Ilminster Arts Centre

Ilminster Arts Centre Our mission is to bring amazing art, live music and creative workshops to the South West. Gallery: Constantly changing exhibitions in our gallery.

Music: local as well as international musicians from the world of jazz, folk and classical music. Workshops: we offer a range of tutored and untutored workshops to all in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Try your hand at clay, watercolour, oil painting, drawing, felt making, rag rugs, or one of our one off workshops. All ages and abilities are welcome. Gallery Cafe: Open Tuesday - Friday 09.30 -

3.00. Saturday 09.30-2.00 for coffee, cakes, light lunches and our famous cheese scones! Craft Shop: our ever-changing craft shop offers one-of-a-kind treasures ranging from handbags to woodwork from talented south-western crafters. To book for any event please contact us by telephone, email, on our website, or pop in and say hello. Please see our website for full listings and dates of this season's events. We wouldn't be here without your support, so a big thank you to all our Friends, volunteers and everyone involved.

☀Take a slow lunch in our sunny garden☀ A quiet corner of Ilminster beside our historic former chapel. Our cafe offers ...
30/05/2026

☀Take a slow lunch in our sunny garden☀

A quiet corner of Ilminster beside our historic former chapel. Our cafe offers light lunches and cold drinks.

🍷 Why not pair your meal with a glass of wine and let the midday sun do the rest!

🎨Current exhibition is Moish Sokal - Here comes the Sun☀Somerset based artist Moish Sokal brings the sun back to Ilminst...
28/05/2026

🎨Current exhibition is Moish Sokal - Here comes the Sun☀

Somerset based artist Moish Sokal brings the sun back to Ilminster Arts Centre with a new and colourful collection of watercolors.

From sun-drenched coastlines to tranquil countryside vistas and distant cityscapes, each painting invites the viewer to travel and experience the atmosphere and spirit of both local and far-reaching places.

Moish Sokal is in the gallery today- come and say hello!

Tuesday 26th May - Friday 19th June.
www.ilminsterartscentre.com/exhibitions/moish-sokal-here-comes-the-sun

☀The sun is shining in our café garden🌻🥪We've got delicious cakes, drinks and lunches.🍷 Why not treat yourself to a glas...
23/05/2026

☀The sun is shining in our café garden🌻

🥪We've got delicious cakes, drinks and lunches.

🍷 Why not treat yourself to a glass of wine in the sunshine this bank holiday weekend!

🖋Beginner's Dip Pen CalligraphyIf you've always wanted to learn calligraphy but felt daunted and a little overwhelmed, n...
22/05/2026

🖋Beginner's Dip Pen Calligraphy

If you've always wanted to learn calligraphy but felt daunted and a little overwhelmed, not knowing how to begin, then this is the class for you! This is Modern Calligraphy using a traditional dip pen with ink and is suitable for beginners. In this two-hour class, you will learn the techniques necessary to produce beautiful lettering. All materials supplied by ND Calligraphy are vegan and cruelty-free.

Saturday 6 June, Time: 10.30am - 12.00pm

Cost £25 + £12 to the tutor on the day
www.ilminsterartscentre.com/workshops

📕Ilminster's Great Foundress🎻Have you ever noticed the Wadham tomb in the Ilminster Minster and wondered who they were? ...
19/05/2026

📕Ilminster's Great Foundress🎻

Have you ever noticed the Wadham tomb in the Ilminster Minster and wondered who they were? Now is your chance to find out more!

This special event features a talk by Dr Matthew Spring exploring the early life, musical connections and legacy of Dorothy Petre Wadham, foundress of Wadham College Oxford, followed by a concert by Sirinu featuring Elizabethan and Stuart domestic music from Dorothy’s childhood home, Ingatestone.

5 June, 7.30pm
Tickets: £16
www.ilminsterartscentre.com/performances/ilminsters-great-foundress

🎉 Good News! 🎉DEADLINE EXTENDED – Ilminster Open Exhibition 2026Missed the chance to submit your work? No worries! We’re...
16/05/2026

🎉 Good News! 🎉

DEADLINE EXTENDED – Ilminster Open Exhibition 2026

Missed the chance to submit your work? No worries! We’re now accepting entries until midnight on Saturday, 23rd May.

