What’s on, and what’s coming

It has been a busy summer and the schedule of events keeps on coming.

Act fast and you can catch day 2 of the Pailton Art Festival, 12-4 today (Sunday).

Read on to see what else is coming up…

The latest Percival Guildhouse brochure is about to be released.

Friday 15th August at 12.30 would be our monthly Rugby Artists and Makers business meeting at The Alex, but for August we are meeting for a plein air session in Caldecott Park. Bring your picnic, paper, pencils, paint…

The Alex has closed for its summer rest and renovations, after a very busy time with Warwickshire Open Studios, Made at the Alex, and hosting work experience students. The yarnbomb Alice and caterpillar have remained in the window for the Wonderland trail. The Alex will re-open in September with events including Northants and Rutland Open Studios, and Heritage Open Days, including Talk Like A Pirate day on 19th, and the Rugby Literary Festival 3-5th October.

At Rugby Art Gallery and Museum September will also bring the end of the current exhibition (6th September) and the opening of the next (13th) as well as opening of entries for the Rugby Open,

Seven of our Rugby Artists and Makers plan to decorate wooden books which will be placed around the town throughout the Literary Festival. The image above will accompany our entry in the brochure.

Rugby Yarnbombers‘ Wonderland trail is coming to a close, but hooks and needles are already in motion for Halloween and Christmas.

Christmas creativity continues at the St Andrews church where the Christmas tree festival this year will have a musical theme.

Outside Rugby…

Lutterworth & District Art Society is a new group which aims, among other things, to bring together and foster relationships with artists within the local community. Lighthaus Arts is developing in Leamington, and are planning their first exhibition. In Coventry LTB continues to operate at the Priory Visitor Centre.

23rd Jun 2025

It’s all going on!

A quick one today as all the summer events have already started!

Love Rugby Festival started on the 20th, til 6th July. Artists from our network have been out chalking on the pavements and in parks as part of this event. Our network, The Alex and some of our individual artists received grant funding to take part.

Warwickshire Open Studios Summer Art Weeks started on the 21st, til 6th July. Look out also for the Echoes of Nature exhibition in Floor One 1st-12th July as part of this.

The Festival on the Close started on the 21st, til 26th June.

Following these look out for some Fringe events at Rugby Theatre, 4th-13th July.

Then comes the Rugby Yarnbombers on 12th July.

Plans are also underway for the Literary Festival, Northampton Open Studios and Heritage Open Days.

Phew!

27th May 202527th May 2025

Transformations and other preparations

This is a busy time for our artists and makers as promotion starts for the summer’s events, and preparations are well underway. (In fact, I expect that some of our artists and makers are already started on their Christmas prep!)

Poster for Transformations exhibition at Art at the Alex, 2025

Transformations is the title for the next Rugby Artists and Makers exhibition, at The Alex, James St.

The exhibiting artists are, as I write, putting the finishing touches to works that will be on display from 6th June to 6th July (usually open Thurs-Sat, 11-4, plus first Thursday evenings and Second Sundays).

Summer Art Weeks dates graphic: 21 June - 6th July 2005

Warwickshire Open Studios Summer Art Weeks promotion has begun and the annual exhibition at the LSA Art Room has opened in its new location inside the Royal Priors Shopping Centre in Leamington Spa. There are 100 artworks on display at the LSA Art Room and exhibiting artists are helping to man the gallery while the exhibition is on, so do drop in to get a taster of what is to come when Summer Art Weeks is properly underway. The printed brochure has been out for a while – if you don’t have one yet you can pick one up at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum’s Visitor Centre or at Art at the Alex, James St.

Summer Art Weeks in the Rugby area (including Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Princethorpe, Dunchurch & Barby) looks like this: Please check the brochure (and venues’ own social media) for opening dates and times as these vary widely.

