Search this site

Brrrrrace yourselves, because it's November and it’s time we talked about... Christmas. Yes, I know it's not December, but remember your mother-in-law said she'd found your present back in July? And then you got Bob in the office Secret Santa! You don't know Bob, what on earth do you get Bob? A new hole punch... That's why it's time to talk about Christmas! No, I'm not going to give you this year's list of best office supplies, you're on your own with Bob. No, I'm going to tell why this year you're going to have a great Christmas, despite the fact your neighbour’s knitted you another jumper! Torquay might not be the most inspiring high street - the Christmas lights will be adding some sparkle soon - but there’s definitely some gems here. First of all, we’ve got a bookshop! Everyone needs a good Christmas read and there’s nothing better than the smell of fresh books on a dreary day, so my first stop is patronising Waterstones for some page turners. You’ll be lucky to get me round a bookshop in under an hour, and that much shopping will leave me hankering for a coffee. Next stop, Calypso which if you’re in the middle of town, is the only place for a coffee; the team here are unstoppable when it comes to a strong filter to keep you going on your Christmas mission. Then, two stops on Fleet Walk. Firstly, the Vintage and Retro shop where I’ll be picking up some threads for the office Christmas party (that’s me, Julie and one Christmas cracker). And downstairs, guess who you’ll find singing carols? Well team Artizan of course, along with a bunch of friendly artists in our Winter Exhibition (https://www.art-hub.co.uk/winteropen2018)! Now, head to the harbour and once you reach the very edge, keep going, aiming for the Brixham ferry boarding pontoon. It may be a little bouncy this time of year, but that’s the sort of bracing activity required after a morning hunting for gifts. Following an intrepid voyage such as this, there’s only one real stop to finish the day, the unique Brixham Steam Packet Co. where a suitable nautical souvenir will undoubtedly be waiting. Who knows, you might even find something for Bob, didn’t he say he liked naval history that one time? #BeachHut #CultureUpdate #November2018 #Brixham #FleetWalk #WinterOpen #Christmas

FInd Artizan Artist Jo West at Contemporary Art Fairs Windsor next month! Are you searching for that original piece of art that lets you create a unique touch at home or in the office? Contemporary Art Fairs – WINDSOR launched in 2005, followed by Contemporary Art Fairs – SURREY, and now Contemporary Art Fairs – NEWBURY in 2018 has the answer. Bringing together over 160 artists, printmakers, photographers, sculptors, ceramicists and selected galleries from the UK and Europe, we offer the very best in contemporary art. With artwork from £40 to £4,000, and workshops and demonstrations, from leading artists and galleries, our artists will inspire you to create a unique space in your home or office.This is the time to allow yourself several hours to really appreciate everything there is to see. Many visitors make a full, fun, art-filled day of it. Licensed Restaurant – Workshops – Painting Demonstrations – Children’s Art Quest – Wine Tasting #JoWest #ArtFair #Windsor #ContemporaryArtFair #ContemporaryArtFairWindsor #2018 #November

Toads Theatre Company is proud to bring to the stage, a winner of the Laurence Olivier Best New Comedy award, in Tom Stoppard’s hilarious and poignant translation of Gérald Sibleyras' Heroes. This wonderful play, portrays the courage and unfailing spirit of those who fought for their country during WW1. Director Bevis Taylor said “Heroes has been translated from a French play, Le Vent des Peupliers (The wind in the Poplars). Our three elderly comrades while away the endless days on the terrace, their terrace, of a retirement home for World War One veterans. They spend their time idly mulling over the fortunes and misfortunes of the other residents and the nuns that care for them. They reminisce and fantasise and plan their ‘escape’ from the confinements of their lot. It’s not important that the plans are doomed from the start or that they actually ever really believe in them. It only matters that they dare dream to be ‘free’ again and by doing so relive a few moments as brothers-in arms. Heroes is brought to you close to the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War. Like Gustave, Henri and Phillipe millions of soldiers from all sides payed a price for their involvement