Somerset Art Weeks returned for 2022 with the theme Sanctuary. With venues like us hosting group exhibitions, curated shows and events from SAW Members and invited artists, it’s also a showcase for SAW-supported projects, special commissions and new work from bursary artists.

With many finding Sanctuary in Somerset during the pandemic, the journey to recovery of our visual senses is celebrated with three distinct strands to the Art Weeks theme:

Spiritual – a holy or sacred place
Sustainable – a place that provides safety or protection i.e. the natural world, plants + wildlife
Social – the protection from danger or a difficult situation that is provided by a safe place

Listed as two venues, with East Quay sitting alongside Albatross Print Studio within SAW's free printed guide, we offered visitors the opportunity to not only see our studio tenant artists and Albatross Print Studio members, but also the work of a group of invited artists upstairs in our temporary exhibition space - Studio 10.

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East Quay are proud to be presenting the works of 25 artists this festival year, in a mix of studio and gallery spaces within East Quay.

Our main galleries were open throughout this time, with a new exhibition for September - REVEAL AND CONCEAL, showing sculptural and watercolour works from Welsh artist Laura Ford.

In addition the breadth of the work on show in the studios and our new exhibition in the main galleries, we hosted free family drop-in activities each weekend in our courtyard and circulation space.

On the ground floor, Albatross Print Studio hosted an exhibition presenting works from their members Lisa Benson, Mark Doyle, Jane Hood, Peter Lazare, Peggy Lock, Louisa Maxim, Lisa Takahashi, Sue Lowe and Sarah Ward.

Spanning the ground and first floors, exhibitions from Vanessa Clegg, Melanie Deegan, Alison Jacobs, Han Made, Amanda Shears, Zoe Snape, Katrin Snell, Georgina Towler, and Egerton Hall Upholstery were open in their studios.

Studio 10 showed the work of invited artists Sarah Easter Collins, Sarah Fox, Helen Jones, Georgina King, Dot Kuzniar and Veronica Wilbourn.

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