WISHING YOU A HAPPY & CREATIVE CHRISTMAS!

Somerset Art Works would like to wish you all a relaxing and creative Christmas, we also have a little present for you all, our wonderful new website.

It has been a while in the pipeline but we are pleased to announce that the new site was finally launched earlier this week, it means that the blog too has had a makeover and is also moving, so I do hope that you choose to continue following the insights and news that I am able to share with you over at our new digital address. No new blog writer though, it's still me, but perhaps I should dye my hair or get some new shoes to rejuvenate my image also, not sure if it will make me faster or slicker though... 

The new site can be found at somersetartworks.org.uk. Hopefully you will find it more intuitive to access and far easier to navigate. You will be able to locate the blog by 'dropping down' the NEWS bar menu and selecting blog or simply click here

Plans are well underway for the 2015 Somerset Art Works festival year; in fact they had begun even before the 2014 Open Studios' artists had opened their doors. 

For those of you that enjoy visiting the many artists and diverse exhibition venues the dates for your 2015 diary are the 3rd - 18th October. Or perhaps this is the year that you would like to participate, if so now is the time to register your interest by contacting the SAW office. 

If you have any artistic adventures planned, forthcoming collaborations that you think would make a great feature and be of interest to our blog readers do contact me blogger@somersetartworks.org.uk

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas - keep it creative!

Davina

NO COMMON CRANE: A Celebration of Cranes

Last weekend I got to witness the illuminated finale of many months hard work and the atmosphere was truly celebratory and even a little festive.

Saturday was a stunning day with clear skies and surprisingly warm for late November, perfect weather for the evening's planned procession at The Willow and Wetlands Visitor Centre in Stoke St Gregory. On my arrival I must admit I was a little apprehensive parking in a field that already looked suspiciously muddy and may prove tricky to drive out of later in the dark, however the tractor parked by the gate was reassuring, these guys were prepared to tow us out if need be and after all this is Somerset, home to the best events that seem to always take place in barns and muddy fields!

I was greeted in the big barn being used for rehearsals by the two crane sculptures that were made during Somerset Art Works Open Studios. The pair were busy perfecting their 'Crane Walk' and the logistics of rubbing beaks without colliding or completely missing one another. Each crane had a team of 5 people to ensure that it processed safely and elegantly; flapping it's black feather fringed wings as it danced along.

The cavernous space within the barn soon began to fill as children from North Curry, Stoke St Gregory and Heathfield schools started to arrive and claim the various lanterns, headdresses and costumes that they had made under the guidance of artist Sarah Butterworth. You can read about one of their recent workshops here. Of course children do not tend to travel unaccompanied, so relatives and friends soon found themselves also carrying a dragonfly lantern and joining the procession - my Ma being one of them, she had a fantastic time.

To accompany this hive of activity and the last minute technical issues of insuring all the lanterns were lit was the sound of The Big Noise Street Band who were warming up and rehearsing for the first time with the children from Stoke St Gregory School who were to sing a song that they had written especially for the occasion. Leaving all the commotion, excitement and nerves behind I headed out to find a spot to watch the procession...
 

Due to start at 4.30 it wasn't actually that dark, Dusk was just beginning as the spectacle began and it was lovely to witness the lanterns glowing against the subtle colour change of the sky - a silhouette of a tree, heavy with mistletoe formed a serene and natural festive backdrop. In contrast the music was up beat, the children's song they had written full of fun and the audience clapped and revelled in the spectacle celebrating all the hard work that had gone into making the costumes, headdresses, lanterns and music. At this point in the proceedings I thought that if I did get stuck in a muddy field and had to get the car towed out by a tractor it would have been worth it and would only add to the evening's adventure! 

As for the cranes at the centre of all these glowing celebrations they were obviously oblivious to the dancing puppets, but I am sure if they had been close by instead of settling down somewhere safe for the night, they too would have been rubbing noses and swirling to the beat of the band.

