Some of you might have already seen from our social media channels or in the local news that we have had to make the tough decision to cancel our International Open Art Competition 2025 and close the Gallery, with Saturday 16th August 2025 being our last trading day. While it fills us with great sadness having to make this announcement, we have been finding solace looking back over what we have achieved over the past three years, with the amazing people that have come through the Gallery's door and the fantastic art we have seen from our superb Gallery Artists or from our International Open Art Competition. Endings are always uncomfortable but there are usually specks of new hope and opportunity that can be found that help with the change. We are still open and have on display incredible work by our Gallery Artists which are available to be purchased. So please do pop down to the Gallery or check out out our Gallery Artist Pages as we are still able to facilitate remote purchasing. A final note needs to be said for the Gallery Artists that we have had the pleasure to work with over the years. We would like to thank our current Gallery Artists for supporting us through to the closure date and we are in discussion with other galleries to see if we can find new space for as many as possible. We have crossed paths and found some very talented people and it has been great to give a platform to showcase their work.

Following Howard's exhibition trip to the US and the big interest from artists there wanting to enter our International Open Art Competition but felt the deadline to enter was too tight, we've decided to... Extended our entries deadline until midnight on Monday 14th July to give more opportunity to enter! You can find out more about our 2025 Competition and how to enter by visiting the competition page HERE.

Photo Credits: Graham Hunt

We are delighted to announce the launch of Best Dorset Artist category for our 2025 Competition which is sponsored by Dorset Hideaways . All artists that reside within the county boundary of Dorset are eligible. Whilst we are an international competition eager to discover and show art from around the globe, Dorset is very much our home base. The county has a wealth of diverse creativity that deserves to be recognised and celebrated. Our aim is that the Best Dorset Artist category will provide a platform from which we can display the talent and creativity of the artists that call this picturesque county their home.

The origin story of The Adapted Class

Helping to usher in our new 2025 Competition prize category for Dorset based artists, we are holding an exhibition in the Gallery to celebrate some of the talented artists from Dorset who were finalists in our 2024 Competition. Running in the Gallery until Saturday 10th May. You can find out more about the exhibition by checking out its own page HERE . Our 2025 International Open Arts Competition is open for entries until Friday 4th July, You can find out more about the Competition - including the new Best Dorset Artist Category, sponsored by Dorset Hideaways - by viewing the 2025 Competition webpage HERE .

We are proud to announce that our 2025 International Open Art Competition is OPEN FOR ENTRIES. Along with a fantastic top prize of £5,000 we have two new category prizes fresh for this year, and our other category prizes too. The new categories are Best Dorset Artist - for artists that are based in Dorset - and The Adapted Class - for artists who paint with their mouth or feet or use adapted tools to create their art. More can be found out about the Competition on it's dedicated page on our website, the link is below. Good luck if you are entering and please spread the word to anyone else who you feel may be interested. Thank you!

In the Gallery from Monday 10th until Saturday 22nd February during opening hours, the Ocean Love Exhibition will feature paintings and sculptures by Scapa Joe that promote their love of the ocean, while still being in their distinct style that raises awareness about the environment. 'Whilst I have always loved the sea, since moving next to the sea 18 months ago , my love has grown.' - Scapa Joe You can preview some of the artwork that will be on display here. For more details please contact the Gallery.

20 of our Gallery Artists are helping us with the countdown to Christmas, with Christmas baubles they have created especially for us in their own unique style. Starting today and finishing on Wednesday 18th of December, we will be revealing the different baubles created by the Gallery Artists each day and showcasing the work of the featured Artist. You also have the opportunity to potentially own some of these fantastic baubles by entering our Prize Draw, where all proceeds are going to the charity - The Bank of Dreams and Nightmares . To find out more about the Christmas Bauble Countdown, please check out it's own page HERE