Last chance to visit artists in the work place

Final weekend of Open Studios

This weekend is the last chance to catch the artists open studios and workshops across the area. Plus, there are 10 group exhibitions in this 30th year of Open Studios in West Berkshire and North Hampshire, including two open air sculpture shows at Shaw House and at the Japanese garden at Donnington Grove.

The West Berkshire Hospital Changing, Growing exhibition, explores work by 10 artists responding to the theme of growth and change, whether in the broad sweep of landscape or in the detail of the natural world or transformation of materials. Inspire at the Willis Museum, in Basingstoke, showcases the work of the scheme’s North Hampshire artists. Back towards Newbury, the inspiring Sandham Memorial Chapel shows the work of 11 artists, ranging from sculpture to painting and textiles, ceramics and jewellery. Entry to the exhibition is free but to enter the chapel the normal National Trust fee applies. Open Studios collaborative work with the Newbury Spring Festival comes together in the Art in Music/Music in Art exhibition at the Corn Exchange.

At t West Berkshire Museum you can stop at Gallery 6 to see Invisible Threads, linking the work of a selection of 20 local artists and peruse the sketchbook from the Cover to Cover 2018 project in the museum’s library area. The artists’ sketchbooks respond to themes appearing in the museum collections. Newbury Library shows a selection of work by artists new to the scheme.

And finally, all 2018 artists are represented in the flagship exhibition, INSIGHT 2018, at Arlington Arts open to Sunday from 11am to 5pm, for a ‘taster’ for what you might see in the studios.

Visit www.open-studios.org.uk for details