Congratulations and thanks must go to the many volunteers and school pupils who took part in the Great Crane workshops, everyone who took part in the procession, SAW's Beccy Swain for coordinating the entire project, artist Sarah Butterworth for organising all that glue, tissue and willow, and of course our hosts for the evening, Nicola and Jonathon Coate at the Willows & Wetlands Visitor Centre, I am sure everyone went home with a smile on their face.

IMAGES BY

NISHA HAQ 

JON ENGLAND

Do check out THE GREAT CRANE BLOG for past, present and future community arts projects and events

A CELEBRATION OF THE COMMON CRANE

Earlier this week I was invited to North Curry Primary School to photograph the workshop being run by artist Sarah Butterworth from Emerald Ant. If you visited the Somerset Craft Centre during the recent Open Studios you may have caught a glimpse of Sarah sculpting two large scale cranes from willow and paper; others of you may have been even more hands on and joined the willow making workshops that took place.

 

Sarah has also been working with pupils from Stoke St Gregory and Heathfield School and from the organised chaos of willow, tissue and copious amounts of glue, some amazing sculptural forms have emerged under her creative tutelage. There certainly was a lot of glue which prompted me to borrow one of the school 'art shirts' - note to self for future photographing of workshops, wear less floaty clothes!

It was great fun watching the children as they transformed straight lengths of willow into dragonflies; working individually or together when not quite sure how to handle the new materials. Some were hindered by their big Dad sized art shirts and cuffs getting in the way - don't you just remember that frustration when you were a child!

The children didn't quite manage to finish the dragonflies on the day, they still need wings attaching and general finishing off, so we need volunteers to help out at Stoke St Gregory on Wednesday 19th November. Contact the SAW Office if you would like to help out - bring your art shirt!

The two large Crane sculptures took their initial test flight under end of Summer blue skies. However the clocks have now changed and the evenings are far darker - which is just perfect, as all the sculptures created by Sarah, the school children and volunteers require the night sky to reveal their true glowing potential as illuminated lanterns.

The children will be processing and dancing with their willow sculptures on Saturday 22 November at 4.30pm at the Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre in Stoke St Gregory.

The event is to mark the 5th Anniversary of The Great Crane Project - a conservation programme that aims to reintroduce Common Cranes onto the Somerset Levels. An iconic bird, the crane has featured in art throughout the centuries and yet has been missing from our landscape for the past 400 years - until now, hence a reason to celebrate!

Working collaboratively with The Great Crane Project, Somerset Art Works has been delivering creative workshops within the community; connecting them to and raising the awareness of this ambitious conservation project that was taking place right on their doorstep.

Throughout the five year partnership the diverse artistic projects have created quite a buzz amongst the many participants, and the community has embraced this characterful bird back into their lives, all wishing to witness the first pair that will breed and go on to successfully raise their young.

During the afternoon you will also be able to view work from an earlier project led by artist Melanie Tomlinson with pupils from Huish Episcopi Acadamy who together created colourful dioramas depicting the Common Cranes that are at the centre of the day's celebrations.

Admission is free and the afternoon promises many attractions for all ages to share and enjoy as the procession is part of the Willows and Wetlands' annual Christmas Craft & Food Fayre which runs from 2 - 5.30pm.

And of course for a procession to be truly celebratory and uplifting you need music and this is to be provided by The Big Noise Street Band and Stoke St Gregory School Band.

I am looking forward to seeing all the willow sculptures and children being brought together for this wonderful celebration - see you there!

Bugs, Art and Poetry...

Somerset Open Studios has come to a close this year and for the final day of our 2014 events I joined the Family Friendly Weekend Poetry Pin Trail run by my partner Christopher Jelley. Poetry Pin is a year long project that began in March, and I have documented all of the workshop walks to date as the project's photographer. It has been quite an experience capturing the natural change of the seasons alongside the progress taking shape on the other side of the fence enclosing the huge site that is to house Hinkley C.

An invitation to walk at Hinkley Point may not sound like an ideal way to spend your leisure time - however the landscape here is surprisingly beautiful as the walk leads through meadowland, along ancient holloways and down to the beach at Shurton Bars where Coleridge was inspired to write his Ode to Sara. To witness the historical transformation that is currently taking shape is also one that we should never forget or take lightly, and the new poems being written in response will document the dramatic juxtaposition of nature and science within the Somerset landscape.

