Open Studios in the Mists of Time

I didn't find out much about how the Open Studios concept that I am familiar with came about. I daresay that someone, or possible several discrete someones, had a good idea and quietly went about making it happen.

Or maybe my research was inadequate.

Anyway, I do know that the West Berkshire and North Hampshire Open Studio scheme has been around since 1987. The Web site for the county-wide Hampshire scheme doesn't acknowledge a starting year, but many others seem to have started around 2000 or later.

Time,
represented by a sketchbook drawing
of the back of a pocket watch