After a busy time at our Somerset Open Studio, myself and the other Jo Neon decided on a trip to visit the fabulously newly opened Messums Wiltshire, in Tisbury. Housed in a fabulous 14th Century monastic tithe barn built by the Abbess of Shaftesbury, at 65 metres long and 11 metres wide, it is the largest thatched building in the country.
The barn at Tisbury is an evolution of Messum's long-established gallery in Cork Street, London and has been set up by Johnathan Messum. He said the barn will be a centre for art, design, performance and education, providing an exciting and accessible experience of art and the creative instinct.
We visited during the Bronze & Stone exhibition. The show brought together the work of 3 internationally recognised contemporary sculptors, from the South West, Tim Harrison, Bridget McCrum and Dominic Welch, their work creating a powerful response to the soaring interior.
We really liked the interior of the barn - the craft and book shop, cafe and office are in a pod on the stone floor but does not touch the walls or roof timbers.
This fabulous new centre for contemporary visual and performing arts, and educational programmes with schools, has an exciting series of upcoming events and exhibitions. Visit their website for more information and directions.