For the SAW Family Friendly Weekend Christopher invited Exmoor Ecologist David Boyce to lead the walk; encouraging the group to seek out the insect life en route. We had been a little concerned that being late in the year there would not be so many mini beasts about but the late Autumn sunshine ensured there was plenty of activity to watch, capture, learn about and release! We all left a little wiser about predators & non predators, mimics and hyper hyper parasites, and my favourite insect name of the day - Wolf Spider.

Before we set off Christopher handed out Limpet shells, each with a word that may prompt a poem, and once down amongst the rocks and boulders of the beach the group was encouraged to scribe with charcoal onto the stones.

The Poetry Pin Trail was one of many activities that took place during the SAW Family Friendly Weekend and SAW would love to know how your family enjoyed it's creative down time. If you have a photograph that captures this, then do send it to the SAW office and you may win your family tickets to Bristol's Noah's Ark Zoo. No photograph? Then why not draw a picture instead.

Send your entries to info@somersetartworks.org.uk

or pop them in the post to

SAW Ltd
The Town Hall
Bow Street
LANGPORT
Somerset
TA10 9QR

If you are inspired to walk the Poetry Pin Trail, the poems are available to read 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the next workshop walk is on Saturday 8th November at 11am 

More details can be found here

A SEPTEMBER SUNDAY: Open Studios Road Trip 2

Rachel Waldock and Lucy Large had invited me to visit their open studios, 'Davina, you must come, you will love it!'

So on Sunday morning I persuaded a reluctant small boy to join me on my second road trip for Open Studios; this time staying a little closer to home in West Somerset.

Venue 16 is at Rachel's home in Chidgley, close to Watchet and she had just opened up when we arrived and so it was time for a mid morning cup of tea. 

Both Lucy and Rachel play with layering images within their work, though both use very different mediums, Rachel not only draws and paints but screen prints onto fabric as well, whilst  Lucy makes sculptures with either wire or delicate paper cutting. I was very taken by a piece of Lucy's and departed leaving a red spot next to an image of a wolf skulking through the woods.

My son was also beginning to enjoy his day having enjoyed a cup of tea and a biscuit, and the art work of course!

Our next stop was Venue 36, Jenni Dutton, as I was keen to see The Dementia Darnings as SAW's Carol Carey had told me that Jenni's recent  talk at the SAW Z Twist Symposium had been very moving and moved some to tears. 

Jenni's home is like a dolls house filled with art - downstairs was brimming with portraits of dolls and winged mosaic angels. However nothing would prepare you for the 'gallery space' upstairs and the incredible work that hung on the walls in an unassuming terraced house in Wiveliscombe - this is work befitting of any major gallery.

The portraits are of Jenni's Mother and capture the steady deterioration of her health due to Dementia. Jenni explained that creating this body of work was a self imposed therapy to see her through the toughest times and enabled her to cope her Mother's illness whilst caring for her. The results are striking in their rawness and my son found them quite unsettling; he was not alone.

It was time to change the mood so we made our way to Hurstone Studios, Venue 38 in Watterow, where we knew our reflective spirits would be lifted.

Michael Fairfax is a sculptor and sound artist and has recently returned from the USA where he was installing a sound sculpture in Connecticut's I - Park. In his studio you will discover a band of intriguing instruments like no other. Micheal strikes me as someone who has to make, play, fiddle, discover and create constantly and his energy is incredibly uplifting. Visitors to his studio are urged to play upon and listen in quite an unconventional way to the music being strummed.You cannot help but leave with a smile and Solomon was starting to really enjoy his day!

 

Louise Baker is also based at Hurstone and may I recommend that you allow plenty of time to visit her studio; there is just so much to take in. Primarily a sculptor Louise works with a wide range of materials and techniques and her studio truly is a collection of collections.

Louise is currently working on a project that will be exhibited at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton early next Spring, and in the process of creating and 'collecting' work for the show she would like to you to 'Drop her a Line.'

