Artworks in 2026: new exhibition dates & new artists invited to apply.

Happy New Year art supporters, the dates for our next exhibition are confirmed!

Artworks 26th Annual Exhibition: 12th – 27th September 2026 at Blackthorpe Barn.

Two weeks & three weekends of contemporary art, made by artists living & working in East Anglia.

We are also accepting new artist applications in 2026. It is free to apply, there is no pre-selection of work or shortlisting process – we select artists based on the presentation of their work at our annual selection meeting. Spaces are limited, however we welcome the opportunity to see the work of all artists interested in exhibiting with Artworks.

You need to live & work in East Anglia to be eligible – we are the foremost contemporary art exhibition showcasing the work of East Anglian artists. Last year we celebrated twenty five years!

The location of our exhibition is the splendid setting of Blackthorpe Barn in the heart of rural Suffolk. You will need a means of transport for setup & stewarding. Blackthorpe Barn has many facilities onsite for visitors to enjoy.

On receiving your initial application, you will be invited to bring a selection of your work for the group to consider at our annual selection meeting. 

This is an opportunity for the group to get to know each artist’s work & then offer selected artists the opportunity to exhibit with Artworks in 2026. If selected, you choose which works to exhibit at Artworks – work should be new or recent, created within the last two years. Our supporters value the exclusive ‘first look’ element of our annual exhibition, and this sparks many interesting conversations. 

The closing date for applications is Saturday 21st February 2026.

Go to artworkseast.com/apply-membership – there is still a couple of weeks to send us your application – no images or list of works are required for the application form.

Explore our photo archive of previous exhibitions.

Artworks 2025: Meet the Artists

Artworks ‘Meet the Artist’ returns in 2025: discover more about an artist’s ideas & inspiration, media & techniques – free to attend & no booking required, just pop in any time between 10am and 4pm to ‘meet the artist’ of the day!

Each day will be different according to how the artist wishes to share & discuss their work, from creative conversations to technical demonstrations. Please note, these are not tutored workshops.

Any changes to the MTA schedule will be published here www.artworkseast.com/blog & on our Instagram @artworkseast.

Saturday 13th September 2025
Lucy Perry – Artful florals (drawing & painting techniques for lively blooms)

Sunday 14th September 2025
Martin Coe – Against the landscape

Monday 15th September 2025
Terry Bryan – Eureka!

Tuesday 16th September 2025
Christine McKechnie – Collage my way

Wednesday 17th September 2025
Cathy D’Arcy – The owl and the pussycat

Thursday 18th September 2025
Lousie Chapman – Talk to me, a woman who loves to paint

Friday 19th September 2025
Elisabeth Rutt – In stitches
Lillias August – Watercolour, freedom and control

Saturday 20th September 2025:
Valerie Armstrong – Marks and mixed media: The play stage at the beginning of an acrylic layered painting

Sunday 21st September 2025
Hazel Bradshaw – Printing for fun with a manual die cut machine
Lyn Aylward – Painting an oil portrait

Monday 22nd September 2025
Christine McKechnie – Collage, my way

Tuesday 23rd September 2025
Kit Price Moss – Painting for Pleasure or Printmaking for Pain?

Wednesday 24th September 2025
Eileen Revett – The wonderful world of woodcut printing

Thursday 25th September 2025
Cathy D’Arcy – The owl and the pussycat

Friday 26th September 2025
Valerie Armstrong – Marks and mixed media: The play stage at the beginning of an acrylic layered painting

Saturday 27th September 2025
Judith Glover – Ten minute pastel portrait sessions
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Sunday 28th September 2025
Chris Gamble – Enjoying drawing

Artworks 25th Annual Exhibition
Saturday 13th to Sunday 28th September 2025
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP30 9HZ
Exhibition open daily 10am to 4pm.

Two Weeks and three weekends of Contemporary East Anglian Art.

Entry to the Artworks Exhibition is free. Extensive free parking. Visit the nearby Roots Café on the Rougham Estate for all day refreshments (café open 9am to 4pm).

Artworks shop: greetings cards & artworks that you can purchase & take away on the day. Wooden browsers (racks) throughout the exhibition display original drawings, prints & paintings.

*We have been notified there are roadworks planned on some routes that lead to Blackthorpe Barn. For daily updates, please visit https://one.network/ and tap in IP30 9HZ.

Contact us via artworkseast.com/contact with any queries or follow @artworkseast on Instagram for ARTWORKS news & other updates.

Best wishes from everyone at Artworks.

Artworks 25th Annual Exhibition at Blackthorpe Barn

Artworks celebrates twenty five years at its spiritual home (where it all began!) at Blackthorpe Barn, with the opening of Artworks 25th Annual Exhibition in September 2025.

Artworks 25th Annual Exhibition
13th to 28th September 2025
Blackthorpe Barn at Rougham Estate
Rougham, Nr Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP30 9HZ

An established annual event in the East Anglian art scene, Artworks welcome thousands of visitors to its annual exhibition, where elected Artworks members and guest artists showcase new & recent work. This is a wonderful opportunity to see fresh, contemporary art in the form of paintings, prints, textile art and sculpture by 28 East Anglian artists all under one roof.

  • Over 300 new & original artworks
  • Daily opportunities to meet the artists
  • Mini Artworks Prize Draw in support of EACH
  • Refreshments at Roots Café, open 9am – 4pm
  • Free entry, free parking
  • Nature trails on the Rougham Estate

Artworks Shop: greetings cards & smaller artworks that you can purchase & take away on the day. Wooden browsers (racks) throughout the exhibition display original drawings, prints & paintings, all at unframed prices – art for every budget.

Exhibiting artists: Valerie Armstrong, Lillias August, Lyn Aylward, Hazel Bradshaw, Terry Bryan (shop only), Sue Caddy, Louise Chapman, Martin Coe, Nicola Coe, Gillian Crossley-Holland, Cathy D’Arcy, Nicci Dedman, Janet French, Chris Gamble, Judith Glover, Jazz Green, Julia Groves, Simon Kimmins, Lucy Lutyens, Christine McKechnie, Kit Price Moss, Joe Pattison, Lucy Perry, Eileen Revett, Elisabeth Rutt, Rick Tomasi.

Artworks 25th Annual Exhibition
Saturday 13th to Sunday 28th September 2025
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP30 9HZ.

TWO WEEKS, THREE WEEKENDS.

Exhibition open daily from 10am to 4pm* (please note earlier closing time, in line with other businesses on the Rougham estate).

How to find us: Tap IP30 9HZ into your SatNav or follow the signs from Junction 45, east of Bury St Edmunds on the A14. Look out for the entrance gates at the ‘White House’ T junction, and the tree-lined avenue that leads up to Blackthorpe Barn with visitor parking signposted on the right-hand side.

Visit the Rougham Estate website for more information on the location, including the café & garden shop, crafts fair, local public transport & other amenities.

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Contact us via artworkseast.com/contact with any queries or follow us @artworkseast on Instagram for regular exhibition news & updates.