Open Studio Weekend is an annual event during which over 100 artists invite attendees to check out where they work; it is a collaboration between Louisville Visual Art and the Hite Art Institute and will take place Nov. 3 and 4 this year.

New this year, the U of L’s Hite Art Institute will open the doors to their recently-renovated space in the Portland neighborhood, which is also where LVA relocated in October 2015.

The arts campus in Portland — which is located in what was originally a 19th-century warehouse — will be used for MFA students and faculty focusing on ceramics, drawing, fiber, glass, painting, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media, book arts and design.

Kimberly Leonard, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at U of L, hopes the arts programs offered will impact more than just their students.

“I am very excited about this location; it will be the first University of Louisville building west of Ninth Street,” Leonard said. “This is a wonderful city with lots of arts and culture as an economic driver and I think it has the potential to be a better city if we use arts as a way to address some of the economic disparity.”

According to Leonard, university students and faculty are already looking at ways they can partner with neighborhood children and youth programs to make sure U of L’s presence in the community is a meaningful one.