Gillian Shadbolt, venue 46, Ryton-on-Dunsmore.
Princethorpe College, venue 47, Princethorpe.
Eric Gaskell, venue 48, Cawston.
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, venue 49, Rugby. Floor One exhibition featuring Alina Bondarchuk, Carol Wheeler, Chloe Deltufo, Ginte Zacharini, Kanika Sharma.
Art at The Alex, venue 50, Rugby, featuring Belinda Edwards, Bethany Hughes, Clare Pentlow, Glynis Hayward-Bradley, KJ Matthews, Sarais Crawshaw, Steve Davies.
Colourful Outlook – Glass Art Designs (Lisa Shenton), venue 51, Rugby.
Art in Dunchurch, venue 52, Dunchurch, featuring Amanda I’Anson, Carol Gordon, Carrie Yuen, Darren Awang, Georgina Millington, hand-inc, Jackie Monk, Jaine ThorntonWeeks, Jane Archer, Janet Dawes, Jennie Fletcher, Julia Sanders, Lesley-Anne French, Magdalena Edwards, nJoyArt (Jan Taylor), Raquel Garcia Haro (Hagarak Studio, Ray Spence, Richard Veys, Susan Watt, Victoria Parsons.
Cleves Garden Studio, venue 53, Barby, featuring Dot Crowe and Geoff Crowe.

And that’s not all! Several Rugby area and Rugby Artists and Makers Network artists are exhibiting at venues outside our immediate area, including Wren Hall and Harbury.

Rugby Yarn Bombers are still working hard on preparations for the yarn bombing event in the summer. The Alex’s creations will fit with Chapter 5: Advice from a Caterpillar and various creepy crawlies are in progress.

Note that Saturday 14th June is Worldwide Knit & Crochet in public day and there will be a gathering in Regent Place between 12 and 2pm. Bring your yarn and your picnic!

The Love Rugby festival coincides with Summer Art Weeks, running 20th June – 6th July and the brochure is now available in print or to download from the website. Rugby Artists and Makers received funding for pavement chalk art across the town, and individual artists from our network also received grant funding. Art at the Alex received funding for creative demonstrations during the Summer Art Weeks event, and other Alex events during the festival period feature in the brochure.

The Percival Guildhouse adult education centre still needs your support. It has been extending its range of courses, so take a look at what is on offer, and it is actively recruiting for more tutors too.

Art at The Alex updates
At our mid-May meeting at The Alex , in addition to the forthcoming Transformations exhibition, we were briefed on approaches made to The Alex by organisations, schools and businesses looking to contact local artists for projects, and by students seeking work experience opportunities – it’s great to see these contacts being made! Note that one of the artists exhibiting in the Transformations exhibition is a former Alex work experience student.
The Alex is also strengthening links with Rugby Borough Council and local businesses and recently attended a targeted stakeholder meeting including topics such as nurturing a cultural quarter in Rugby.

24th Apr 2025

Springing towards summer

Read on for news and current art events – things happening now with a short date (or today only!) are in bold.

A new Love Rugby festival has been recently announced, to take place 14th June to 6th July. It will coincide with Warwickshire Open Studios Summer Art Weeks, Rugby School’s Festival on the Close and Rugby Art Gallery & Museum’s 25th anniversary celebrations. Local organisations and sports clubs may apply for funding (by 30th April) to take part in the Love Rugby festival. ACT NOW if you are interested in Love Rugby funding and would like advice as the Creative Counsel Community Gathering session TODAY, April 24th, 4-5pm will include advice: book on the adult learning section of the website.

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum’s anniversary celebrations involve a commission for a new interactive public art piece (deadline passed), children’s self-portraits for an exhibition (deadline 2nd June), and a commission for new shop stock. (by 28th April). The 25th anniversary brochure can be found here.

Rugby Yarnbombers’ Alice in Wonderland themed extravaganza will follow in July. Their creations so far are truly amazing and it promises to look wonderful. There is still time to get involved and it’s not only knitters needed.

Art at The Alex has lots going on as always. Full details are on their website and/or in their newsletter.

Rugby First asked the Alex to run Easter holiday sessions at the Alex and these are underway with the next sessions on the afternoons of Thursday 24th TODAY (milk bottle doves with Kate), Friday 25th (painted bunny magnets with Aish) and Saturday 26th (watercolour cupcakes with Sam).

