Part of Story of Yeovil Exhibitions and Events

Exhibition: 6 July – 31 August 
Opening Time: Wed – Fri 12-4, Sat 11-4 (Other times by appointment, group visits are welcome)
Yeovil Art Space Gallery, Unit 13-15, Vicarage Street, Quedam Centre, Yeovil 

For the final public programme for the Story of Yeovil art and heritage project, we bring the focus back to the town centre, which has evolved over time. In the context of Yeovil Refresh, a regeneration project at the heart of the town, ‘About Town – Your Way’ invites you to explore its past and reimagine the future, starting at the South of the High Street, navigating your way through the Borough to Middle Street, passing through the Quedam Centre, Triangle and Glover’s Walk.

‘About Town Your Way’ is an exhibition telling the story of the town centre’s past, present and future, dating back to 1800. It is the final public programme for the Story of Yeovil art and heritage project. The Yeovil Art Space team has worked together with the South Somerset Heritage Collection, along with contributions from local historians and community members to create a display incorporating postcard collections, historical photographs, objects and archive materials. The exhibition gives a chance to see fascinating items from archive collections, a very special scrapbook from a Yeovil resident, a mosaic from Coronation Hotel & Vaults and 1950s store tokens from Denners Department Store will be on display amongst much much more.

Visitors will be invited to take part in events, walking down the ‘memory lane’ of the town centre’s past, sharing their stories, but also learning about the architectural features of some of the buildings in town from different eras. This is not your usual heritage exhibition, ‘About Town Your Way’ provides new ways to involve you! For example, a town centre scavenger hunt and a large-scale map displayed across the gallery inviting everyone to share their thoughts, stories and ideas about the future of the town. 

The exhibition also commemorates the new public artwork ‘Shapes of Yeovil’ created by YOU&ME Architecture. The first and foremost public artwork for Yeovil will be located at the Triangle in Middle Street, bringing voices of the community together and celebrating the wealth of culture and heritage in town. Limited editions of a new collection of merchandise will be launched at the exhibition.

In addition to the programme British Chinese artist Lisa Cheung from Spain/London will be in residence in Yeovil Art Space to create a specific work ‘Tools To Make‘. From 9 – 13 July, Lisa will be inviting people who have worked and are working in the high street to share the tools they use for their jobs. She will be producing a collection of cyanotype photograms of these tools to try to gather an overview of the working life of Yeovil and the activities keeping Yeovil High Street alive. 

Events

Join us for the following events during the exhibition.

Exhibition Launch
Saturday 6 July 2-4pm, FREE All Welcome
Part of the Summer edition of SuperSaturday event, come to join us for drinks and nibbles, hear more about the exhibition from contributors and to share your stories. 

Drop-in Cyanotype workshop with Lisa Cheung
Saturday 13 July 1-4pm, FREE All welcome
Bring your tool and create a special picture to tell the story of activities in our high street. Let us know if you would like to join at info@yeovilartspace.uk

Find out more about Lisa’s residency at Yeovil Art Space here.

Yeovil’s Wartime History Guided Walk
Wednesday 24 July 10.30am – 11.45am, £8/pp Booking essential
Led by an experienced team from the South Somerset Heritage Collection, we are taking participants on a walk through Yeovil’s backstreets and town centre, discussing how the town coped during the World Wars, and exploring the sites of vanished buildings. Book your ticket here

Find out more about the History Walk here.

Mapping Your Way
Every Sat 27 July – 31 Aug, 1pm – 3pm.  Free drop-in, welcome all ages
What can you remember from the past? What do you want to see in the future? Add your stories and ideas on the collaborative map of Yeovil town centre.