The Summer Show 2026
New approaches by our Maker Members
Merlyn Chesterman’s Summer Show 2026 piece, ‘March 7th’ (in collaboration with Sally Byron-Johnson)
MAKE Southwest is proud to support a thriving community of almost 300 Maker Members from across the Southwest of England, including Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Bristol, and parts of Hampshire.
Working across a remarkable range of disciplines, including ceramics, textiles, jewellery, silversmithing, woodwork, willow weaving, print, glass, sculpture, leather, metalwork, mosaic, bookbinding, furniture, and mixed media. Our members represent the rich diversity of contemporary craft in the region.
Our membership spans every stage of a creative career, from students and recent graduates to established makers. The annual Maker Members’ Summer Show is open to all Full Maker Members, providing an opportunity to showcase outstanding work created within the last two years.
18 July - 10 October 2026
Jubilee Gallery
Events
Friday 17 July, 6 - 8pm: Opening Party
Tuesday 18 August, 10.30am - 12pm: Make a Kinetic Mobile with Beck Crawford - a Children & Families workshop
Tuesday 18 August, 1.30pm - 3pm: Make a Kinetic Mobile with Beck Crawford - a Children & Families workshop
Saturday 22 August, 10.30am - 3pm: An Introduction to Hand and Frame Loom Weaving, workshop with Jessica Cutler
This year, we have celebrated experimentation, highlighting makers who are exploring new ideas, materials, and processes within their practice. The exhibition brings together bold, innovative, and one-of-a-kind works, and pieces that reflect moments of discovery, risk-taking, and creative achievement.
Many thanks to our selection panel for this vibrant and exciting show.
We’re now on Bloomberg Connects!
Enjoy extra content for this exhibition - listen to audio interviews with featured exhibitors while walking through the gallery, or from the comfort of your own home.
Download the Bloomberg Connects app and enhance your visit with our FREE digital guide. Find out more.
Vote for your favourite maker!
Every year we give you, our visitors, the chance to vote for your favourite maker or piece in the exhibition. Use this form to submit your vote.
The maker with the most votes will receive our People’s Choice Award.
Voting closes 1 November 2025, 5pm.
The exhibitors
Inside the gallery…
Plan your visit
Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm.
Molly Lemon: A Year in Collage
The Print Room, 6 June - 25 July 2026
Moon Jars of Dartmoor: A materials research project by members of The Ceramics Studio of Imogen Taylor-Noble at Dartington
The Print Room, 1 August - 19 September 2026
In Praise of Small Things: an exhibition by Anita Reynolds, Lucy Spink and Rebecca Walklett
Riverside Gallery, 27 June - 5 September 2026
Kudzu: and other natural fibres in Japan
Riverside Gallery, 12 September - 31 October 2026
Maker Showcase - David Robertson: Printmaking
Maker Showcase Gallery, 4 July - 12 September 2026
Maker Showcase - Blandine Anderson: Ceramics
Maker Showcase Gallery, 19 September - 14 November 2026