Discover Our Collection and Upcoming Exhibits at The Sherborne

Meet

DVA

Dorset Visual Arts (DVA) runs various events, curated projects and other opportunities for visual artists and makers across the county, including Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch.

As well as running Dorset Art Weeks and other arts projects, Dorset Visual Arts is working as the lead arts partner for The Sherborne.

DVA is developing an exciting visual arts-focused programme to engage the community and the wider public. It will provide a wide range of opportunities for Dorset artists and those from further afield to create a regularly changing exhibition, display and events programme interweaving the wide range of contexts and styles in which Dorset’s artists work – both locally and nationally.

Collections

Thornhill Mural

The Sherborne is home to the nationally significant Thornhill Mural. View and learn about this iconic Baroque mural by Sir James Thornhill, the renowned artist behind the dome at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Macready Screen

According to a family report, this most remarkable artefact was created in 1850 by the leading novelist of the day, Charles Dickens (1812-1870), and the leading Shakespearean actor William Charles Macready (1793-1873) in Sherborne House, where the former was a frequent visitor.

Jenny Pickford

A series of botanical sculptures designed by award-winning contemporary blacksmith Jenny Pickford have taken root within the gardens and grounds. Forged in her studio in Herefordshire, her collection – including ‘Agapanthus’ and ‘Bluebell’ – will be the most extensive collection of her sculptures in a public setting in the UK.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Exhibitions

26th October – 12th January

Making Dorset

Building on the county’s rich tradition of craft, design, and making, Dorset Visual Arts announces the return of its Making Dorset project group in a major exhibition at The Sherborne. Making Dorset will present the very best ceramic, furniture, silversmithing, print, glass, and textile work produced in the county, providing an important showcase for many skilled practitioners.

Exhibitions

23rd November – 23rd March

Drawing on Dorset

The Drawing Room at The Sherborne now gathers a selection of some of the original participants with new works that continue to explore Dorset as a place of inspiration for artists to investigate and respond to.

Exhibitions

18th January – 23rd February

Where You Find Your Self

‘Where You Find Your Self’ is a visual exploration of hidden Dorset, conducted over one year through various media, research, recording, and recollection by members of Dorset Visual Art’s Interrogating Projects Group.

Exhibitions

1st March – 20th April

BIND

Members of Dorset Visual Arts Salon Collective present new works which explore the relationships which bind as well as differentiate their various approaches to making work, with a focus and exploration on colour, drawing and interdisciplinary practice.