Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2026 has drawn to a close following 16 extraordinary days of art, creativity, discovery and connection across the county.
With more than 90 venues opening their doors and hundreds of artists sharing their work, this year’s Festival brought together artists, makers, communities and audiences in galleries, studios, gardens, farms, museums and a host of unexpected spaces across Somerset.
Under the theme ‘Cultural Connections’, the Festival encouraged visitors to explore the relationships between people, places, ideas, histories and communities, and to consider the many different ways culture shapes the world around us.
From contemporary art and sculpture to textiles, nature, heritage, performance and hands-on family activities, the Festival offered something for everyone.
A Celebration of Somerset’s Creative Spirit
Somerset Art Weeks Festival has always been about more than exhibitions. It is an opportunity to discover the extraordinary creative talent that exists across the county, meet artists in their working environments and experience Somerset through fresh eyes.
This year, visitors were able to explore group exhibitions, curated shows, new work, special commissions and a diverse programme of events, while discovering the stories and inspirations behind the work.
The Festival also provided an opportunity for artists and creative communities to connect with new audiences and for visitors to discover places and perspectives they may otherwise never have encountered.
Connecting People, Places and Ideas
The Cultural Connections theme proved a rich source of inspiration throughout the Festival.
Artists explored Somerset’s cultural heritage from Palaeolithic times to the present day, as well as connections between human and non-human worlds, our relationship with nature and the landscapes around us.
Among the highlights was a fascinating talk at the Somerset Rural Life Museum with New York Times bestselling author Charles Foster, who explored what it means to be human and challenged audiences to think differently about our relationship with the natural world.
In conversation with local writer, celebrity and historian James Crowden, Charles shared stories from his extraordinary experiences, including his attempt to understand the world from the perspective of a badger.
It was a fitting example of the Festival’s ability to connect art, history, nature, ideas and conversation in unexpected ways.
Creativity for All Ages
Family participation was a key part of this year’s Festival, with the Family Friendly programme offering creative experiences that encouraged families of all generations to explore, imagine and create together.
At the Shoemakers Museum, Young People’s Patron and acclaimed author Jasbinder Bilan joined families for a creative workshop led by artist Kirsten Madeira-Revell and writer Polly Hall. Participants created their own mythological hybrid creatures, inspired by the backgrounds, families, passions and dreams that make each of us unique.
A playful drop-in mosaic workshop with Megan Players took inspiration from the vibrant work of Candace Bahouth, featured at the Abbey Barn at Somerset Rural Life Museum and the artist joined the workshops to provide creative input. Families could also enjoy activities ranging from sculpture, nature diaries and guided walks, exploring Somerset’s landscapes and wildlife along the way.
And then there was the extraordinary Mendip Wolves experience. Visitors entered the woods after dark to reimagine the wolves that once inhabited our landscape. A mesmerising ‘magic lantern’ installation in Ebbor Gorge, featuring animated paper cut-outs and prehistoric wolf bones from the Mendip Caves, brought art, science and storytelling together in an unforgettable immersive experience created by artist Sean Harris and scientist Prof. Danielle Schreve of the University of Bristol.
Celebrating Somerset’s Artists
At the heart of Somerset Art Weeks Festival are the artists themselves.
From established practitioners to emerging talent, this year’s Festival showcased the remarkable breadth and diversity of creative work being produced across the county.
The Festival also provided opportunities for commissioned Somerset artists to respond specifically to the Cultural Connections theme, creating new work that explored the relationships between people, place, history, culture and the natural world. These projects added another dimension to an already diverse programme and gave audiences the opportunity to experience work created especially for Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2026.
Looking Back – and Looking Forward
As Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2026 comes to a close, the organisers would like to thank the hundreds of artists, venues, volunteers, partners, supporters and visitors who helped make the Festival such a success. Over 16 days, Somerset became a vast and varied canvas for creativity, with audiences encouraged not simply to look at art, but to explore, question, participate, connect and discover.
The success of this year’s Festival demonstrates the continuing appetite for creative experiences that bring people together and celebrate the places in which we live. From artists’ studios and rural landscapes to museums, gardens and community spaces, the Festival has shown just how many stories Somerset has to tell, and how powerful creativity can be in bringing those stories to life.
Somerset Art Weeks Festival may be over for another year, but the connections it has created will continue long after the exhibition doors have closed.
Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2026 – Visitor Feedback
To all our visitors – thank you for visiting Somerset Art Weeks Festival. We would love to hear about your experience of this year’s event. Feedback form HERE
This information is vital as it not only allows us to improve our services year-on-year, but also enables us to continue to receiving our funding which is dependent on audience feedback like yours.
Completing the form automatically enters you into the draw for our Visitors Feedback Prize: fill in the following questions for the chance to win a £130 voucher for a stay in East Quay’s beautiful pods, perched on the Somerset coast in Watchet.
