This 200 year old barn on Grovesend Road in Thornbury, formerly a piggery and then a pottery, opened as an art gallery on Monday 8th June 2020.
Many will remember the barn as Zair Pottery, the workshop of Chris Zair for almost 40 years.
The building has been empty since 2016, but was acquired by local artist, and Severn Vale Art Trail participant, Jenny Krupa.
Jenny and Bill have created a beautiful exhibition space, and a wonderful asset for the community; displaying art work from local artists and those from further afield.
Work ranges from pottery, jewellery, glass art, photography, willow sculptures, mosaics, paintings to textile art.
Local artists include the paintings of Anne McAllister and Shirley Sharp as well as the pottery of Clare Stephens and of course the unique work of paints on metal of Jenny Krupa.
The Art Barn is open daily from Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 4.00pm. Tea and cake are available.
Due to current circumstances social distancing is in place; hand sanitiser on arrival and a one-way system around the exhibition.
There is an attractive area to sit outside and enjoy some refreshments.
A must place to visit, which will be not only attractive to locals but also visitors to the town.
Thornbury Arts Festival and the associated Severn Vale Art Trail have fallen victim to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, with both events cancelled.
The arts festival should have run from April 24-May 2, with the arts trail due to have taken place from May 1-10.
But in view of the Government’s action to deal with the spread of the disease, the festival’s organising team said: “Regrettably we consider that it is appropriate with immediate effect to cancel Thornbury Arts Festival for this year.”
The committee said money paid for tickets would be refunded but that it could take some time to organise, maybe a few weeks.
In a message to supporters, it also said: “Inevitably, we will have incurred costs that we will not be able to recover and would welcome any donation that you might be willing to make to defray those costs and secure the livelihood of future Thornbury Arts Festivals.
“We thank you for your support of Thornbury Arts Festival in these unique and difficult times and we would ask for your patience over the coming weeks.”
The festival is organised entirely by volunteers and this year had been set to welcome performers such as impressionist and comedian Alistair McGowan, who had been booked to perform his Piano Show.
Los Pacaminos, the Tex-Mex band fronted by singer-songwriter Paul Young, was also in the programme, along with comedian Alfie Moore, jazz singer Cate Cody and former Home Secretary Alan Johnson.
The art trail had been set to feature nearly 70 artists in 33 venues across the Severn Vale.
Thornbury Arts Festival runs for ten days every Spring - see the calendar at the bottom of this page for full details of events when available.
The Arts Festival came into being in 1969 with varied programmes of events covering music, drama, film and comedy, as well as visual arts.
Signatures in the archive album range from an astronaut, an explorer, radio and television personalities and actors, writers and scientists as well as Big Bands, singers and musicians.
The programme also includes lunchtime talks and entertainment, children’s events including an Eisteddfod for music and drama, a village walk and The Severn Vale Art Trail.
As one of the longest running arts festivals in the country, the Thornbury event is run entirely by volunteers and boasts a mix of daytime and evening events to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.
More details are available on the Arts Festival website www.thornburyartsfestival.org.uk - and also the facebook page.
In 1989, Thornbury Arts Festival introduced a pre-Festival Eisteddfod with 30 classes for local instrumentalists and vocalists aged 18 and under.
It was held over two days at the Castle School and Manorbrook Junior School, sponsored by the Lions and attracted several hundred young people.
Over 25 years on, Daphne Ashton, who helped to set up the Eisteddfod, is still an active member of the team and the event is still generously sponsored by the Lions.
Since 1989, thousands of young people have participated in this wonderful event and many have gone on to make music a central part of their lives, sometimes professionally.
Watching the development of vocalists and instrumentalists year on year has been one of the delights experienced by those who have been involved in the Eisteddfod in the past 25 years.
Over the years there have been changes – now most of the classes are held in the peaceful setting of The Whitsun Hall, thanks to the hospitality of The Hatch Community and in St Mary's Church, but over the years many local schools, halls and churches have been host to the Eisteddfod itself and to the Eisteddfod Concert, which has always been the culmination of the hard work put in by participants and the volunteers who run this worthwhile event.
Classes have changed – some taken out, others added and over a hundred adjudicators have come along to encourage and advise young musicians and vocalists.
The age range has been extended and in 2001, Speech and Drama classes were added, enthusiastically attended by budding thespians.
Originally the Eisteddfod was organised by The Festival Committee but the considerable demands of the administration led to the formation of a sub-committee of hardworking volunteers.
For further information about this very worthwhile and enjoyable event for the young people of Thornbury and the surrounding districts, please see the events calendar at the bottom of this page and look at the Festival website – www.thornburyartsfestival.org.uk.
Any queries can be addressed to Kate Phillipson-Masters by email:
The Severn Vale Art Trail represents the visual side of Thornbury Arts Festival and takes place just after the Festival events.
The trail has become an annual event running over the early May Bank Holiday for a period of up to 10 days.
The trail consists of a number of group exhibitions, together with many individual artists, displaying their work in and around Thornbury and neighbouring towns and villages in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. Most venues are open from 10am-4pm.
This Art Trail is a wonderful opportunity for the public to access and view the work of established and new artists across the Severn Vale area.
Art works range from watercolour and oil paintings to photographic prints, enamel and glass work, jewellery, basket weaving, pottery and wood carving.
Visitors have the opportunity to talk with the artists about their work and buy high quality art at affordable prices.
A Showcase Exhibition offers a preview of art that can be viewed on the trail, and is usually on display at Papilio at Heritage on Thornbury High Street before the trail opens.
Brochures of the trail, with maps and venue locations, are available from mid-March at Thornbury Town Hall and numerous other outlets, or can be downloaded from www.thornburyartsfestival.org.uk/severn-vale-arts-trail.
For enquiries contact Eryl Daniels (Thornbury Arts Festival) 01454-419688 or email: .
You can also visit the virtual gallery here: www.thornburyartsfestival.org.uk/severn-vale-arts-trail
@mythornbury