Also in the diary is a storytelling event on 2nd May, with afternoon workshop and evening performance.

The Alex has a full schedule of exhibitions for the year, with only November available for artist exhibitions other than the open calls. The current and next exhibitions are:

April: Eyeful at the Alex: Debra Wenlock, Helen Button, Jane Tilley, Jane Archer and Daventry artist Peter Martin. On now until 26th April.
May: By invitation … all new artists to the Alex. Ross Edwards, Joseph Ryan, Garima Dhawan, Melissa Keskinkilinc (Alex 3D prize winner in the Rugby Open), Jill Shepherd and Anita Davies.
June: Rugby Artists and Makers, “Transformations”. A call for this exhibition is now live on the Rugby Artists and Makers private Facebook group.

The Alex is taking part in both Warwickshire Open Studios (WOS) and Northants and Rutland Open Studios this year, as well as Heritage Open Days. Look out for The Alex and its artists in WOS promotional videos as WOS will be popping in for filming this weekend.

The Alex was a finalist in the Coventry and Warwickshire Business and Community awards in the Community and Cultural Activator category. Click here to see The Alex appear in this video of the judges doing their rounds.

RA&M exhibition activities

The next RA&M exhibition, “Transformations”, will be at The Alex in June. Members can find further information in the private Facebook group.

The next RA&M exhibition at Floor One, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, will be 2 – 16 February 2026.

Recently, RA&M members have held their own exhibitions at Floor One: Rock, Paper, Scissors show (John T, Clare and Vikki) was followed by Sue Phan’s show ‘Flourishing’, during which she was interviewed for a local podcast.

The current exhibition in Floor One, until 3rd May, is Rugby Artists Group (RAG) and involves several RA&M artists.

Other local arts news

Lorimer Art Gallery is open in its new location and looking good with frequent changes of display. John Thompson is one of their artists.

Brinklow Marina has its Moor to Art event on 3-5th May bank holiday weekend with stalls and also a number of workshops available to book.

Solstice Coffee Shop and Nursery has long stocked the work of local artists and hosted craft fairs. Sadly, they will be closing in the summer with their last craft fair taking place on the 1st of June (stalls available).

Hatty Bakewell’s cafe and The Studio by Teapot Flowers are still hosting local artists and makers as, of course, is The Alex.

And further afield:

Coventry Open is underway but note there is now an admission fee at The Herbert.
Also in Coventry, the LTB’s new venue Priory Visitor Centre (PVC) has the exhibition “Flux” until the end of the month. Coventry Council has asked for expressions of interest to manage the PVC and those behind the LTB have put in a bid.
LSA Art Room (Leamington) has moved to its new location inside the Royal Priors shopping centre and its gallery space is open, with separate adjacent studio unit to follow.

The next RA&M network meeting date: 15th May at the Alex.

27th Feb 2025

Welcome back…

Welcome back to the Rugby Artists and Makers (RA&M) blog, which has been neglected for a while. The new plan is to post here soon after our group monthly meetings, when all our news is fresh! Subscribers to the blog on the website will receive it by email.

Art at the Alex news

Our monthly meetings are hosted at The Alex and begin with a rundown of Alex news, events and opportunities. The Alex’s new opening schedule (Thurs-Sat 11-4 plus First Thursdays 6-9 with live music, Second Sundays 11-3, and more ) is on their NEW website, along with the full calendar of exhibitions, events and news. You can also subscribe to their new newsletter for Alex-and-beyond news. (including a link to this blog).

The following are open calls for local/RA&M artists: at The Alex

Salon des Refuses: on now til 1st March
RA&M Network exhibition “Transformations”, June
Summer Arts Exhibition, July
Rugby Town Exhibition, October
Alexmas at The Alex, December
Also in April and November you can pitch to be a solo or group exhibition, but there is a waiting list.

