Dorset Arts Week
You don’t need to head to the big smoke to see incredible art, there is an abundance of it all around the county if you know where to look!
Dorset Arts Week (26 May – 10 June) , celebrates exceptional talent in an amazing county and last year marked 25 years since Dorset Arts Week began.
It is one of the largest open studio events in the country and brings artist and visitors together in a way that can be profoundly different from entering a public gallery and is as much about engagement between people as about art. Almost every venue will have the artists, makers and designers on hand to help you engage with their work and discuss the extraordinary range of materials, skills and influences that inform their work.
You will find EVERY art medium at one of the marvellous 313 venues including but certainly not limited to painting, carving, furniture making, sculpture, photography, linocut, print making and ceramics.
Here are just some of the artists you can meet in the towns we are lucky enough to have an office in:
Axminster
Call into Jo Fox on Woodbury Lane. Through the medium of collage she seeks to enhance the human form.
Beaminster
Find Mike Willdridge on Church Street to admire his abstract work.
Bridport
Known for it's artsy vibe the town is filled with AMAZING artists and a number of gallerys. Pop into Cordova Gardens and see Lizzy James and her superbly delicate seascapes.
Blandford
A suprising hub of artists reside in Blandford but a must visit is the Pottery Parlour where you will find award winning potter, Vanessa Conyers. It is in fact open all year round and holds workshops!
Dorchester
Home to another fabulous potter Katherine Message whose simple style is chic and stunning. Find her on Monmouth Road.
Poundbury
Nip over to Great Cranford Street to see milliner extrodinaire Fiona Baker.
Sherborne
When on Cheap Street you must go and see the talented portrait artist James Budden.
Sturminster Newton
Horse and dog lovers try to leave Katie Scorgie's studio without commissioning her to paint your favourite pony or pooch!
Wimborne
Call into Walford Mill Craft centre to see a whole host of amazing artists, designers, sculptor et al!
What a delight and how lucky we are to have such an event on our doorsteps with an artist at almost every corner. If you are looking for somewhere, pop into one of our offices and we will gladly point you in the right direction!