in the war, a price that stayed with them long after. This play, I hope, reflects some of the humour, folly and pity of those involved in such a devastating conflict.” Definitely one not to be missed, Heroes runs from Mon 19th to Sat 24th November. Gustave is played by David Streeter, Henri by Steve Perks, and Phillipe by Mike Brooke’s. Mon 19th November-- Sat 24th November Time 7.30 pm. Matinee: Sat 24th November only at 2.30 pm. Tickets £13/Concessions available. TOADS Theatre Company, The Little Theatre. St Mark’s Road, Meadfoot, Torquay. TQ1 2EL. Box Office: 01803 299 330 Mon/Fri 10.30 am -1.30pm. Online Booking: www.toadstheatre.co.uk Free parking. Disabled Access. Bar and Coffee Shop open from 6.30 pm. #BrendaHutchings #Heroes #TheLittleTheatre #Toads #2018 #November

In 2014 I took what many told me was a risk and opened an art gallery on Lucius Street. I wanted to provide a space that supported our local creatives and one that attracted artists from elsewhere. I believed that Torbay had a lot to offer and wanted others to feel the same way too. As we approach the end 2018 and head into our fifth year, I think that we can safely say ‘we are getting there.’ To some this might seem like slow progress, but for those who know Torbay will know what an achievement it is to be able to say, ‘yes, we are getting there.’ Most of you will know the basics of our ethos; to support local art, local artists and our local community. Many of you will hopefully know that this extends to working with hundreds of South Devon artists annually as well as helping to attract national and international talent to Torbay. A good number of you who work closely with us or regularly patronise the gallery will also have a good idea of how hard we work to achieve these goals. But we’re guessing one thing you might not know, is that many of the hours we work are in fact voluntary. Now we’re not saying this to be particularly inspiring and we’re not angling for a day off! We just want to put it out there that we’re not in this for money or gain; we’re neither looking nor expecting to get rich doing what we do. We do what we do because we think it matters, because we hope what we provide is valued and ultimately because we love doing it. 2018 has without doubt been our biggest year yet. We welcomed around 300 artists in a yearlong calendar of solo group and open shows held both at the gallery and at external venues. Our two major opens were thanks largely to the sponsorship from Edinburgh House Estates and Fleet Walk Management allowing us the use of a large pop-up space in the centre of Torquay. Our Winter Open is, of course, still running. We will be here right up to 5pm on 24th December so if you are a last-minute shopper like me or simply deserve a treat for yourself, make sure you pop in and see us. This year also saw us become an Associate Partner of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark, establishing and showcasing for the first time work by Geopark Ambassador Artists. This exciting new excursion saw us working with some incredibly talented Torbay and South Devon folk, who live, sleep and breath our significant coastal, geological and cultural heritage, particularly through their art. With two exhibition features on them this year which were exceptionally well received, we’re looking forward to more work with them in 2019. We also sponsored Torquay Boys’ Grammar Schools first art show, another highly successful event for Torbay which further demonstrated the huge appetite for a visual art offer locally. Alongside our exhibitions we ran our regular monthly Performance Poetry and Acoustic Nights curated and hosted for us by Becky Nuttall, Shelley Szender, Robert Garnham and Robert Spence plus of course we introduced our Cocktails & Conversations with Accounting4Everything and the bar team from Panache, hosting a series of talks on art, heritage, sport, film, tourism and words of wisdom about life in general, and it is with great thanks that we recognise our local speakers who helped to make these a success: Frank Sobey, Jim Parker, Kate Farmery, Carolyn Custerson, Gordon Oliver, Kevin Foster, Kevin Dixon and Barry Young. In all we hosted or were involved in 70 events and at times it really did feel that there wasn’t even a moment to stop and catch a breath. But what was perhaps most significant for us in 2018 was the final successful purchase of our home gallery, number 7 Lucius Street. It took a full 10 months (though it felt like nearly as many years) and