In other Alex news:
The Alex now hosts Belinda Edwards (ceramics) as its 4th studio holder, joining John Thompson (photography & more), and owners Steve Davies (printmaker) and Chris Pegler (fibre).
The Alex is a finalist in the Coventry & Warwickshire Business and Community Awards 2025 in the Cultural and Creative Activator category.
As you’ll see below, The Alex is also part of several wider events.

Five Senses exhibition

RA&M’s fifth annual exhibition in Floor One at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum was well attended and sales were made, but most noticeable was the publicity and “official” attendance. Our visitors included the mayor Simon Ward, deputy mayor Barbara Brown (at our celebration event), and councillors Richard Harrington and Bill Lewis. The local MP John Slinger, who went on to mention Rugby Artists and Makers, The Alex, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, and some of our artists, in the House of Commons.
See the exhibition catalogue here.

Wider news, in brief:

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum First Thursday talks include some art topics, and Creative Counsel sessions continue – RA&M member Jess Hartshorn talked to us this afternoon about merchandising your artwork. The Rugby Open has come to an end and the new Beyond the Canvas exhibition is due to open.
Coventry Open entry window has closed. A new entry fee for The Herbert will commence a couple of days after that exhibition opens.
The IKEA building in Coventry has £5m funding for a cultural hub.
LTB people are still operating but in a very different way – it’s a work in progress.
Anna Lorimer is due to open the new location of her art gallery.
The Percival Guildhouse has secured funding to enable it to continue beyond the summer and is seeking to make links with other art organisations, including The Alex.
Pop-ups are invited at Butterwicks.
LSA Art Room in Leamington is to close, but looking at a new location.
Lighthaus: two key artists behind the LSA Art Room are setting up a new venture more towards Leamington old town – more info on their website, including about crowdfunder. https://lighthausarts.com/
Spbace, an initiative to link people with spaces. has invited people to register interest if they have a space, or want one.

Events and exhibitions coming up (in addition to the full schedule at The Alex)

Rugby and District Arts Society‘s next talk is Jacqui Smithson on wet felting, 5th March.
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Floor One at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, March 4-15th. John Thompson, Clare Pentlow, Vikki Skinner. There will be an artist there most of the time. Private View Sat 8th March, 1-3.30.
Sue Phan follows in Floor One with “Flourishing” in association with the Community Arts Project charity she is involved with.
Brinklow Marina Arts Weekend, 3-5 May involves a number of RA&M members.
RA&M and The Alex are taking part in Rugby’s Alice in Wonderland themed Yarn Bombing event and have the caterpillar chapter. For more information: rugby.yarnbomb@gmail.com register. To get involved www.wildandfree.net/yarnbomb2025
Warwickshire Open Studios Summer Art Weeks (WOS), June: The Alex, Art in Dunchurch, Eric Gaskell and Colourful Outlook will all be WOS venues this year.
Northants and Rutland Open Studios (NROS). The Alex and Amanda I’Anson’s Beautiful Cloth Saori Studio in Daventry will both take part in NROS in September.
Rugby Literary Festival, October. Some of RA&M’s writers will take part at The Alex.

That’s all for now. More to come next month!

25th Jan 202425th Jan 2024

New year news – exhibitions and events coming up

Go Fourth!

Our Network goes forth with its fourth annual exhibition in Floor One of Rugby Art Gallery and Museum 23rd January – 3rd February, Tuesdays-Fridays 10-5, Saturdays 10-4. Open now, with more information here.

On the morning of Saturday 27th we will be having a celebration of the exhibition. The Deputy Mayor Cllr Simon Ward will be attending, and you too are welcome to join us to chat to the artists and celebrate our exhibition.

Our exhibition runs over the last days of the Rugby Open, which also closes on 3rd February, and many of our artists have work in the Open too.

Once Go Fourth and the Rugby Open are finished you can hop over to Coventry to see more work by our artists and makers at the…

Several members of our network have had work selected for the CASE exhibition to be held at The Herbert, Coventry, Friday 2 February to Sunday 3 March 2024. A varied selection of works by members of ten art groups from Coventry and Warwickshire will be on show.

