Somerset Open Studios 2021
September has arrived and with it so has Somerset Open Studios 2021!
I absolutely love Somerset Open Studios and all it has to offer. It’s a wonderful event spanning across two weeks and three weekends starting on Saturday 18th September – Sunday 3rd October where often reclusive Somerset designers, makers and artists open their studio doors for all to see.
We all get to not only just see behind said doors, but to meet the artists and designers in person, to ask questions about their inspirations and practice, and purchase work directly from them in their studios too!
Open Studios and Festival Co-ordinator Paul Newman says in the August Somerset Art Works Blog post…
“The past 18 months have been a test of resilience, community spirit and unparalleled creative endeavour as artists have responded to huge changes in personal and social circumstances. The 2020 Somerset Open Studios event took a significant shift towards a digital platform as artists sought to connect with audiences in restricted circumstances, and innovation prevailed. For 2021 the event returns along more traditional lines, but with some new digital enhancements which maintain the momentum of the ‘new normal’. Artists will be relishing the opportunity to re-connect with audiences, old and new, and to show what they have been creating over this unique period.”.
THE MAP & APP…
As Paul Newman states, this year the format of how to find venue listings has changed a little, but I think it’s just as great. With the uncertainty of what the last year and a half has served us with Covid-19, it makes total sense that the Somerset Art Works team scaled things down a tad from the large original printed listings manual to a neat compact fold out listings map and corresponding App!
Getting more digital is the way forward and increasingly the future of things. The new Open Studios Map and App design provides more flexible and responsive access to information to promote the event, so I’m embracing this new more sustainable arrangement, especially as it’s pretty simple to use too.
You can pick yourself up a map from most cultural centres across Somerset over the next couple of weeks and from the venue listings themselves during Somerset Art Weeks whilst they last. And if you don’t manage to source a paper copy, you can always go completely digital and download the Open Studios 2021 – PDF of Map and Venue Listings here from the Somerset Art Works Website.
The brand new Open Studios App is now available for iPhone and Android. Scan the QR code above to download or search for ‘Somerset Open Studios’ and start planning your venue visits!
GRAB AN EVOLVER…
Another way to view all the Open Studios venue listings is to grab a free copy of Evolver Magazine – the Wessex Arts & Culture Guide. The main cover image is a painting by the very talented artist Emily Quince of Crewkerne who is listed as Venue 40 on the Open Studio trail.
There’s also a Somerset Open Studios supplement in the centre of the mag and I’m rather taken a back to be featured on the supplement cover! The photo of yours truly was taken by the incredibly talented Fine Art / Wedding Photographer and friend Oxana Mazur.
I recently picked up my copy of Evolver along with my Art Weeks yellow signs which will soon be popping up all over the county directing you to a fabulous treasure trove of hidden artist delights… Read on to discover my top two venue picks and how to book a Silver Ring or Bangle Making Workshop at my venue no. 64!
A MUST SEE & VISIT…
Rockaway Park is an outstanding collaborative venue of artists creating work with a social conscience that challenges the system.
As stated on the Somerset Open Studios 2021 App, Rockaway defies categorisation! Rockaway is home to sculpture / street art / printmaking and so much more. Set in several acres of disused quarry and scrapyard this venue is about recycling waste on an industrial scale and building beauty out of nothing.
A definate must go and see, find them in Temple Cloud at Venue 158.
Jo Norman at Venue 93 is a definite must see too. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jo for a few years now from when she came and made a fabulous silver fox necklace with me, and then her daughter too came and made a ring. We exchanged a commissioned silver bangle last Christmas for two awesome plywood screen prints that adorn my bathroom and yet I have never visited her South Brewham studio near Bruton…
I can’t wait and I’m sure from the images below you can see why!
Jo has also just launched a brand new website… Click on her images to be transported to her colourful creative world and learn more about Jo’s creative process before you visit her studio!
VENUE 64 – THE POLISHING ROOM
You can find me in the listings as Venue 64 – The Polishing Room. I will be closed every Monday and Tuesday but open Wednesday to Friday 11am – 3pm, and at the weekends 11am – 6pm on the dates below… Come and say hi, it will be lovely to see you!
- Saturday 18th September – 11am – 6pm
- Sunday 19th September – 11am – 6pm
- Wednesday 22nd September – 11am – 3pm
- Thursday 23rd September – 11am – 3pm
- Friday 24th September – 11am – 3pm
- Saturday 25th September – 11am – 6pm
- Sunday 26th September – 11am – 6pm
- Wednesday 29th September – 11am – 3pm
- Thursday 30th September – 11am – 3pm
- Friday 1st October – 11am – 3pm
- Saturday 2nd October – 11am – 6pm
- Sunday 3rd October – 11am – 6pm
We kindly ask that you bring and wear your mask inside The Polishing Room!
SILVER SATURDAY WORKSHOPS
As promised, during Somerset Art Weeks Open Studios come to my Polishing Room Studio and learn how make a bangle in 2 & 1/2 hrs or a ring in 3 hrs from recycled sterling silver using traditional silver fabrication skills of sawing, texturing, punching, soldering, forming and polishing.
A fun and creative hands-on experience for all abilities!
Saturday 18th, 25th September & Saturday 2nd October 2021
Each class will be Covid-19 safe and kept to a maximum of 4 people aged 16 years and over. Choose your preferred date and whether you would like to join just one or both classes. Booking in advance is essential!
10.30am – 1pm
£80.00 to inc. silver
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2.30pm – 5.30pm
£70.00 to inc. silver