it gives us an exciting new level of freedom to push forwards new and exciting projects. Expect new spaces, new layouts and a bit of new life down here in 2019! Speaking of which, we’re already getting excited about what the year ahead has to offer with confirmations of the 2019 line up almost completely finalised! It’s a jam-packed year, with faces old and new joining for a mix of solo, group and open shows. There will also be involvement with the Geopark Festival and International Agatha Christie Festival plus a few other ventures that are bubbling away under the surface. So, as we said at the start, we think we are getting there. And we’re getting there because of the endeavours of those of many others too. Torbay has felt full of energy this year for the first time in a while with a buzz of quality, locally sourced, activity to be proud of. Whether it was Cockington Court’s second year push at their inspiring Sculpture Trail, Torre Abbey’s audience growing Torbay Tattoo Tales or the arrival at Torquay Museum of TEDxTorquay, this year has really felt like we’ve lived up to the name of the English Riviera. TEDxTorquay Production Team and Speakers. Photo Credit: Will Reddaway | WR Photography Before we go, we do want to mention one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced this year. Since July, we’ve been suffering with water ingress into our basement. Caught early on, we were able to clear the lower levels before any damage was caused, but the trickle has since become a river and ultimately resulted in us closing the main space in December whilst we had the opportunity to be at our Pop-up on Fleet Walk. The end of the year is now fast approaching with little progress being made and at the moment it does stand to hinder our reopening in January. Contingency plans are in place that guarantee we’ll be back with you for the start of February, but we do hope that you’ll bear with us as we work through this stressful maintenance period! And with that, all that’s left for us to say is thank you once again for another year sticking with us, attending our events, reading our updates, purchasing from our local artists, or however it is you’ve supported us in 2018. Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas from the whole of the Artizan team. #2018 #Christmas #Artizan #ChristmasMessage #December

As we approach the end of the year in a rush of tinsel, mulled wine and mistletoe, the seasonal obligation to overindulge in exotic poultry and spirit-soaked puddings for some perplexing reason induces a nationwide mood of self-reflection. Whether it’s a genuine desire for self-improvement, or a knee-jerk reaction to a distant relative’s four-page epic of a Christmas newsletter, resolutions are an unshakable part of the festive package as we gaze out over the expansive landscape of the New Year ahead of us. With the main gallery now closed for 2018 we’re enjoying our temporary venue on Fleet Walk again where we’re hosting the Artizan Winter Open. Surrounded by more than 200 stunning works of art from our local creatives, it’s impossible not to feel humbled by the incredible generosity we’ve been shown this year, not only from the Fleet Work Management Team who have let us pop-up here from July, but also from the vast number of artists and art lovers who have worked with and visited us this year. It’s got us reflecting on the year gone by before we’ve even had our first mince-pie, so we thought we’d share with you the resolutions we intend to continue next year that you might like to join us on. In the meantime, we hope to see you down at Fleet Walk for the Artizan Winter Open from now until Christmas Eve. Happy Holidays! #1 – Show Up More often than not, the most important thing we can do is just show up. Whether it’s stopping in to our favourite independent coffee shop once a month, saying good morning to our neighbours on Lucius Street or attending our artists’ preview events at other venues, we’re going to keep making sure we’re sharing things in real life and not just on Facebook! And remember, you don’t need an excuse to visit us, we’re happy just to have you drop by. #2 – Invest Locally Spending your pennies at your local butcher, baker or candlestick maker is one thing, but we’re not just referring to money. Yes, we’d encourage you to support your independent traders, particularly during the festive period, but we’re talking about really investing; invest your time, invest your energy and invest your effort in the local issues, people and communities that immediately surround you. Here at Artizan you can volunteer your time, host a group that brings people together, or share ideas that make a difference. #3 – Be Your Creative Self None of us at the gallery have ambitions of breaking out the watercolours, we’re leaving that to our artists, but we will continue to embrace our creative selves. It’s not about grand gestures but we’re committed to doodle daily, indulge our ideas and overall not take it all too seriously. We’d encourage you all to do the same and come and be creative with us however that might be. #BeachHut #CultureUpdate #December2018 #NewYear #Resolutions

