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Yeovil Art Weekender 2026 – Open Call

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Yeovil Art Weekender is brand new arts and culture festival for Yeovil, taking place right here in our town centre!

Friday 27 – Sunday 29 March 2026,

Produced by Yeovil Art Space we have put the festival together with our member artists, the Yeovil Creatives, a group of Yeovil artists who are sharing their creativity with the community and we are inviting you to get involved!

In this three day event, you will see cultural events, art exhibitions, performances and creative workshops co-created with communities, artists and partners across the town. We aim to fill Yeovil with art and culture, celebrating creativity with all. 

We are now calling for Yeovil’s community, local businesses, community groups, artists and creatives to join us for Yeovil Art Weekender.

Would you like to put on an event, a pop-up display, a workshop, or exhibition during the event?

Let us know! We welcome everybody to be part of this event. Share your idea fill in the following form or contact us directly. The Yeovil Art Weekender celebrates Yeovil’s community and seeks to represent us all, we are open to ideas and would love to here from you…

Click to view Information Document

How can you take part?

  1. Share your idea with us via the Festival Entry Form
  2. Chat with a member of the team
  3. Get your idea ready
  4. Promote your idea
  5. Launch your idea during the Yeovil Art Weekender

What do you get from taking part in Yeovil Art Weekender?

  • Be part of an exciting brand new arts and culture festival!
  • No fee to take part in Yeovil Art Weekender
  • Signposting throughout the weekend
  • Be part of our printed programme
  • Promotion on Yeovil Art Space website and social media
  • Promotion in local and regional press
  • Support from Yeovil Art Weekender team
  • Cross partner promotion
  • Discover new audiences
Click here to share your idea!

Open Call: OUR TOWN Artist commission

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Yeovil Art Space (YAS) invites creative practitioners/artists (individuals or groups) to submit an Expression of Interest to work with our Art Action Group (AAG) and our team members to create new public artwork. The work should engage with Yeovil’s communities and be located in or focused on the town centre. This commission forms part of OUR TOWN, a year-long creative placemaking project supported by Somerset Council and Yeovil Town Council, funded by Arts Council England, aiming to shape the future cultural landscape of Yeovil Town Centre. 

We are seeking Expressions of Interest from creative practitioners/artists (individuals or groups) who wish to work with us to create new artwork exploring the following themes which has identified by the Art Action Group.

Connectivity & Movement – exploring how people navigate, inhabit, and interact with Yeovil Town Centre, including those from a diverse range of abilities, ages and backgrounds.

Hidden Voices & Stories – uncovering lesser-known narratives and lived experiences from the past to the present and re-imagining the future, including those living here for generations, newcomers and those connected with it.

Greening & Environment – addressing sustainability, nature, and ecological interventions in public space, including connecting wider geographical areas and resources.

Celebration & Activation – considering ways to animate and transform the town centre through creative interventions, including redefining the function and character of public spaces

The commissioned practitioner(s) will be responsible for developing ideas, methodologies, and approaches that engage with Yeovil’s community and lead to a tangible outcome. We expect the commissioned practitioners(s) to spend time engaging with Yeovil’s community or a specific community group in Yeovil. We will encourage the commission to utilise the development opportunities that link with the town centre regeneration, and the established connection with community and existing resources from Yeovil Art Space. This outcome can take various forms, in different public spaces, such as empty shops and community spaces, including but not limited to:

  • A material artwork (e.g., installation, sculpture, or mural) 
  • An immersive experience (e.g., projection mapping, sound-based work, music based project, digital intervention) 
  • A participatory event (e.g., performance, procession, or interactive experience) 

We are eager to work with practitioners(s) who are experienced in co-creation, taking an action-research approach to this commission and hope the resulting artwork will inform a future larger public realm art project, with findings contributing to future funding applications and the long-term artistic strategy for Yeovil Town Centre. The commissioned practitioner(s) will be expected to take part in an evaluation process and work with the Art Action Group on measurable outcomes.