You are invited to draw a line in any medium on a piece of paper measuring 30 x 8 cm. On the back she asks you to write your name, title, medium, map grid ref, date and time plus your contact details. The drawings are to be collated and bound in a way to reflect their geographical origins and then displayed within the gallery creating 'chapters.' Louise was working on 'threshold lines' in charcoal when we visited her studio and she is hoping to receive 2015 pieces in response to the project. Do contact her for further details via her website if you are interested in taking part. Simply click on the link here

A short walk from the main studios at Hurstone you can find printmaker and wood carver Jane Mowat. We had hit a busy time whilst visiting Jane, which was good to see, so I only got to just briefly say hello and capture some images. Jane was explaining to a future student on one of her print making courses the printing techniques that would be explored during the workshops. I am quite tempted to sign up for one as this is a method of printing that I have not explored and I am sure it would be a wonderfully inspiring way to spend a weekend. 

We were quite tired by now and a little concerned about being 'arted out' but we were not sure when we would get another opportunity to catch the self portrait exhibition at Contains Art in Watchet. We had attended the private view, which had been incredibly busy making it impossible to see all the work on display. Small boy entertained himself drawing himself on the mirror, not something I would necessarily encourage at home, although I do remember having great fun doing exactly the same using my Grandma's pink lipstick when I was a child! 

And so reluctant child had a great day out; we all did!

OPEN STUDIOS ROAD TRIP 2014

On Monday I had the opportunity to head out East to visit a selection of studios participating in this year's Art Weeks.
 

My first port of call was to see Jane Mackey at her wonderful home and studio in Haselbury Plucknett near Crewkerne. Jane's venue has twice won 'most favourite venue' and I knew I would be in for an artistic treat. Her and her husband have worked incredibly hard restoring their historic home and when Jane originally signed up to take part in Art Weeks 2012 the outbuildings that she planned to turn into her print studios were pretty much derelict. So not only did she need to complete her studio in time, she then had to get busy creating; there certainly is nothing like a deadline to make you turn out some work instead of procrastinating about it! 

Jane taught art for thirty years and found during that time no window in which to be artistically expressive herself. After attending a few refresher courses on various printing techniques Jane has surrounded herself with the equipment to experiment with most processes including woodcuts, screen prints, etchings and monotypes. An 1890's Albion Press stands proudly in her studio and if you sign up to one of her workshops you too could go home with a set of your own prints produced on this wonderful piece of engineering. 

Jane Mackey

The house is also open with an extensive exhibition of Jane's captivating Somerset landscapes, which are very reasonably priced. There is also a pop up cafe, where you may enjoy tea and cake either admiring the ancient beamed ceiling of their dining room or sitting out on the lawn. 

A great Venue to visit and one that is open every day during Open Studios from 11am until 6pm.

Next stop was Somerton, somewhere I have not had the opportunity to visit in the past and I was quiet taken by the town's distinctive architecture. I also got distracted in the vast antiques centre, however I had come specifically to visit the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen and catch up with Mayumi Kaneko - one of the four artists awarded this year with a SAW Creative Pathways Bursary. 

Mayumi Kaneko

Mayumi had set up her loom in a room that lent itself well to working in for it was airy and filled with natural light. Her aim is to capture the movement of the River Parrett as it journeys through the Somerset Levels, highlighting the positive aspects it brings rather than focusing purely on the devastating floods of last winter. The final pieces are due to go on show at an exhibition in Japan this coming October. If you wish to witness Mayumi weaving with Japanese paper yarn, you will find her at the Guild on Monday 29th September, Tuesday 30th September and Wednesday 1st October. 

Tricia Burridge

Throughout Art Weeks the guild are presenting a number of demonstrations by their members; embroiderer Tricia Burridge was busy on her sewing machine when I visited. For details of their events during Art Weeks please refer to page 48 of the SAW 2014 guide. I left the Guild cradling a box of Christmas presents!

Time to head off for my next destination, en route I called into the Red Brick Building in Glastonbury for coffee & cake and another quick look at Kate Noble's exhibition in the gallery upstairs. I had not had a chance to take it all in on the night of the SAW launch party and felt it warranted a second look.
 