Well haven’t we been spoilt so far this Summer with the English Riviera bathed in sunshine! It’s already been a great season for culture with show stopping events to keep us occupied 24/7! So far, we’ve explored the Cockington Sculpture Trail organised by the dedicated Marissa Wakefield and Phil Dixon, Torre Abbey’s Last Supper installation by scrap sculptor Giles Walker has left us longing for a second visit, and Brick Built at Torquay Museum is probably the most fun we’ve had in ages! Devon Art Society also celebrated with their summer show over in Babbacombe, and Sands Road had an incredible exhibition of abstract seascapes by Lynsey James which later toured to us at the end of July (art-hub.co.uk/lynseyjames2018). For us, the Summer has been dominated with some wonderful exhibitions including the launch of the Artizan Summer Open 2018. We’ve been overwhelmed by the support for this show, with our preview evening welcoming 200+ people, and the enthusiasm for the exhibition is phenomenal, as visitors and residents join us to celebrate our talented local visual artists. It continues until the middle of August so make sure to visit and explore the 238 works we have on display thanks to some lovely partners and over 100 super creative people! (art-hub.co.uk/summeropen2018) Summer is of course far from over, so let’s talk about things to come with our August exhibition hot list! Over in Brixham you can catch the Brixham Art Society Annual Summer Exhibition, with free entry at the Scala Hall from 18th-25th. Then on to Paignton, and you’ll catch Artizan artist Jo West all month at Sands Road (art-hub.co.uk/jowest). Back to Torquay, stop by Artizan for two exhibitions this month; “Aspects of Abstration”, works of Douglas Bardrick (art-hub.co.uk/august2018) and a flash exhibition from Creative Coverage members (art-hub.co.uk/creativecoverage2018). Finally, it’s not quite in Torbay but it does feature two of our favourite Riviera artists. Rhian Wyn Harrison and Lee Pover will be over in Dartmouth at The Flavel for a second year of “Fish and Ships” their quirky coastal inspired exhibition from the 6th until the end of the month. That’s all we can squeeze in to this update, but as always check out more over on art-hub.co.uk #BeachHutMagazine #2018 #Artizan #Torbay #ArtizanSummerOpen2018 #August #CultureUpdate

As I’m writing this, Artizan is bliss and calm on a mid-June morning. The sun is shining, we have lovely art on the walls (see our June show art-hub.co.uk/june18), I’ve had a gorgeous walk at Cockington bright and early; all is well. However, I know that by the time you’re reading this it will be a completely different picture… Why? Because now its July, we’re either just a couple of weeks away from the launch of the Artizan Summer Open 2018, or we’re in it and its happening! So, I’ll quickly fast forward and join you in the present. This is our fourth annual Summer Open and for 2018 it’s grown a huge amount. We’re here on Fleet Walk (Unit 5 aka the old Laura Ashley Building if you’re a local) with a gorgeous space thanks to Edinburgh House Estates, surrounded by wonderful art thanks to a huge number of supportive artists. The exhibitions completely open in theme, so we’ve got something for everyone from contemporary photography through to traditional still life, with everything from ceramics to wire sculpture in between. How am I feeling? Primarily, excited! It’s great to be here with so many wonderful local artists, as well as exclusive national and international submissions! I’m also quite tired (probably); after all we’ve been decorating the exhibition space getting it ready for the show for the last week or so and hanging (at least) 100 pieces of artwork! But I’m not complaining. How could I, when we’re getting to Celebrate Visual Arts in Torbay in such a big way! We’re here from the 12th of July right the way into the end of August and everything you need to know can be found at art-hub.co.uk/summeropen2018 including all the works, images from the show, blog posts and more. Across Torbay there’s loads more happening as we gear up for Summer. The list is absolutely huge, so this month we’re bringing you a full update online at art-hub.co.uk/cultureupdate where you an also find all of our previous articles if you’re super keen! #BeachHutMagazine #2018 #Artizan #Torbay #ArtizanSummerOpen2018 #July #CultureUpdate

