Wylye Valley Art Trail

The biggest open studios event in the county is taking place this year from Saturday 1 to Sunday 9 May. ROSE EVA tells us more.

Makers from all over this most gorgeous corner of Wiltshire will be throwing open their doors and, with all necessary precautions in place, welcoming art lovers into their studios. From sculpture to jewellery, from ironwork to glass, from furniture to installation and every type of painting from photorealism to abstraction, there’s definitely something for everyone on the Trail.

It's 20 years since painter Nick Andrew first conceived the idea of the Trail. That first event took place in the aftermath of foot-and-mouth disease, which wiped out so much of our agriculture. The similarities between then and now are unsettling: that first Trail was almost cancelled, as was this one, as the whole world grapples with the Covid pandemic. Both times, the decision to continue was a hard one; it was most definitely worth it in 2001, and it will be this year. As Nick Andrew, still the co-ordinator of the Trail, has said: “We have had to steer a delicate and twisty path between the urgent desire to bring visual art and craft out of lockdown and into the open again, and the important considerations for the safety of visitors and exhibitors alike”.

Of the 48 venues on offer, some are purely virtual, while others offer a virtual event with studio visits by appointment. All physical venues will be taking every precaution to ensure the safety of visitors; some operating a one-way system around their exhibition space while others will restrict the number of visitors inside at one time. Some venues are entirely outside, while others are in large and airy barns.

There really is something for everyone on the Trail. For those that like to see how things are done there are painting, stitching and stained glass demonstrations, while for those that like to have a go themselves there are mosaic and ceramic workshops. There are photographers, sculptors, printmakers, jewellers, glassblowers, furniture makers, mosaicists, textile workers and blacksmiths as well as painters in every conceivable style, so if you don’t fancy looking at landscapes or furniture you can always go and look at some very fine glassware or some gorgeous pottery – all in Covid-secure environments.

Along with every sector of life, the arts have been hit hard by the pandemic. Now the vaccine rollout is proceeding apace, we are all itching to get out and on with life; what better way to do that than going on the Wylye Valley Art Trail?

• wvat.co.uk

Nick Andrew 'Acquilarea'

"From sculpture to jewellery, from ironwork to glass, from furniture to installation there’s definitely something for everyone on the Trail." Handwoven scarves by Sarah Truscott Hiro Takahashi 'Moon Boat'