After all the buzz and excitement of the festive season the dark months of January and February can seem a little flat and humdrum but there is hope! Not only are we on the countdown to spring but there are still also lots of things that we can do to fill our days and make life seem a more colourful.
Here is our guide to some of the cultural and arts events happening in Cornwall that you could seek out and a few that you could get involved in if you fancy taking up a new hobby for 2024!
Kurt Jackson – The Fowey
Runs until 24th Feb 2024
For his newest exhibition at the Jackson Foundation in St Just in Penwith, Kurt Jackson focuses on one of Cornwall’s most iconic rivers, the River Fowey; tracing her route from the source high up on Bodmin Moor through farmland and wooded valleys across the county to where she meets the sea in the sheltered deep water estuary by Fowey town.
Winter at Botallack – Cornish Music from 1700s to present
2nd Feb 2024
For this event Jackson’s Claret will play traditional instruments in an evening of Cornish music, breathing new life into arrangements of both well-known and less well known songs tunes and dances. The Count House Cafe Botallack will be open and serving a variety of drinks and snacks.
Wheal Martyn Museum – Our Fading Heritage Exhibition
5th Jan – 28th April 2024
‘Our Fading Heritage’ exhibition is an exciting collaboration of mixed media works by contemporary artists Jemma Gunning and Andy Faulkner. Their work will focus on abandoned historic buildings and quarry sites and how they have shaped our landscape.
There will be a collection of drawings, paintings, prints and ceramic works that investigate the changing landscapes that surround us. Inspired by the ‘Cornish Alps’, the artists looked at how they could link various industrial landscapes across the UK.
Tate, St Ives – Outi Pieski Exhibition
10th Feb – 16th May
Outi Pieski is a Sámi visual artist based in Ohcejohka (Utsjoki), Finland. This exhibition in Cornwall will be her first large-scale exhibition anywhere in the UK.
Her striking paintings and installations explore several themes, including the culture and identity of the Sámi people – who live in the region of Sápmi, which now encompasses the northern part of Scandinavia and Kola Peninsula in Russia.
Why not get involved!?
Pottery Workshops, Goonzoyle Pottery
Learn to throw on the wheel or hand-build using clay. Small friendly pottery located outside of Camborne. There’s no need to sign up for weeks and weeks of pottery lessons just come for a taster session, a weekly workshop or just drop in when it is convenient. Suits all abilities.
Each 3 hour workshop is £25 – includes all materials and tools. Small fee for firing your work.
Art classes for all at Idless
January – March
Either join in for a one off session or a full 7 week course in this idyllic woodland location. Gabrielle is a working artist who runs life drawing, portraiture and botanical art classes throughout the year which run mornings, afternoons and evenings during the week, as well as life drawing workshops on Sundays. She has been running life drawing classes for over 20 years and recently completed a forest school commission for a series of botanical and animal paintings. Classes are for all abilities, beginners welcome!
Linocut Printmaking, with Lee Stevenson
6th Jan – 27th April
This is an introduction to relief printmaking at Lee’s studio in Long Rock. The workshop is ideal for anyone interested in using wood or lino to create an original artist’s print without using a press.
Stable Art – Art & Craft Classes
Closer to Padstow this gallery runs classes led by various artists all year round. From pottery to pastels, stained glass to linocut there will be a session for you!