The Royal Society of Arts celebrates Open House Festival and Heritage Open Day by opening its doors to the public and hosting a day of free activities.
No booking necessary. Just turn up on the day.
This is a unique opportunity to visit the RSA’s historic home and join in a series of exciting events, including free tours, archival displays, artist talks and family-friendly activities.
An architectural gem, RSA House is part of the Adelphi complex and boasts incredible historical rooms and murals, including some of the iconic Adam features, fireplaces, and staircases. The RSA has a wealth of history and anecdotes, having welcomed, as part of the Fellowship Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, Benjamin Franklin, and, more recently, Judi Dench and David Attenborough.
The RSA will be open from 11am to 4pm, with a series of activities. Please find our full schedule below.
All day
- Hourly tours, from reception: Meeting at the front desk on the hour between 11am and 3pm), meeting at the reception, learn about the history of the RSA and explore the House on a guided tour.
- Archival engagement, the Great Room: Get an exclusive look at some of our famous archives and portraits, and get a chance to paint your own self-portrait.
- Reading Connects, the Steps: Participate in a live reading of a book chosen by RSA Fellows.
- Connection Summer Exhibition, the Vaults: See our exhibition in partnership with Art Friend, and enjoy some grooves from a DJ downstairs in the Vaults.
Activities
- 11am – 1:30pm, arts and craft activity with Art Breath, Tavern Room: Family-friendly artmaking activity involving making a collective art fabric piece.
- 11am – 1pm, art demonstration, Dr Cross Room: Drop in as artist Helena Traill FRSA creates work in parallel with her current showcase.
- 11:30am – 12:30pm, artist talk and demonstration, Shipley Room: Carole Bury FRSA does a demonstration of her famous Princess Pleater and talks through her practice.
- 1:30 – 2pm, artist talk, Muse bar: Liliana Dobbs discusses her practice alongside her current RSA exhibition.
- 1 – 2pm, Making Health Places for People, Durham Street Auditorium: A panel and presentations led by the RSA Architecture and Urban Planning Group.
- 2 – 2:30pm, What Happens When Artists Collaborate?, Vaults 4: Join multidisciplinary artists and creatives as they discuss collaboration in contemporary art. A conversation with JC Candanedo FRSA, Max Gershon and Andrew Etherington.
- 2:30 – 3:30pm, Making Earth Thrive From Space, Durham Street Auditorium: A panel and presentations led by the RSA Space group.
- 2:30 – 3:30pm, Dreamwire, Vaults 2: Live rock performance straight from South London’s Underground scene
Hear more about the RSA’s bustling history, explore our current Fellowship offers, and grab some drinks at our Coffeehouse and Muse bar while discovering the House’s beautiful architecture, artworks, and archives.
