About & Contact
KTAA Members (from left) Michael Spark, Amanda Thompson, Tracey Bunce and Jared Orlin during an artists open house visit, May 2024. Pic: Diya Wenn
About us
Kemptown Arts (KTAA) is an association of artists and creatives working in and around Kemptown, Brighton. Members meetings are held once a month, usually Monday evenings, in Kemptown and new members can join at any time. In addition to a supportive community of like-minded part-time, full-time, and hobbyist artists, KTAA’s annual programme includes various exhibition opportunities put on by the association or where members participate in bigger group exhibitions. For more, follow us on Instagram @kemptown_arts_brighton
How to Join/Contact Us
Membership £15 a year, from 1 January to 31 December.
A Brief History of the Kemptown Arts Association (KTAA)
How the KTAA was formed
The Kemptown Arts Association is a local group of over 70 artists and creatives who take part together in exhibitions, markets, fairs and workshops across Brighton & Hove, and who meet regularly at the Rock Inn, Kemptown for members’ meetings, workshops and socials.
The group originally formed in January 2013 with a singular focus: Nick Philo and Tim Jukes – who had each previously run Artists Open Houses in Brighton – saw the need for an organised group to co-ordinate Kemptown Open Houses into a standalone trail.
Everyone who had previously run Open Houses in Kemptown was invited to a meeting at the Ginger Dog – a pub in College Place that has now sadly closed down. Their objective was to create a brochure which would feature a detailed map of Open Houses and information about local artists on the trail. The group elected to call themselves the Kemptown Arts Association and Nick was instated as the first Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. Although our focus has expanded, we still take part in the Summer and Winter Open Houses and our amazing members Michael Spark, Clair Butler, Holly Crompton and Paula Kelly create and coordinate the trail map.
The KTAA today
Since 2025, the group has been co-Chaired by Camilla Ellingsen Webster and Jared Orlin. Our numbers have steadily grown since that first meeting, and we now include over 70+ members that either live or work in Kemptown, or have a strong connection to the area.
We also continue to work with local businesses, who not only provide discounts to members and help fund our brochures through advertising, but also act as distribution points for our pamphlets – including the ever popular Open House brochure and children’s trail map, both of which are still produced in-house.
The original vision for the KTAA has gone beyond organising Open Houses, and much of our focus is on putting together events that showcase the creative talent in the area, including regular exhibitions and art markets spearheaded by Jared Orlin.
Following Camilla’s outreach work in 2025, a partnership was formed between the KTAA and the Rock Inn on Rock Street, Kemptown, and we are now their ‘official arts group’. This partnership has given Kemptown artists and creatives a permanent, year-round exhibition space, and a home for our monthly meetings and artist workshops. We usually meet on the first Monday of the month and new members are always welcome.
If you’d like to join KTAA or would like more information, please email [email protected].
The team:
KTAA Chairs
Nick Philo (2013 – 2022)
Rupert Bagilhole (2022 – 2024)
Jared Orlin (2024 – present)
Amanda Thompson (2024 – 2025)
Paula Kelly (2025)
Camilla Ellingsen Webster (2025 – present)
Exhibitions Manager & Membership Secretary
Camilla Ellingsen Webster
Social Media, Website & Markets Manager
Jared Orlin
Treasurer
Michael Spark
Sponsorship Secretary
Serena Sussex
Social Secretary
Derek Henry
Meetings Secretary
Michelle Thomasson
Exhibitions coordinators
Christina Perry
Helen Nestor
Holly Crompton
Jacy Wilkes
We also have a team of volunteers that help organise exhibitions and events, and who sometimes step in to chair meetings when needed:
Aengus Rathbone
David G Taylor
Diya Wen
Felipe Brown
Gerry Shepherd
Gitte Porsgaard
Heather Halliday
Jeff Lyons
Kay Walton-Smith
Ken Webster
Nick Philo
Sarah Agnew
Susana Brown
Special thanks to:
Original members Tim Jukes, for designing the original brochure and the KTAA website, and Barbara Alcock, for designing the KTAA logo.