About Us

In 2009, six artists with a mission to promote art and artists in their community and beyond formed Artwey Community Interest Company in South Dorset. 15 years later, we have over 100 members from beginners to well-established, award-winning professionals creating art by painting, printing, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photography and more.  We have put on hundreds of exhibitions, workshops and art events; been in schools, colleges, businesses and online; supported charities and local institutions and been there at festivals and community events.  Our art has made people smile, evoked nostalgia, provoked controversy and been a talking point. We have encouraged non-artists to become artists, supported one another through some tough times, celebrated each other’s successes, learned from each other and given opportunities to artists to develop and extend their practice.

Since 2009, our Directors and members have changed from time to time, but, we continue to passionately believe that art should be available to everyone because of it's power to enhance wellbeing, encourage dialogue and unite communities.   As Artwey continues to grow, we will continue to make art and culture a priority of our community lives.

Members are very much encouraged to be involved in running Artwey and they do lots of different things, such as Lyn who runs our website,  Olivia who organises our en plein air programme and Becky who is our Treasurer.

We create teams to manage group exhibitions, so there is opportunity for everyone to take on a role on a short-term basis, meet others in the group and perhaps learn a new skill which will help you in your own exhibition plans. 

You may be surprised to learn that we do all of this as volunteers. We rely primarily on the good will of our members, membership subscriptions and the occasional grant to carry out and fund our activities. If you think that you can help us either financially or in other ways - such as by volunteering with us - we would love you to 

Who’s Who

Because we are a CIC, we have a group of Directors who are responsible for the day to day running of our group. We are all volunteers and receive no remuneration for our work. Scroll down to read more about us. 

 

Hilly Longman (Chair) Director Elected 2021 I only moved permanently to Osmington Mills near Weymouth 4 Years ago and set up my studio in the garden with my best friend since college days, Fran Groves. My chosen media is sculpture, either ceramic or stone. I have visited the area for 40 or so years and a highlight has been the art shows hosted by Artwey or Dorset Art Weeks (DAW). I actually joined Artwey as soon as we moved in and have loved being part of this active community. I felt able to give some of my time and my experience as a past 6th form art teacher and a member of Surrey Sculpture Society to help and encourage others to become active participants of our artistic community and so applied to job share one of the Director’s roles with Fran Groves.

  

Fran Groves Director Elected 2021 I am very excited about  being an Artwey director and exploring new avenues for our membership. I share the role with Hilly (above) with whom I've exhibited in quite a few different sites from a tent to a church, and learnt a lot! When we first exhibited with Artwey, Hilly and I were so impressed with the support we got from them. Banners, posters, signs were brought to the house along with so many tips and encouragement. Just what new artists in the area needed! I am a photographer who spends many happy hours walking my dog along the coastal path finding endless inspiration in the nature around me. I try to inspire others to become ‘hands on’ in Artwey and expand our established place in the community. Hilly and I head up the Member Support work which includes overseeing the meeting and supporting of new members, workshops and the en plein air programme. As a retired teacher I have good communication and organisational skills and love being part of the future of Artwey!

Ian Cox Director Elected 2023 Living in Wyke close to the Fleet and central to the Jurassic coast, worked within various roles both in the UK and Vietnam for a time. My professional practice involves creating with a number of mediums including various paints, ceramics, acrylic resin, gold and sculpture in glass, steel and acrylic much of which is made utilising reclaimed materials . Am also involved in a number of community based and Land Art Projects. Great deal of my work is influenced by the sea, sky and nature, like the subject it is very fluid and allowed to evolve, many of my paintings retain paint from previous workings, these additional layers gives the work a much more physical presence, almost sculptural. You could say the story is also being told through the material and its use. My art can become very immersive, an artist once was asked "when is your work finished". The answer was "when they have been taken then away". This is the challenge, to walk away from the work and start a new story. Georg Baselitz was an artist who was very influential in establishing Neo Expressionism. Baselitz is quoted as saying “I begin with an idea, but as I work, the picture takes over. Then there is the struggle between the idea I preconceived and the picture that fights for its own life” This quote very much echos my own art practice.I was made aware of the Artwey community of artists when two of the then Directors gave a presentation to Weymouth College art students. I decided to join the management team to help develop links with local organisations in promoting local artists in Weymouth and surrounding areas.