PARTICIPATING VENUES
We are lucky enough to have some of the finest art organisations, galleries and venues within Shrewsbury. Here is the list of who is involved this year.
RAVEN STUDIOS
Ravens Studios has occupied empty office space in the Riverside Shopping Centre since early 2019. It is now a thriving artists community, home to eight resident creatives with work ranging from architecture, painting, printmaking to iconography. The studio offers long and short-term space, exhibition space, online studio sessions for isolated artists and aims to promote the arts and raise the visibility of Shropshire’s wealth of artistic talent.
THE VISUAL ART NETWORK
The Visual Art Network (VAN) is a member-led, volunteer-run organisation for local artists aiming to promote the visual arts in the Shropshire area. We currently have around 90 members.
The street gallery, located on the middle level of the Darwin Shopping Centre plays host to many members exhibitions.
Other areas of the gallery feature a diverse range of work to buy by local artists and makers including paintings, prints, illustrations, photographs, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, jewellery and greetings cards.
VISION GALLERY
The gallery initially started out as a 6 week, possibly 2 month solo art show by the Artist Mike Hatch back in summer 2013, and because of the huge success and popularity of the temporary art show purely using an empty vacant unit in the Darwin Shopping Centre, Background to all this is when Mike help set and run GALLERIES LIVE in Telford, (at the time, part of THE VISUAL ARTS NETWORK) again, using vacant empty units in the shopping centre and promoting the arts and Artists.
SHREWSBURY ARTS & CRAFTS
Shrewsbury Arts and Crafts is a small business comprised of other small businesses. The work of up to 40 individuals can be seen in the shop at any one time, as well as on our social media platforms.
Our ethos is very much founded on the celebration of community. The works of art and craft are diverse with all items being handmade to a high standard, and many are unique one-offs. The work of established local figures is here, alongside unknown and emerging talent.
OPENING TIMES
Monday - Friday
10.30am - 3pm
Saturday
10am to 4pm
THE PARADE
The Parade Shops, set in the heart of Shrewsbury, provides a unique shopping experience. The stylish Grade II listed building is home to a collection of unique, independent shops and businesses on two floors with an attractive terrace cafe overlooking the river Severn.
SODEN COLLECTION
Contemporary Art & Sculpture Gallery specialising in modern masters such as Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, Halima Cassell MBE as well as contemporary artists, Endre Röder, Jacob Chandler, Graham Short and Ian Rayer-Smith.
The gallery is located on famous Wyle Cop, surrounded by the largest mix of independent businesses in the UK.
OPENING TIMES
Tuesday - Saturday
10-5pm
Monday & Sunday - Open by Appointment
BEAR STEPS GALLERY
Shrewsbury Civic Society’s home is at Bear Step’s Hall, St Alkmund’s Place in Shrewsbury. The society campaigns for the preservation, protection, development and improvement of the town’s architecture. Established in 1963 it has individual and corporate membership who support the work it does for the town.
As part of this, the society makes available a number of galleries and exhibition spaces at Bear Steps Hall as a showcase for new and established artists – mainly local – but also hosts the annual Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival.
THE HIVE
The Hive is a creative venue and charity organisation based in Shrewsbury town centre, running wellbeing projects across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.
SHREWSBURY MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY
Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery sits proudly in the town square and is the county’s flagship museum and art gallery visited by over 70,000 people each year.
Visitors can explore millions of years of history through over one thousand remarkable objects in a complex of extraordinary and beautiful buildings.
OPENING TIMES
Monday - Saturday
10am - 5pm
MADE IN SHROPSHIRE
A collaboration of artists, designer- makers and food producers who live and work in Shropshire.
The Made in Shropshire group came into existence in 2005 as a collaboration between Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE) and the Shropshire Rural Hub as a way of developing a marketplace for small, unique art, craft, and food businesses in Shropshire.
Initially nurtured and still linked to the Shropshire Rural Hub, Made in Shropshire members now regularly showcase their products at 2 monthly markets - one in The Square in Shrewsbury (2nd Saturday of the month) and one in Ludlow (1st Saturday of selected months).
Made in Shropshire select their members to ensure a diverse range of quality, skilfully crafted, creative products made in the lovely county of Shropshire.
SHREWSBURY MARKET HALL
Shrewsbury’s Market Hall has become a haven for a growing colony of artists and handcrafters who have turned a large part of the market’s upper floor into a creative quarter.
Head up to the gallery level and you’ll find artists and designer- makers at work, as well as giant murals by the Shrewsbury-based international artist Matt Sewell. Matt’s urban mural, overlooking the gallery of the market, was painted to celebrate the story of a rare American black-crowned heron that mysteriously set up home in the town’s Quarry Park Dingle for several months in 2017.
Matt has also created a stunning giant mural in the market wine bar Petitglou, also on the gallery level, depicting a biodynamic vineyard in moonlight.
OPENING TIMES
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 10am – 4pm
NO. 61
No. 61 is an eclectic shop specializing in quality handmade medium's new and old.
A selection of artists who work with their hands grace our walls and cabinets amongst the antique and vintage handpicked handmade items all reasonably priced ready for their new forever homes. Studio Pottery, Art Glass, Paintings, Paper Collage, Jewellery, Wooden Art, Metalwork, Lighting and other curiosities can be found.
THEATRE SEVERN
Theatre Severn was officially opened on 25 March 2009 and is situated on Frankwell Quay, a stunning riverside location and one of the main gateways into Shrewsbury. The county town of Shropshire, renowned for its culture and heritage, Shrewsbury is an increasingly popular visitor destination.
ST MARY'S CHURCH
Formed in 1948 Shropshire Art Society is a thriving community of over 200 artists and lovers of the visual arts based in the beautiful county of Shropshire.
The Society’s aims are to further and encourage interest in the visual arts in Shropshire, to arrange a wide range of classes, social activities, gallery visits and holidays, and to organise exhibitions of members work.