Commission budget: £10,000 (including artist fee and production budget)
Submission Details: Please download the full brief HERE.
Submission Deadline: Friday 23rd May, 5pm


Glovers Walk: Yeovil Art Space and Love Yeovil appoint independent Town Centre Board

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Press Statement November 2024

Yeovil Art Space and Love Yeovil have been commissioned to organise a community led consultation for the future of Glovers Walk. This intends to help develop a range of uses on the site and presents an opportunity to trial ideas that will support the town centre and the wider Yeovil community. Following the transformation of Glovers Walk into a green space, the potential uses are open ended and provide very exciting prospects for Yeovil. 

As part of the consultation, Yeovil Art Space and Love Yeovil are pleased to announce the appointment of an independent Town Centre Board who will bring perspective and accountability to the project, ensuring Yeovil’s communities and voices are at the heart of the consultation. The Town Centre Board is composed of skilled and experienced individuals who are passionate about making positive changes to the town. The Board includes: Amanda Card, Ceri Stephens, Mark Bolton, Adam Dyer, Stephen Fox, Ian Timms, Gareth Witt, Jasmine Strak, Natasha Rand, Zoe Li, and Natalia Lewis. 

Ian Timms, Yeovil Refresh Project Manager, explains,

“The fund is provided on specified projects and is linked to specific outcomes. This means that we are committed by the grant agreement to deliver the demolition. All of the funding associated with the Future High Streets Fund (FHSF) must have been committed and leave the council’s account by 31st March 2025. All contracts or grant agreements related to the fund had to be in place, signed and sealed by 30th September 2024. The business case associated with the grant means that we are committed to delivery of a meantime space. 

In any development on larger sites the creation of a viable and deliverable plan takes time. We estimate that a new development on the site would take 3-5 years to realise based on other major development sites. The meantime uses will be important to enable positive uses on the site but will also inform the creation of the longer term development plan. The meantime uses are likely to be in place for a minimum of 1-3 years.”

Future High Street Funding has been allocated on the condition that the Glovers Walk demolition is to revitalise the area. The 1.5-acre disused shopping complex at the Yeovil town centre will be flattened in 2025 and an open green space will be created to test a breadth of ideas and potential meanwhile use for the area. 

To gather the input and ideas of Yeovil’s community, residents and business owners, Yeovil Art Space and Love Yeovil have launched a short survey, which is live until Saturday 30th November at 5pm. The survey asks the community what they would like to see for the future of Glovers Walk following its transformation into an open green space. This will inform both the meanwhile use and longer term plans for the area. 

Alongside the survey, there will be a series of workshops to capture the public’s thoughts and ideas at Yeovil Art Space on Friday 8th November, Wednesday 13th November, and Saturday 30th November. To sign up, please indicate in the survey via the link yeovilartspace.uk/gloverswalk or click the button below

Click to fill in our survey for Glovers Walk

About Town – Your Way

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…

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Taste of Yeovil Recipe Book Launch & Community Heritage Forum

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A celebratory evening to launch the ‘Taste of Yeovil’ community recipe book. 

6 – 8pm, 8 March 2024, Yeovil Art Space

Join Yeovil Art Space for the launch of our community recipe book ‘Taste of Yeovil’, telling the stories of nine Yeovil residents and their favourite food. Each participant was asked about why their favourite recipe is important to them, as well as how Yeovil has become their home. Designed by international artist Lisa Cheung, with illustrations from Yeovil College Students and featuring recipes from across the generations, this piece of work captures stories of food culture in our community over time. 

A friendly and sociable evening with food and fun. A chance to reminisce about your favourite places to eat and drink in the town. Did you enjoy coffee at Cadena‘s or a hot luncheon at the Cottage Cafe? Join in the game activities from Glade (glade.org) to share personal recollections about food which can then be added to the Story of Yeovil Digital Map (storyofyeovil.uk/story). Some of our recipe book participants will be at the event to share their stories and recipes.

Our community recipe book ‘Taste of Yeovil‘ will be available to buy for £5. There will be light refreshments served, inspired by the recipes in our recipe book, for a small donation. 

The event is free of charge, welcome all, but if you wish to attend please email us, or RSVP here https://forms.gle/NQa6KvKVtU9yRCmz7