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Pittenweem Arts Festival

A celebration of the visual arts; taking place in galleries, homes, studios and venues throughout Pittenweem

Festival 2021 Cancelled: Friday March 26th 2021

Since our January update, plans for holding the Festival in 2021 have become increasingly less optimistic. Despite vaccination, lockdowns and restrictions, the world is struggling to control the virus.

New waves of Covid in the EU and new variants globally are causing concern. So with regret, but unsurprisingly, the Board has decided to cancel this year’s festival. We took the view that the risk to ourselves, the public and artists in inviting thousands of visitors to a small village like Pittenweem would be irresponsible.

On a positive note and depending on the situation with the virus later in the summer, a curated series of exhibitions will be held in the festival gallery ART@47. This would provide an artistic presence on the High Street in a controlled space. The festival website will have updates nearer the time.

We do hope to welcome everyone to Pittenweem Arts Festival 2022. Thank you for your continuing support.

Invited Artists 2021: now held over

Janette Kerr

Angus Ross

Fife Dunfermline Printmakers

About the Festival

Now in its 39th year, Pittenweem Arts Festival continues to delight. With just over 20,000 visitors coming each year to experience the art on display, workshops and events we know that the mix must be just about right.

As it all takes place in such a beautiful village, which is guaranteed splendid weather at Festival time, a visit is definitely rewarding.

Exhibiting Artists

There are well over 100 artists, displaying their work throughout the village: mainly in houses but also in garages, halls, sheds and really anywhere that has a place to hang or place artwork.

This is the surprising and endearing feature of the Festival, to come across art presented in a house or in a normally featureless garage Here it is, an array of landscapes, an explosion of colour in textiles, a selection of paintings or a collection of fine-worked jewellery. Because you’re not in a formal gallery, it’s actually easier to appreciate the artist’s work and you’ll have the opportunity to talk with the artist.

Festival Toolbox

How to: register as an artist and exhibit at the Festival

How to: apply for the Festival’s Bursary Award

How to: show your work in the Open Art Exhibition

How to: volunteer and help at the Festival

How to: support the Festival

How to: get to the Festival and parking arrangements

FAQs

How to: contact us

Bursary Award

Our highly -successful scheme to promote beginning artists and provide them with an unequalled opportunity to exhibit, goes from strength to strength. We provide a venue for the exhibition and a sizeable cash sum to cover all costs.

With this kind of support and the recognition of the award, beginning artists have the opportunity to exhibit their work and because it’s Pittenweem with the large number of visitors, they have a chance to meet with prospective buyers and promote their art.

Boat : Sophie Demery

2019 Bursary Award Winner: Sophie Demery

Open Art

Early on in the Festival’s development we realised that there were many artists who wished to show at the Festival but couldn’t. Maybe they were without a venue or they did not yet have enough material for a full exhibition.

To allow these artists some exposure, we began the Open Art Exhibition which means artists can submit individual pieces. This helps out and has proved to be a very successful venture.

Invited Artists

Our yearly invitation to several internationally known and respected artists has resulted in acclaimed and innovatory shows.

Our Invited Artists leave the art circuit to mount and curate the show themselves. They have a free hand to select and display work they have chosen or created specially for Pittenweem.

This results in comments from Graham Rich naming his 2017 show as: my best and Glen Onwin in 2018 saying: a fairly complex install as I expected but I have enjoyed it greatly.

This year we are excited to have:

Janette Kerr Angus Ross

Fife Dunfermline Printmakers

Invited Artist Calum Colvin’s exhibition 2019

These can take a bit longer to get organised but we have a fair number lined up. There’s a summary of what’s taking place on the Events page.

Paul Furneaux (r) 2017 Invited Artist giving a mokuhanga, Japanese printing workshop

Events & Workshops

Galleries

When you’re in Pittenweem for the Festival, it’s easy to recognise that this is an artistic community.

What is not so easily noticeable is that there are about 30 artists resident in the village. Coupled with this is the very healthy number of galleries, Pittenweem sustains its artistic reputation through the galleries which, after the festival throngs have gone, remain open all year round.

ART@47

Our office space is also a dedicated exhibition space. Click on this panel to find out more about current exhibitions, what we have previously shown and how you can use ART@47.

The Royal Burgh of Pittenweem Arts Festival

A company limited by guarantee and a registered charity

Company number SC 233084

Charity number SCO 24165

47 High Street Pittenweem Fife KY10 2PG

info@pittenweemartsfestival.co.uk

01333 313 109

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