Art in a brewery, in a cowshed and on a nature reserve

Dorset Art Weeks
25 May – 9 June 2024

More than 500 artists will be giving visitors a glimpse behind the scenes during this year’s Dorset Art Weeks. 

The exhibitions and activities on offer include a preview of the first Dorset Pavilion for the Venice Biennale, a year of paintings capturing Dorset’s changing seasons, and the launch of a brand new arts venue.

Local people and visitors to the county will be able to see art and craft including painting, photography, sculpture, textiles, prints and ceramics.

A nature reserve on a clifftop, garden sheds, a historic house, barns and a brewery are among the 250 venues where artists will be showing their work.

Artists and exhibitions include:

The Sherborne is Dorset’s major new venue for the arts. The exhibition, ‘Housework’, weaves together elements of Sherborne House’s past, and marks the start of a new programme of cultural activity. As well as a specially curated show in the Georgian and Medieval parts of the building, there will also be a new sculpture trail with a variety of works in the terraced grounds.

Alongside the open studios and exhibitions, there is also a programme of workshops, talks and other activities for visitors. 

Anne-Louise Bellis has created one painting a week for a year, capturing Dorset’s changing seasons. She will be showing her work in a converted cowshed at Glanvilles Wootton.
Anne-Louise said:
“These snapshots of the year show my immediate response to what was happening outside – amazing sunsets, a beautiful sky I spotted on the school run, elements of the Jurassic coast and lots more. I usually work with seascapes and skies with a kind of moody blue and grey palette. For these 52 paintings, I had to use different colours from those I’m used to, particularly in the summer months when the colours of the landscapes were vibrant.”

Ceramicist Mary-Clare Goodwin has responded to Anne-Louise’s 52 paintings by creating 52 pots which will also be on display.

Dorset Pavilion – Artist Sophie Molins decided that Dorset should have its own pavilion at the Venice Biennale this year. The national pavilions at the Biennale display selected art from the countries they represent, and Sophie decided that Dorset should have its own pavilion showcasing the special creativity of the county. During Dorset Art Weeks, visitors will have the chance to see some of the art which Sophie plans to take to Venice.
Sophie was inspired by the amulets from Roman soldiers’ uniforms found at Waddon Hill near Beaminster. These good luck charms were brought to Dorset by the soldiers from the Roman Empire, so Sophie decided to journey to Italy to create some new glass vessels inspired by the story. These will be on display during Dorset Art Weeks before being exhibited in Venice.

Edmund Hall makes the banners used at the Tolpuddle Martyrs festival. He is creating a specially commissioned banner which will include the Stockholm detention barge in Portland.

Other works in the Dorset Pavilion during Art Weeks include a display of fossils collected over the period of a year, paintings, ceramics, and work by internationally known artist Andy Goldsworthy. 

The Dorset Pavilion is being created in partnership with Common Ground. On Thursday 30 May, there will be a screening of the Common Ground film Arcadia, a poetic film about our contradictory relationship with the land, crafted from archive footage. 

Brian Rice and Jacy Wall will be showing their work at Lower Hewood Farm near Chard. Jacy has been creating ceramics incorporating different materials, including some from a collection of historic nails assembled by Brian during his renovations of their house. She’s fascinated by the effects created when the metals are fired along with the pots.

The large barn at Hewood Farm creates a space to display some of Brian’s huge paintings which are not often seen. The exhibition will include some new work which has not been shown before. Brian and Jacy’s studios will also be open to visitors at their home nearby.

A series of works reflecting on the life of the Hall & Woodhouse brewery and its staff will be on display at The Brewery Tap, Blandford Forum. Artists were commissioned to respond to the heritage, history and working environment of the brewery. Hall & Woodhouse is Dorset Art Week’s headline sponsor this year. 

Information about each of the venues can be found in the Dorset Art Weeks Guide, available at cultural outlets across Wessex. Full venue details are also available on the Dorset Art Weeks website. 

The Dorset Art Weeks App can be downloaded (search for Dorset Art Weeks on Google Play and the App Store), and is ideal for navigating to venues, creating a favourites list or finding nearby venues.