The Story of Art House

At one time, if you fancied going to see some art, you would have to take yourself off to the local museum or gallery. More recently, there has been a welcome trend to make things more accessible, with art becoming available as trails and pop-ups in parklands, town centres and at historical attractions.  Each June, Art House Leicester offers a different take on the art trail. This trail takes you through a city suburb, with houses taking the place of galleries – and gives you a chance to see “extraordinary art in ordinary houses” and meet the artists who have made it.

Art House Leicester started in 2008, when Holmfield Road resident Hannah Devine-Wright went round to her neighbour, Katarzyna Klein, to buy a couple of her paintings for gifts. Amazed by the amount of beautiful work that Katarzyna had stored away, she suggested that she should open her house and try to sell some. One thing led to another and the first Art House weekend took place with 3 houses and 8 local artists taking part. Something struck a chord with the public and the annual event has since grown steadily.

Katarzyna (Kathy) Klein and Sue Ryan initiated Art House from that moment of inspiration in 2008, curating the trail to showcase a mixture of genres and mediums in each household. Under their guidance Art House became a much anticipated summer event. With the emphasis firmly on art shown in domestic houses rather than more formal gallery settings, or arrayed on a craft stall, there is a unique opportunity for visitors to acquire art for their own homes.  All work is for sale, without the costs and overheads a gallery would entail; Art House is proud not to charge a commission from the artists.

The range and backgrounds of the artists now taking part is impressive. As well as full time professional artists, there are a number of participants who manage to fit their creative activities around alternative careers.

Katarzyna says “We never set out for it to become as big as it has, happily it just took on a life of its own.  More artists wanted to participate and the community embraced us”. In 2025 more than 1600 visitors found their way to Art House over the usual one evening and 2 days.

In 2023, Katarzyna and Sue stepped back and passed the baton to Nancy Thomas and Kate Moore, who had been involved in Art House for some years. 

Last year Kate, Nancy and Kathy worked with a small group of artists and volunteers to keep this wonderful annual art trail alive. 2026 promises just as much success under the steerage of Nancy and Kathy, now joined by Anne Forey, and of course all the invaluable volunteers once again.