It’s Summer everyone and that means its time for a big announcement from us; The Artizan Summer Open, is back! Thanks to the kind sponsorship of London based Edinburgh House Estates this year our biggest annual open will be going out on tour and rather than being hosted at the gallery we’ll be in the thick of it on the Torquay high street. So, you’ll be able to find us on the lower level of Fleet Walk towards the harbour in the old Laura Ashley building which was most recently the home of Weird Fish. It’s a pretty large venue and we anticipate we’ll be hosting in excess of 100 local and national artists with our completely unrestricted open accepting applications from any and all mediums. So far, we’ve got everything from ceramics, to landscapes, to photography, to sculpture, and pretty much everything in between you could imagine! If you’re an artist, submissions are open until June 15th, and if you’d like to be a part of the open full details can be found at art-hub.co.uk/summeropen2018. For collectors, the best way to keep in the loop as we countdown to the opening on July 6th is to make sure your signed up to our newsletter which you can do at the same link! We’re working with some great partners to make this exhibition a huge success so please spread the word, signup, like, tweet, share and generally go out and shout about this incredible celebration of our visual artists! Meanwhile, this month we’re excited to welcome artist Sue Luxton to Artizan with her exhibition of works inspired by a recent trip to a Greek Island in the Dodecanese. The exhibition launches June 1st so if you’re lucky enough to have an early copy of the Beach Hut, why not join us for Cocktails and Conversation with speaker Carolyn Custerson (full details at art-hub.co.uk/june2018). And that’s all we’ve got time for in this month’s culture round-up, but this is by no means the full picture of June in the Bay. Head over to www.art-hub.co.uk where we’ve added loads of new events from now until the end of the year and remember to get the Artizan Summer Open 2018 in your calendars! #BeachHutMagazine #2018 #Artizan #Torbay #June #SueLuxton #CarolynCusterson #ArtizanSummerOpen2018 #CultureUpdate

Brighter mornings and later evenings are here to be taken advantage of now it’s May in the Bay, so this month we’ve thrown in plenty of options to get outdoors for your cultural fix. The folks over in Brixham certainly don’t do things by halves. They’ll be celebrating May with not one, but two festivals, both focusing on the fishing towns nautical heritage. Brixham Pirate Festival will be dropping anchor first (5th-7th) and we ‘w’reckon it’s going to be a lot of fun. No scurvy sea dogs here, just a boat load of the finest seafaring performers, all second to ‘naut’, to entertain all you landlubbers, with bands including The Pyrates, The Captain’s Beard and GurdyBird. That’s it, ‘armada’ pirate puns… Then BrixFest brings the next round of festival action (26th-30th) with live music from Three Bags Full, cooking demonstrations from England’s Seafood Coast, an Arts and Craft Market run by the Brixham Chamber, and the legendary Dragonboat Challenge where reigning champs Buoys ‘n Bellies are the ones to beat! Monday 28th will also offer a Children’s Day with bonus activities including face painting and build-a-boat, just for the kids. We’re going to be heading over to both of these festivals because that’s the kind of party people we are, hopefully we’ll see you all there! Meanwhile, at Artizan, we’re looking forward to welcoming RAW Art Forum to the gallery in May (30th April – 28th May), with their exhibition Nutopia, which sees the group of four artists show their first collaborative installation piece dealing with issues of modern day consumerism. As well as this, the group will be exhibiting new pieces from their own individual practices which range from intricate glass art to composite collage work (art-hub.co.uk/may2018). The exhibition will launch with a Cocktail Preview on May 3rd where we’ll be welcoming Executive Director of Torbay Culture Board, Kate Farmery to update us on the local culture strategy. Then later in the month we’re excited to have south Wales guitarist and songwriter Paul Lloyd Nicholas headlining our May Acoustic Session (21st). And that’s our top three picks for May! For more events head to art-hub.co.uk where we add blogs daily with great events and guides to Torbay’s culture and beyond. #BeachHutMagazine #May #2018 #Artizan #Torbay #Brixham #Festival #Brixfest #BrixhamPirateFestival #Nutopia #RAWArtForum #CultureUpdate

