More than 80 artworks will be displayed in and around the landscape of Hadrian’s Wall when a growing rural art trail returns in September.
The Hadrian’s Wall Art Trail will run across three weekends from September 4-20, bringing together artists from Cumbria, Northumberland and further afield.
This year’s theme, Underfoot / Overhead, encourages artists and visitors to look afresh at the landscape, from the geology and archaeology beneath their feet to changing skies, weather and horizons above.
Painting, print, photography, textiles, illustration and mixed media will feature, with work exploring the natural world, traces left in the landscape and our relationship with the places we inhabit.
At the heart of the trail are two rural arts venues: The Threshing Barn at Green Croft On The Wall, near Gilsland, and Field Shelter, near Haltwhistle. Additional work will be displayed at The Samson Inn in Gilsland, while artist Sarah Colgate will open her studio to visitors.
Amanda Drago, of Green Croft Arts, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the response to this year’s Art Trail. With more than 80 works, including pieces situated out in the landscape, there will be so much to discover.
“Underfoot / Overhead encourages us to look at familiar places differently; to notice the ground beneath us, the skies above us and all those small details in between.”
Field Shelter’s Lydia Brockless added: “The Hadrian’s Wall Art Trail is an opportunity to reimagine our relationship to contemporary art by displaying artists’ work in unconventional rural settings.”
Alongside the exhibitions will be free workshops and participatory activities across all three weekends, although advance booking is required for some.
The closing weekend will also include an evening of live music at The Threshing Barn on Saturday, September 19, with Cumbria-based singer-songwriter Anne-Marie Sanderson and Australian indie-folk artist Isabel Rumble. Tickets are £15, or £10 concessions.
The exhibitions run September 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20, with venues open from noon to 4pm. Entry to all exhibitions is free.