The next part of my journey took me along some splendid straight lanes that are so distinctive of driving on the Levels - my destination Venue 169, Thornreed Studios and the home of artists Jane Peck and Simon Ledson.

As well as being busy painting his well know landscapes, Simon has also spent the Summer months mentoring artist Andrea Oke - another of the SAW Creative Pathways Bursary winners. Her work in response to the Levels is displayed for you to see and is something quite unique. Andrea has recorded conversations with the local population, capturing their valuable insights regarding it's wildlife, the landscape and of course the consequences of flood. Andrea has then taken these recordings, monitored the sound waves and then interpreted these soundscapes into 2D images. The results are very stylish, striking in their simplicity and very well executed. I am pleased to say that some little red dots were already next to a couple of her pieces.

Andrea Oke

Simon Ledson

Thornreed Studios are open everyday during Art Weeks between 11am until 6pm, do visit if you get the opportunity. The pub next door to Jane and Simon's studio apparently is highly recommended - all I can say that if a pub can survive somewhere that remote it has got to be worth hunting out and surely a great lunch out is all part of the Art Weeks adventure?!

Open Studios runs until the 5th October, there are over 200 Venues to choose from, I urge you to make the most of this wonderful opportunity, to step through doors rarely opened to the public and visit the artists in their studios - it makes buying work from them, in their homes, to hang in your homes a very memorable experience.

WORDS THAT CALL YOU TO VISIT

Choosing where to visit...
 

In the post before last it was the artist's ability to capture light within landscapes that drew my eye in the SAW brochure, this time it's the words. When submitting their entries for the guide each artist is restricted to using a set number; these venues stood out for the imaginative and creative stance they took.
 

VENUE 46 Liz Gregory & Tim Martin
The list approach: Art Birdsong Coffee Devon Edge Fields Genuine Heads Ironing Jovial Kettle Landscape Moving Narrative Otter Private Questioning Reflect Silence Tension Understanding Village Washing Xerox Yorkshire Zest
 

They also promise pop corn.

VENUE 144 Angie Rooke

The poetic approach: Welcome to my studio. Here I sit, throughout the year and get a wonderful view of the world - sky, shapely hills and trees to mark the year. Bare branches, then the purple hue of buds, the brightest greens through to the autumn glory. Back again to winter and staying in the studio listening the rain. Paintings from my local walks and travels to Cornwall.

VENUE 159 Chris Lee 

The humorous approach: Drawn with the tiniest nibs and the largest hands, (whilst perched on a three legged stool), my drawings are expressive and intricate views of the buildings and townscapes around us. 

Studio doors were opened Somerset wide this morning, so do go exploring our beautiful county and support the artists who contribute to making it the vibrant place that it is.

LAUNCH CELEBRATIONS

This year's Somerset Art Works Open Studios was officially declared open by our Chairman Richard Pomeroy on Friday evening.

The celebrations were held at Glastonbury's Red Brick Building, a community arts hub that has injected new energy into what was a sadly neglected and derelict area of the town. I must say how invigorating it is to see a building being claimed and used by it's community.

This is the first time that SAW has held a launch party of this style. It was felt that the Open Studios event warranted a more relaxed informal affair that reflected it's members, and everyone who attended seemed to thoroughly enjoy and enter into the spirit of the evening. 

It offered artists from across the region not only a chance to relax amidst their preparations before opening their doors this Saturday, but also to meet with one another; it is often the case during Art Weeks that if you are participating it is very difficult to leave your venue to see any of the other diverse events that are taking place. The artists also got to talk with members of the Friends of SAW and SAW's valued sponsors, amongst them Bruton School for Girls and Somerset College of Arts and Technology. 

The evening was organised by SAW's Festival manager Zoe Li and the team at the Red Brick Building. Richard Pomeroy welcomed guests and reminded us that this year's festival was about visiting artists in their studios, seeing their work in the environs where it was created, away from the anticipated white of gallery walls, to see it in a living space, and what a privilege it is to be allowed into such a personal creative hub.