We can’t wait to see your creativity and talent – don’t miss this opportunity to be part of an incredible exhibition!

Submit your work today and let your art shine. ✨

Images from 2025's exhibition:
Lisa Takahashi - Merry Go Round
Maddie Rock- Entanglement

🔦Spotlight on the judges - Ilminster Open Exhibition 2026𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻 – Sculptor and Arts Centre Volunteer."A self-taugh...
15/05/2026

🔦Spotlight on the judges - Ilminster Open Exhibition 2026

𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻 – Sculptor and Arts Centre Volunteer.

"A self-taught sculptor with a passion for carving stone, marble being my favourite by far. I was fortunate to have been able to carve marble in Pietrasanta, Tuscany, and in the cloisters of the medieval monastery on St Elena in Venice; the latter a surreal experience.
I love the feel of the stone as I work with hand tools only. The rhythmic sound of mallet on chisel and the slowly emerging sculpture give me so much pleasure; pure therapy. Occasionally, I’ve no idea what I’m about to create when I start work on a new piece of stone and I’m quite likely to change direction as the sculpture emerges."

https://somersetartworks.org.uk/artists/michael-lanigan/

🔦Spotlight on the judges - Ilminster Open Exhibition 2026𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀John Gammans - Artist "My artwork is inspired by th...
14/05/2026

🔦Spotlight on the judges - Ilminster Open Exhibition 2026

𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀
John Gammans - Artist

"My artwork is inspired by the awe and majesty of the natural world, a personal response to the forces that shapes our planet. Specifically it is the formation of dramatic skies and dynamic weather systems that has dominated my work. Current work specifically focuses on how we respond, interrupt and attempt to visualise the wind patterns that surround us and shape our world.

The manner in which I work is representative of the very thing that inspires me. I try not to make too many laboured decisions, relying on intuition and feeling more than anything else."

https://johngammans.co.uk/

🔦Spotlight on the judges - Ilminster Open Exhibition 2026Fiona Campbell Art Fiona Campbell is a visual artist, educator,...
13/05/2026

🔦Spotlight on the judges - Ilminster Open Exhibition 2026

Fiona Campbell Art

Fiona Campbell is a visual artist, educator, curator and trustee of Somerset Arts Works.

Fiona creates mixed media assemblages, blurring boundaries between sculpture, drawing, installation and textiles, often large-scale and immersive.

"I am interested in tentacularity; the complex web of relationships from micro to macro. I see these rhizomic connections as metaphors for life, vitalism and regeneration. Life as line, energy, is an ongoing ‘doing’ thing - matter in a process of becoming. The work focuses on concerns about climate breakdown, human exploitation of nature and over-consumption, which have led to catastrophic mass animal/plant extinctions. My approach is a form of suturing, artivism, making do, care and repair, giving abandoned objects new life."

https://fionacampbellart.co.uk/
Images by: 1 - Russell Sach, 2 - Paul Gonella, 3 - Dave Cable

🔦Spotlight on the judges - Ilminster Open Exhibition 2026𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗠𝗰𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘇𝗶𝗲Julia McKenzie- artistJulia McKenzie is a artist ...
12/05/2026

🔦Spotlight on the judges - Ilminster Open Exhibition 2026

𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗠𝗰𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘇𝗶𝗲
Julia McKenzie- artist

Julia McKenzie is a artist and illustrator based in Somerset, who trained at Camberwell School of art.

Julia's work is primarily drawing based with paper cuts and collage. Julia draws from life and is inspired by found objects, stories and ephemera found in natural world.

"I look for fragments of things, from beach combing to exploring plants, insects and birds. I celebrate the fragile, the forgotten, the broken and the beautiful."

http://juliamckenzie.co.uk

Address

Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street
Ilminster
TA190AN

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9:30am - 3pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 3pm
Thursday 9:30am - 3pm
Friday 9:30am - 3pm
Saturday 9:30am - 3pm

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