ART STUDIOS and workspaces across the county will open their doors to visitors this month as the annual Somerset Open Studios event returns.
Somerset Art Weeks (SAW), the annual celebration which has been running since 1994, returns from September 13 to 28.
Over the past three decades, SAW has developed a community of artists and makers who will once again be opening their studio doors and inviting visitors to see their creative practice in action.
The open studio event is an opportunity for visitors to step directly into the working environments of artists, enabling visitors to experience first-hand how ideas become finished pieces, and to engage in meaningful dialogue with the person behind the artwork.
“There will be over 150 venues to visit in all corners of the county, from rural home-based workshops to large shared studios such as the Bath Artist Studios, which houses over 60 artists,” a spokesperson said.
“There will also be a multitude of interactive workshops and talks on offer throughout, including the Family Friendly programme which takes place across each weekend.
“As part of their year-round Artist Development programme, SAW is also supporting seven exciting emerging artists with Creative Pathways Bursary and Emerging Makers Bursary, culminating in an exhibition and celebration of their work at this year’s event at the Zig Zag Building in Glastonbury.
“The Somerset Art Works Emerging Maker Bursary is a brand new offering for 2025, and part of a larger, ongoing legacy project with the Somerset Craft Guild; promoting excellence in craftsmanship and design since 1933.”
There will be also a members’ group exhibition to mark the occasion at Musgrove Hospital Gallery, in Taunton, where work from artists who have helped shape the event over the past three decades will be on display during Somerset Open Studios and into January 2026.
For 2025, the event is being sponsored by the new Shoemakers Museum, in Street, which opens later this month.
A printed guide, listing all participating venues, will be available at Somerset tourist spots and libraries, as well as a digital version and an interactive app, both of which are available via the SAW website at somersetartworks.org.uk.
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