Tom Clark, a patron of the Red Brick Building had organised an emotional performance of Caryl Churchill's ten minute play, Seven Jewish Children - A Play For Gaza. This may seem a sobering act to choose for a celebration but it served as a poignant reminder that although we may be in a room full of artists we do have our feet planted in reality and we are not all lost in a world of whimsy and oil paint. SAW sees itself as an arts platform, providing support and collaboration to all aspects of the artistic community within Somerset. When the performance had come to a close, a collection was made in respect of the author's wishes, Caryl Churchill has stated that anyone wishing to produce it may do so gratis, so long as they hold a collection for the people of Gaza.

It was then Hacker Farm's turn to swing the atmosphere in the room back to party mode. Their performance of electronic sound built gently above the hubbub of conversation until the sound encompassed the whole room and their set was well received.

All in all the evening was a great success and we would like to thank all those that joined SAW in celebrating the county's largest arts festival.

The artists' studio doors open from 11am this Saturday until Sunday 5th October. There are 205 venues to choose from showing a huge variety of work. The Art Weeks guide has all the information you need to gain the most from this year's Open Studios. Do check with each venue for their individual opening times.

I hope you enjoy discovering the artists that live and work in Somerset, who contribute to making it the vibrant county that it is. Do support them, visit their venues, perhaps even buy some work to take home.

If you wish to receive up to date details about all the events as they are happening during this year's open studios you can sign up to receive regular posts from the SAW Blog by registering your details where it says FOLLOW BY EMAIL to the top right of this page.

You can also find us on Twitter at @SAW_Ltd and @ArtWeeks14

 

CAPTURING THE LIGHT

Browsing the brochure, choosing where to visit, what draws you, what pulls your eye? The artist only has a small  image and a few words to portray their individuality and say 'Hey, come visit me!'

For this post I thought I would feature the venues whose images of landscape swayed my gaze with their ability and skill to capture light.

VENUE 22 Christopher Richards: Working with richly layered and textured acrylics Christopher aims to capture within his landscapes the drama and mystery of the natural elements. An established artist since the 1970's you can visit Christopher at his studio in Minehead. 

VENUE 54 Camilla Clark: Visit Camilla in her West Monkton studio, where using watercolours, oils, and the collagraphic printing process, she captures the clean, crisp colours of Cornwall and the soft, muted tones of the Quantocks. 

VENUE 79 Jane Mackey: Jane's large studio houses an interesting selection of printing presses and was voted 'most favourite venue of 2013. Alongside her studio is a gallery area where her exhibition entitled 'A Celebration of the Somerset Countryside' will feature her original prints and paintings using traditional methods including woodcuts, screen prints, etchings, monotypes and oil paintings. Also to tempt you are the historic tea rooms and gardens which are open daily.

VENUE 103 Pauline Sayers: Pauline explores the transforming effects of light and colour in the Somerset landscape, capturing it with either her camera, brush or pastel - the results are quite atmospheric.

VENUE 172 Janet Westover, Patrice Hamilton & Brian Hutchings: The artists based at Yew Tree House are all inspired by the Somerset landscape. Here you will find a selection of painting, prints, drawing and photography. 

For the opening times of each venue do check the SAW 2014 Guide. If you haven't got yours yet they are available from tourist information centres, libraries and art venues throughout the region. You can also order a copy to be sent straight to your door by sending an A4 SAE (£1.17) to SAW LTD, Town Hall, Bow Street, Langport, Somerset TA10 9PR

INSPIRE THE GENERATIONS!

Many of the SAW 2014 venues welcome families, however during the weekend of the 4th and 5th of October there is a exciting array of extra activities and workshops planned. The weekend also links in with the world's largest drawing festival - The Big Draw. Details of all the creative fun are listed in the centre pages of this year's guide. I have selected a few that caught my eye, never mind if small boy doesn't want to attend -  I do!

PERFORMANCE & YARN BOMBING

ARTIST: KIRSTIE MACLEOD

VENUE: 148

Kirstie will be showing her sleeping performance of 'Emelan' - wearing a dreaming dress constructed out of 100m of Indigo blue silk. Workshop participants are then invited to create a unique Yarn Bomb sculpture in the surrounding landscape from ready knitted squares. All ages welcome - sounds quite fantastical how can you resist!