Did anyone else blink and miss March? We’re struggling to believe it’s April here, a particularly exciting month for us because we’re on tour! That’s right, not only can you find us at our humble gallery on Lucius Street at the moment – exhibiting the incredibly talented Cristina Ulander – but we’re also enjoying the stunning surroundings of Cockington Court as we exhibit in their Kitchen Gallery. This gorgeous space is situated at the front of the court overlooking the main green and hosts a range of exciting exhibitions throughout the year including their annual “Pewter Now” show featuring unique and unusual works of local and national pewter artists. We’re feeling very privileged to have been welcomed into the space and to be a part of their 2018 series, so we want to take a quick moment to let you know what’s in store here from us and the rest of Cockington Court this month! Our exhibition will welcome four artists from our stable: Kirsteen Titchener, a wonderful photographic artist who blurs the lines of reality through skilled photomanipulation and an inspiring imagination; F. G. Davis, a leading contemporary artist known for his pure abstraction and mixed media collage works exhibited internationally; Jo West, the UKs first colour changing resin artist; and Susan Cavaliere, influential Torbay surrealist artist inspired by folklore and mythology. The show runs until the 23rd April during the courts normal hours, and we’ll be bringing you lots of other exciting stories from around the house, grounds and studios. Elsewhere in the Bay, there’s plenty more cultural activity to be found. We’re fairly sure you won’t have missed the return of Grinagog which is back again for 2018; our top pick here is the sun trap of One World Café which offered incredible laidback vibes last year! Or for those who are looking for something where the volume won’t be turned up to eleven, Torquay Museum will be playing host to the Friends of Devon’s Archives Spring Meeting on April 28th, catering a series of talks which explore a variety of collections from the Museum. And that’s April in a nutshell! Remember we’ve got loads of other listings on our site art-hub.co.uk so if nothing in our round up has caught your eye, this is the place to head! #April #2018 #ArtsampCulture #CultureUpdate #BeachHutMagazine #Cockington #TorquayMuseum #Grinagog #Festival #TorreAbbey

There’s just 20 short days until we officially wave goodbye to the chill of Winter and can all head outside to frolic through fields of sun dappled daffodils. That’s right, it’s March, and to paraphrase a hit HBO series, “Spring is coming!” If you’ve got your hands on a copy of the Beach Hut whilst it’s still hot from the presses, you might be just in time to catch our popular February Exhibition, The Art of You. This evocative exhibition welcomes visitors to explore their own creative being in a showcase that brings together works, objects and writings from individuals of all walks of life. Some of the exhibitors call themselves artists. Many do not. Throughout the show we've been sharing their works and their stories with you, as we challenged the idea of what it is to lead a creative life. The exhibition closes on March 2nd, but if you’ve missed it, you can explore loads of great content from the show online (art-hub.co.uk/february2018). Another event for Beach Hut early birds can be found across the Bay’s museums for the first weekend of March. For everyone reading this who is over the age of 12, join us in reminiscing for a second and think back to your primary school days. One day in particular in fact, when classrooms across the country would be transformed into an imaginary scene, apparently formed out of some grand literary collaboration between Roald Dahl, Dick King-Smith, Enid Blyton and various other children’s authors. I am of course referring to World Book Day, which this year will be celebrated by Torbay Museums in their ‘Sharing Stories’ Festival, taking