Notice: Watts Gallery – Artists Village Listings For July And August

Published on: 9 Jul, 2020
Updated on: 10 Jul, 2020

Following the latest government guidance, Watts Gallery – Artists Village is delighted to announce it will reopen from Monday, July 6 in a phased approach to ensure the safety of visitors, volunteers, local community and staff.

John Ruskin, Study of an Oak Leaf, undated, pen and brown ink.

Admissions must be pre-booked online for its historic galleries. Click here to pre-book admission tickets and see what to expect during your visit. Click here to read for FAQs.

St Kilda Morning, Norman Ackroyd, etching and aquatint, 2019.

In the Watts Contemporary Gallery, the acclaimed exhibition Norman Ackroyd: Etching the Archipelago, featuring exquisite aquatint etchings by Britain’s foremost contemporary etcher, has now reopened having only been open for a few weeks before the coronavirus closure.

Admission to the exhibition is free with work available for sale. Proceeds support Watts Gallery Trust’s Art for All learning and outreach programme.

The Historic Galleries and Tea Shop will be open from Monday, August 3. Tickets at £6.50 will go on sale on Monday, July 20, and must be purchased online.

Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village. Photo by Andy Newbold.

The Historic Galleries were built to exhibit the work of leading Victorian artist George Frederic Watts and first opened its doors to the public on April 1, 1904.

Upholding the artist’s belief that art plays a major part ‘in the world’s wellbeing’, today this Grade II listed building continues to showcase the art of G F Watts. From his early work and social realist scenes to celebrated portraits and ambitious symbolic paintings, the Historic Galleries trace the evolution of his art over a prolific 70-year career.

Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village, Exhibition Unto This Last- Two Hundred Years of John Ruskin. Photo by Andy Newbold.

On August 17, the exhibition, Unto this Last: Two Hundred Years of John Ruskin will reopen.

This fascinating exhibition has been extended until November 2. Featuring treasures from the collections at Yale University including the Yale Center for British Art, the exhibition explores the legacy of John Ruskin (1819 – 1900), one of the most influential thinkers of the 19th century, and includes works by Ruskin, J.M.W. Turner, John Everett Millais, Edward Burne-Jones and other leading aritsts.

Tickets go on sale on Monday, July 20, and must be purchased online.

Several measures have been introduced to ensure social distancing is maintained including a limit on the capacity in the Tea Shop, shop and Watts Contemporary Gallery.

It will also be undertaking additional cleaning. Masks and personal protective equipment will be available for staff and volunteers and there will be clear Covid signage to help guide you and keep you safe.

Visitors will be asked to use the hand sanitiser stations, follow its one-way systems, be observant of social distance to other visitors and where possible pay using contactless cards rather than in cash.