Selected artists are: Aphrodite Kotis, Carol Wheeler, Clare Pentlow, Emma Town, Gemma Whitford, Ije, Jennie Fletcher, Jenny Ball (Ditherella’s Workshop), John Thompson, Mjay Mistry, Nicky Luntley, Steve Davies, Tamsen Flack, Vikki Skinner.

Some of our artists have also entered and been shortlisted for the Leamington Open so here’s hoping you’ll be able to see Rugby Artists there too.

Before the CASE exhibition closes, The Alex re-opens, with work by Rugby Artists and Makers then on show right through to August.

The Alex re-opens on Friday 16th February and as always you will find many of our artists there over the year’s events. Check their website for opening dates and times (usually first Thursday evenings and Friday – Saturday 10-4).

Our Network members are also making plans for the summer, including plans for Warwickshire Open Studios Summer Art Weeks and Art in the Park in Leamington Spa, so far…

25th Jun 2023

Warwickshire Open Studios Summer Art Weeks 2023 is go!

18th Apr 202318th Apr 2023

Crown incoming

Rugby Artists and Makers Network is one of the groups invited by Rugby Art Gallery and Museum to make a crown to be displayed in a town centre trail from 28th April. Our crown will be displayed in the window at The Alex. Our artists and makers have been creating “jewels” from a variety of materials and next week these will be gathered together and the crown assembled.

If you are curious to get an idea of how the crown might look you can see some of the component parts in a cabinet at The Alex on Friday and Saturday when they are open, 10-4pm. The Alex always has local art and craft on display. This month Eric Gaskell is in the gallery with an exhibition of canal themed linocut work. The Alex’s newsletter is the place to find out all that is going on there, including the live music and workshops.

Several of our Network members are also involved in Rugby Artists Group, who are preparing for an exhibition on Floor One gallery, which celebrates 21 years of this group!

Coming soon…

Printed brochures for Warwickshire Open Studios Summer Art Weeks will be coming soon, though the website is already live.

15th Mar 2023

Summer Art Weeks is live!

The Warwickshire Open Studios Summer Art Weeks website is live now. It’s not too early to put the dates in your diary and start planning a summer of art.

Some of Rugby’s artists and makers (many of whom are involved in our Network) are taking part and you can find them all here: https://www.warwickshireopenstudios.org/summer/nearbyhttps://www.warwickshireopenstudios.org/summer/nearby

Hannah OO Kempe and Darcy Eloise Hill are taking part for the first time and are supported by WOS as “Emerge” artists. Both are spending part of their time at Art at The Alex.

Experienced participants Eric Gaskell, IJE and Dot Crowe are opening their home studios.

Group events are taking place at Art at The Alex with 20 artists in this Rugby town centre venue and at Art in Dunchurch where 19 artists are individually registered.

Art at The Alex is where you will find most Rugby Artists and Makers Network artists in one place and they would be very glad to welcome you.

28th Feb 202328th Feb 2023

Blossoming

It feels like Rugby’s artists and makers are blossoming as spring gets into action.

The Alex newsletter is out with news of a solo exhibition by Richard Horsman, First Thursdays with music from Michael Luntley as well as poetry, a gelli printing workshop and The Alex’s arty weekends. See their newsletter or website for more details.

Lots of local artists and makers are through the first round of selection for the Coventry Open. 🎉

Many of our network members belong to other groups and one of those, Rugby Artists Group (RAG), is planning their next exhibition in April, at Floor One Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.

There are lots of opportunities for artistic growth in the area. Rugby Art Gallery and Museum have added adult workshops to their schedule, while their neighbour the Percival Guildhouse is into its spring term with dayschools coming up and summer schools ahead. If you like your learning more informal and experimental you might like to try ArtLab where you can meet in person or virtually with other artists and either bring your own work or experiment with the group in a particular medium. If you prefer to sit back and watch and listen to arty speakers then Rugby and District Art Society might be for you.

Looking ahead to the summer, plans are afoot for Warwickshire Open Studios Summer Art Weeks and this year the area hosts two WOS “Emerge” artists getting support to take part in the event for the first time.