Somerset Art Works

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Somerset Art Works (SAW) is an ambitious charity dedicated to connecting people with creativity and developing visual arts across Somerset.

We initiate a wide range of projects in a variety of settings, working in partnership with other arts and non-arts organisations, supporting the artists who enrich our lives and always integrating artists’ professional development. We work to increase public engagement, weaving together communities and raising the profile of the vibrant contemporary visual, digital and applied arts scene in Somerset.

30/10/2026

Making space for young creativity 🌈

One of the joys of Somerset Art Weeks Festival is seeing the many ways children and young people make, experiment and share their creativity across Somerset.
From the vibrant interactive display at Dovecote School’s Art Show at Giggling Goat Café, to Emerging Lights at East St Gallery in Ilminster, curated by 15-year-old Amira Higgs, this year’s Festival celebrated young people’s ideas, imagination and creative voices.

At Somerset Art Works our Family Friendly programme offers free creative opportunities for children and families. From Megan Players and her collaborative Mosaics at Somerset Rural Life Museum, Nature in the frame guided walk with Lyn Mowatt and Micaela Becket to Nature bookmaking with Katherine O’shea. And the work continues this half-term, with two free workshops delivered in collaboration with Somerset Artists and Venues.

Creative opportunities help young people build confidence, explore new ideas and connect with others. By working with artists, schools, venues and partners, we want to help make these experiences accessible and ensure young people have space to be part of Somerset’s creative life.

📷 Photography: , SAW team

.oshea Somerset Rural Life Museum .oshea Somerset Rural Life Museum@meganplayerSomerset Rural Life Museum

28/10/2026

As the exhibition Cultural Connections draws to a close at Somerset Rural Life Museum, we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped bring this ambitious programme of contemporary art, archaeology and community together.

Working in partnership with South West Heritage Trust and the team at Somerset Rural Life Museum has been a wonderful opportunity to bring newly commissioned work into conversation with Somerset’s rich histories, landscapes and collections.

We’re incredibly grateful for their continued collaboration, and for the artists, partners and everyone behind the scenes who helped make the exhibition possible.
It’s been a pleasure to see these works find their place within the museum, spark conversations and invite visitors to explore the connections between past and present, people and place.

There’s still time to visit!

The exhibitions at Abbey Barn and the Granary close on 31 October, so this is your final reminder to come and experience them. Meanwhile, Journeys to Somerset: Exploring Cultural Connections Through Space and Time at Mapstone Gallery remains open until 5 December.

📷Photo

Thank you to everyone who has been part of Cultural Connections — and to our partners at South West Heritage Trust for continuing to make space for contemporary art, new perspectives and shared stories.

Somerset Rural Life Museum

26/10/2026

🐺 Reimagining the Wolves at Ebbor Gorge

What happens when we imagine the wolves that once roamed the Mendip landscape?
As part of Mendip Wolves, artist Sean Harris and conservation palaeoecologist Professor Danielle Schreve brought art, science and community together to explore the ancient history of the Mendips.
More than 80 pupils from three local primary schools explored prehistoric specimens and Sean’s interactive flipbook-boxes before creating glowing wolf-pawprint lanterns. These became part of the immersive outdoor installation at Ebbor Gorge.

As darkness fell, animated paper cut-outs, prehistoric wolf imagery, light, shadow and a haunting soundscape by Toby Hay brought The Nature of the Beast to life beneath the trees. The children’s lanterns appeared to lead the wolves back into the landscape.

One visitor told us the evening experience had moved her — a lovely reminder of the power of art to connect us with a place, its history and the natural world.
The project continued at Explore Ebbor, where families discovered Sean’s flipbook-boxes and explored more connections between art, science and the landscape.

A huge thank you to all our partners, schools and volunteers who made Mendip Wolves possible.

Part of Somerset Art Weeks Festival and Mendip Rocks! 2026.

📷 From school workshops to the woodland installation & Explore Ebbor at Mendip Rocks!

Mendip ROCKS Festival of Geology Mendip Hills National Landscape Somerset Earth Science Centre

26/10/2026

Forest school at stockmoor and wilstock country park, exploring Somerset with friends

24/10/2026

A little behind the scenes at SAW

This week, the team headed to CLOSE Gallery in Hatch Beauchamp to spend some time exploring LOOK OUT: A Group Exhibition Exploring Landscape Across a Century of Change.

With our Arts Council National Portfolio application in progress, we’ve been spending time talking about SAW’s values, ambitions and what we want to deliver over the coming years. It was lovely to step away from our meeting, get together and spend time looking at art.

Part of Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2026, LOOK OUT brings together artists across generations, exploring the many ways we see, experience and imagine landscape.

CLOSE was founded by Freeny Yianni, who is also Co-Chair of SAW, and it’s great to see a Somerset gallery bringing local connections into conversation with established and contemporary artists.

The exhibition continues until 19 December, so if you haven’t visited yet, there’s still time to go along and have a look for yourself.

CLOSE Gallery, Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset

CLOSE Art Gallery

23/10/2026

“I want you to know that you have changed my life, because of you I have started believing in myself.”

These words, shared by a participant in our Cultural Conversations project, are a powerful reminder of what can happen when creativity brings people together.

