6 pm to 10 pm each night. Art studios transform their workspaces into art galleries and offer their visitors light refreshments as well as congenial conversation. There are over twenty guest artists who display their artwork along walls outside of the studios. 

The November Art Walk will introduce the new Essex Studios Passport, in which patrons visit participating artists’ studios to earn discounts on art purchases.

Urban Vistro food truck, with its nationally recognized Chef Vitor, will be selling delicious wares right outside the building, and musicians will be entertaining visitors in the new Essex Lounge.

Another highlight of November is the premier of the Northern Lights Experiential Exhibit by Tim Freeman, photographer and physician.

Guest artists may still rent display space for $60 for two nights, using the form on the Essex Studios website (http://essexstudios.com/artwalk.html) to register.  Food artists (such as bakers and other purveyors of treats) are encouraged to participate by simply signing up for a guest artist space for the two evenings.

The Essex Studios is located at 2511 Essex Place in Cincinnati (45206), a short block that runs between Taft and McMillan in Walnut Hills. 

There is parking in the Essex lot and in several nearby lots (Union Institute, 440 E. McMillan; Dialysis Clinic, 499 E. McMillan; and Dohn High School, 608 E. McMillan).