DATE: Saturday 4th October FREE EVENT booking advised kirstie@kirstiemacleod.co.uk

DRIFTWOOD SCULPTURE WORKSHOP

ARTIST: EMMA DUKE

VENUE: 53

Join artist Emma Duke at her studio in West Monkton on this relaxed workshop creating a teardrop from shells and driftwood. No tools or skills required, just creative hands. Suitable for all ages.

DATE: Saturday 4th October 11am WORKSHOP FEE: £5.00 No need to prebook. 

CHARCOAL DRAWING

ARTIST: ANDREA CLARKE

VENUE: 90

Help Andrea draw an extremely large picture of trees and leaves using willow charcoal to celebrate 'Our World' - this year's theme for The Big Draw.

DATE: Saturday 4th October 11am - 4pm FREE EVENT No need to prebook.

WILLOW WORKSHOP

ARTIST: SARAH BUTTERWORTH
VENUE: 173
The Somerset Crafts Centre is running drop-in willow workshops for all ages. Artist in residence Sarah Butterworth will also be busy creating large scale crane structures for the illuminated lantern parade at the Willow and Wetlands Centre on the 22nd November. See her work in progress and be inspired to create your own willow sculpture.

DATE: Sunday 5th October 11am - 4.30pm WORKSHOP FEE: From £2.00 No need to prebook.

SAW would love to see your family getting creative and possibly a little messy! Send us a family selfie of your workshop antics during the Family Friendly Weekend and you may win two tickets kindly donated by Noah's Ark Zoo Farm. 

Send your pictures to artweeks@somersetartworks.org.uk or by post to our office in Langport. Good luck and have fun!

For a full list of all THE FAMILY FRIENDLY WEEKEND activities see the 2014 SAW guide. 

*PLEASE NOTE Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. 

Image: 'Emelan' Sleeping performance by Kirstie Macleod

INVITATION TO PARTY!

Somerset Art Weeks is definitely an event worth celebrating and we are hoping that you can join us at this year's launch party on Friday 12th September.

Prepare for an evening of the unexpected as artists and guests gather to enjoy a unique evening at the Red Brick Building in Glastonbury. Naturally there will be artworks on display, also a film screening and live music from Hacker Farm. This Somerset based electronic collective harness found objects and salvaged materials, including DIY speakers, circuit-bent toys and self-built synthesisers to bring you their unique sound - their set also promises an interactive element...

The Guardian newspaper listed Hacker Farm in their alternative Mercury Prize Shortlist last year  and this is how they describe the sound of Hacker Farm

“...weirdly enveloping and captivating. Once you find a way into their world, you lose yourself in it, and it’s harder to find a way out than you might imagine. There’s certainly nothing else quite like it out there.”

 

The amazing 'Bocabar' will be open throughout the evening offering a fantastic menu, so if you wish to really make a night of it why not plan to have your supper with us. You may peruse the menu here. The bar offers a great selection of drinks, including coffee, and the cocktail menu looks amazing.

So come on what are you waiting for, get on down to The Red Brick Building and celebrate the launch of Somerset's largest Arts Festival. I know that some of you that are participating will be using every available hour, minute, second as you count down and prepare for your exhibitions but surely you deserve a night off and this is a great opportunity to meet with other participants and the visitors that will be coming to support your venue during the fortnight of open studios.

Tickets are £5.00 in Advance or £7.00 on the door.

However if you are a SAW member then it's FREE!

Under 16's are also free but must of course be accompanied by an adult.

We recommend that you buy or reserve your tickets in advance by contacting the SAW office in Langport on 01458 253800 or info@somersetartworks.org.uk 

Tickets can also be purchased direct from the Red Brick Building

SOMERSET ART WEEKS LAUNCH PARTY
Performance and Music from 7pm till late
Red Brick Building

Morland Enterprise Park

Morland Road

Glastonbury

Somerset BA6 9FT

Image: Hacker Farm performing at Nottingham Contemporary Jan 2013

Photo by Peter Anderson