place across all three sites from 1st-3rd March. The line-up for this event is set to be pretty packed, so whether it’s a night of Retrospective Poetry you’re after, Roald Dahl themed Puppet making, or the chance to hear from a few of the Bay’s authors, the festival has something for you (torquaymuseum.org/events). Alternatively, if you prefer to put your pencils to use drawing rather than writing, then the recently started Torquay branch of Urban Sketch is where you need to be. This global organisation brings regional groups together to draw, sketch and paint, live in the real world as part of a social and supportive meetup. Gathering in coffee shops, parks and public spaces, groups create from direct observation as an honest record of time and place. The next meeting of Torquay’s new group is on the 10th March in Coffee #1 on Union Street and all are welcome (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1487283731326012/). We’re going to quickly rattle through some other events to finish off, links to all of which you can find on our site www.art-hub.co.uk. Barrie Riley will be talking about Brixham Battery Heritage at Brixham museum on March 26th and Jason Disley hosts Stanza Extravaganza at Artizan Gallery on the same day! Greg Hancock brings his exceptional guitar playing to the Artizan Acoustic Sessions on March 19th and Harula Ladd returns for another Creative Writing Session on March 5th. We’ll also launch our exhibition of watercolourists Michael McDonagh Wood and Veronica Charlesworth on March 9th. #BeachHutMagazine #2018 #Artizan #Torbay #ArtizanSummerOpen2018 #August #CultureUpdate

Happy New Year and welcome back! We hope everyone had a culture filled festive period and that you all suitably overindulged in the arts this holiday. With celebrations over, hibernation might be the only thing on your January agenda, but we’re here to change that with a handful of events to inject some warmth into the start of 2018. First though, we want to take a quick moment to tell you what we’ve got planned for the year ahead! The Main Gallery is fully booked for the year and we’ve got 12 stunning exhibitions to bring you between now and December. We’ll be starting with a short one when we reopen on January 15th, with a retrospective of the works of Richard Slater and Arthur Homeshaw. This will be an exclusive show to Artizan and will only be on for two weeks so do join us to start off 2018 with this special exhibition. There’s a few new shows to look forward to at the Gallery this year. Our Winter Open remains unchanged and after an incredible end to 2017 we’re already looking forward to repeating this at the end of the year. However, our Summer Open this year will be a little different as we’re excited to announce we will be taking our most popular annual exhibition on tour! Dates and venues are to be confirmed but this is looking to be a great opportunity to once again expand and grow our favourite part of the Artizan Calendar. And that’s not all that’s changing. In February we’ll be introducing our Garden Gallery Open, a year-long Salon Show which will welcome a changing selection of artists to join us throughout 2018. Run in the same style as our seasonal open shows, this 12-month exhibition will display a rich and diverse selection of local, national and international works. As well as all of this we’ll keep bringing exceptional entertainment to the gallery with an eclectic mix of poetry, cabaret, live music, film and workshop events overseen by our talented hosts. So that’s a brief look at our 2018, we hope you’re all as excited as we are to continue celebrating Torbay’s cultural offer. But now, back to January and what you can expect from other cultural destinations in the Bay. Speakeasy are back with more great Jazz at the Toorak starting with the Craig Milverton Trio on January 17th. Then over at The Edge, Brixham, you can catch a late panto offering with the touring production of The Three Musketeers January 20th and 21st. And finally, two events you’ll find us at, are down at Torquay Museum. January 13th will see an exclusive screening of The Lost City of Z film, based on the life of Torquay’s very own Percy Fawcett, and as part of the same programme, Simon Akeroyd, Head Gardener for the National Trust’s English Riviera Portfolio, will deliver a talk on The Lives and Times of Legendary Plant Hunters on January 27th. All not to be missed, and all a great way to start 2018! #2018 #ArtsampCulture #CultureUpdate #Torbay #TorquayMuseum