Developed with women from the Glastonbury Conversation Club, Cultural Conversations explores migration, identity, memory and belonging through conversation and textile making.

Led by artist Luan MacDonald, alongside ESOL teacher Nicola Haynes, the collaborative workshops invited participants to engage with heritage objects from the South West Heritage Trust collection, reflect on treasured objects, cultural traditions and personal journeys. Through felting and shared making, stories emerged about what connects us to home, what we carry with us and what we preserve.

The conversations continued beyond the workshops.

When the group visited Somerset Rural Life Museum to see their work displayed as part of the wider Cultural Connections exhibition, they had the opportunity to reconnect, share experiences and explore the exhibition together. Looking at Gladys Paulus's work, some participants recognised the kepenek — a traditional shepherd's garment — and shared their own knowledge and memories.

We’re proud to share this work and recognise everyone who helped bring it to life — from the women of Glastonbury Conversation Club to those who joined Luan’s felting workshops at Yeovil Together, where creativity created further opportunities to share stories and explore what home and belonging mean to us.

✨ There’s still time to visit: See the Cultural Conversations installation in the Granary alongside the abbey barn exhibition with , , at Somerset Rural Life Museum until 31 October 2026.

Developed in partnership with South West Heritage Trust as part of Cultural Connections. With thanks to .macdonald

21/10/2026

📖🌿 Unspoken Somerset: creating opportunities for SAW Members

We’re delighted to hear that Unspoken Somerset, our exhibition with Art for Life at Musgrove Gallery, Musgrove Park Hospital, has been so well received — with works sold, too!

Bringing together 25 Somerset Art Works Members, the exhibition explores the connections between words, place and landscape. Inspired by poetry, personal journals, archives, oral histories and research, the artists reflect on the stories, histories and experiences that shape our relationship with Somerset.

Creating opportunities for our members to share their work with new audiences is an important part of what we do at Somerset Art Works. It’s wonderful to see this established partnership with Art for Life continuing to offer artists a platform to exhibit their work, connect with the public and make sales.

And the story continues!
On Monday 18 October, Unspoken Somerset travelled to Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH Bath), where it will be on display until March 2027.

Thank you to Art for Life, curator Paul Newman and all 25 participating artists for making this exhibition possible- all work can be viewed on the Somerset Art Works website: https://somersetartworks.org.uk/what-we-do/art-weeks/unspoken-somerset/

.snape.artist and more!

19/10/2026

From the Youth Club to Frome Independent Market

On Sunday 4 October, work created by young people at YMCA Frome Youth Group went on show at Frome Independent Market — turning months of creative experimentation into a colourful collection of T-shirts, tote bags and stickers.

Working with artists InkJam, the young people explored printmaking, letterpress, collage, drawing and graphic design, developing their own ideas and transforming them into original designs.

The response at the market was fantastic! Visitors loved the work and the story behind it, the stock nearly sold out, and the project reached a wider audience.

💬 “I was pleased how much they [the young people] engaged within the workshops and throughout this project… The artists have worked incredibly well with the young people.”

— Chiara, Youth Group Leader, YMCA

This project has been about much more than making products. It has given young people the opportunity to experiment with different creative processes, develop practical skills and see their ideas become something tangible that could be shared with the wider community.

A huge thank you to the young people and staff at YMCA Brunel, artists InkJam and everyone who helped bring the project to life.

Creative ideas. Practical skills. Young voices.

With thanks to Somerset Community Foundation, Frome Town Council and Arts Council England for their support, and to Frome Independent Market for sponsoring our stall.

Frome Town Council The Frome Independent YMCA Brunel Group Arts Council England

17/10/2026

🐦 Join us: Half Term Family Friendly Workshop- What can a bird teach us about the past, present and future?

This half term, join Somerset Art Works and artist Luan MacDonald for a joyful day of family needle-felting at Somerset Rural Life Museum.

Inspired by the journeys of migratory birds and bird myths from different cultures, we'll explore the stories birds carry with them — including the Sankofa symbol from Ghana. Represented as a bird looking back while moving forwards, with an egg carried on its back, Sankofa reminds us that understanding our past can help shape our future.

Come along, get creative with needle-felting and discover the stories and meanings that connect us across cultures. ✨

Wednesday 28 October
10.30am–3.30pm
Somerset Rural Life Museum
Free drop-in workshop for children and adults. Children aged 6+ must be accompanied and supported by an adult.

Museum entry fees apply.
Part of the Cultural Connections programme.
macdonald

16/10/2026

📣 Calling all festival artists: have you submitted your venue feedback form yet?

Please take a few minutes to fill out the form letting us know your experience of this year’s Art Weeks Festival. The feedback you provide is vital in developing the success of Art Weeks events and for making future improvements to ensure we are supporting your practices.

Plus, by submitting your venue feedback all artists at your venue will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win £130 to spend on arts and crafts supplies for your work.

Submit your feedback by October 30th for the chance to win…

You can find the link to the form in your latest SAW newsletters and email communications.

Image credits:
Nigel Downing
Tilly Willis

Address

Langport Town Hall
Langport
TA109PR

Telephone

+44 1458 253800

Website

http://somersetartworks.org.uk/

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