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ArtWorks East Exhibition 2025
Key details
When:
Date:
Time:
13th - 28th Sep
10:00 - 16:00
Where:
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
SatNav: IP30 9HZ
Pricing:
Free Entry
25th Anniversary Exhibition of Artworks
With its reputation for high standards of fresh and contemporary work, Artworks East seeks to interest and inspire in a wide range of media created by 30 of East Anglia’s leading artists and has been doing so for 25 years now.
A highlight of the East Anglian art scene, this is a great opportunity to see contemporary 2D and 3D work by 30 of East Anglia’s established and popular artists. All the exhibits are new to the Artworks each year and are for sale.
A great favourite of the exhibition is the Mini Artworks Prize Draw; thirty mini artworks created by the Artworks artists will be on display during the main exhibition and the proceeds benefit their Schools Programme and a chosen East Anglian charity, which this year is East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).
Meet the Artist
There are also daily opportunities during September to Meet The Artist at the exhibition, where one or more artists will be demonstrating how they create their work:
Saturday 13th: Lucy Perry – Artful florals
Sunday 14th:
Martin Coe – Against the landscape
Monday 15th: Terry Bryan – Eureka!
Tuesday 16th:
Christine McKechnie – Collage my way
Wednesday 17th:
Cathy D’Arcy – The owl and the pussycat
Thursday 18th:
Lousie Chapman – Talk to me, a woman who loves to paint
Friday 19th:
Elisabeth Rutt – In stitches and
Lillias August – Watercolour, freedom and control
Saturday 20th:
Valerie Armstrong – Marks and mixed media
Sunday 21st:
Hazel Bradshaw – Printing for fun and
Lyn Aylward – Painting an oil portrait
Monday 22nd:
Christine McKechnie – Collage my way
Tuesday 23rd: Kit Price Moss – Painting for Pleasure or Printmaking for Pain?
Wednesday 24th:
Eileen Revett – The wonderful world of woodcut printing
Thursday 25th:
Cathy D’Arcy – The owl and the pussycat
Friday 26th:
Valerie Armstrong – Marks and mixed media
Saturday 27th:
Judith Glover – Ten minute pastel portrait sessions
Sunday 28th:
Chris Gamble – Enjoying drawing
You can sign-up for tickets to be invited to the Private Viewing for this 25th Anniversary show on 12th September, by going to the Artworks East website.
The setting for the exhibition is the spectacular thatched, late medieval Blackthorpe Barn, part of the Rougham Estate.
Important information
There is plenty of free parking at Blackthorpe Barn.
Accessible parking is near the café/shop.
More parking is available slightly further down the avenue.
Please be aware that this is a rural location and paths can be muddy depending on the weather conditions.
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25th Anniversary in 2025
This September Artworks will be celebrating its 25th annual exhibition at Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham Estate near Bury St Edmunds.
The initial idea for Artworks was the inspiration of friends Katie Millard and Graham Portlock. They stood together in the beautiful 15th Century thatched barn, looked around and decided as one it was the perfect setting for an art exhibition. Then they set to, phoned artist friends and colleagues and the first exhibition was soon underway proving such a success that there was a resounding vote to exhibit the next year and so it has continued.
“We still have original members in the group and none of us ever dreamt, when we took part in the first exhibition at Blackthorpe Barn in 1999, that we would still be going strong 25 years later. It’s a very exciting time and shows that people in East Anglia have a real interest and appreciation for high quality art from professional artists.
As a group, we have always encouraged the addition of new guest artists and this approach has worked well over the years. It means in addition to the new work of familiar artists there are always surprises. For our 25th exhibition though, we have invited back 3 previous members whose inspiring work we’ve continued to admire; Lillias August, Louise Chapman and Lucy Lutyens.”
Gillian Crossley-Holland, Chair and one of the founder members of Artworks
Over the years Artworks has also established strong ties with local schools, providing free workshops and inviting school visits which are often as surprising to the artists as to the children.
As has been the practice for 25 years all the work exhibited is new to Artworks and ranges from colourful abstract art to exquisite botanical illustrations, dramatic landscape paintings to insightful portraiture, robust ceramics to delicate figurative work, elegant bronze sculptures to surreal constructions.
At the exhibition there will be opportunities to meet the artists and take part in the popular ‘Mini Artworks Prize draw’ which raises money for this year’s charity, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and the Artworks Schools Programme.
Where to find us
Plenty of free parking on site
Please keep to the 5mph limit
Disabled access available
This is a rural location and paths can be muddy
Blackthorpe Barn is situated just south of Junction 45 of the A14, three miles east of Bury St Edmunds, in the village of Rougham.
Look out for the entrance gates to a long tree-lined avenue at the White House junction.
The Barn is down the avenue, on the right.
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If you’ve been thinking “I need a day to reset…” this is it.
A full day at Rougham Estate this coming Sunday is the perfect opportunity to slow down, breathe, and properly switch off.
Woodland walk in the spring sunshine, yoga, sauna + cold plunge, sound bath… and a nourishing lunch to finish the day off.
A few spaces are still available but not many. So if you would like to join us book now via the website ☺️
#reset #wellbeingday #roughamestate
If you have been watching the rethatch with interest and are wanting to see it in action - then don’t wait any longer. The thatching is set to finish on Tuesday next week!
As we’ve been on our thatching journey, we’ve been asked plenty of questions and we’ve discovered even more along the way. It’s been a real learning curve for everyone on the Estate and George has been right at the heart of it answering as many questions as he can.
You can watch the full video on our website in The Rougham Post (link in bio), but here’s a little taster of some of the questions we’ve been asked.
#RoughamEstate #ThatchingJourney #TraditionalCrafts #HistoricBuildings
Chefs… still working nights?
There’s another way.
At Roots Café, we’re looking for a Chef de Partie to join a kitchen built around daytime hours, proper food and a place that lets you breathe.
Set in the Suffolk countryside, this is hospitality with a different rhythm.
No late nights.
Seasonal, creative cooking.
A team that genuinely cares.
If you’re ready for a change - or know someone who is - this could be the one.
👉 Apply via the link in our bio
👉 Or tag a chef who needs this
#chefdepartie #chefjobsuk #suffolkjobs #burystedmunds #worklifebalance❤️
After a week of chocolate, half-term chaos, and at least 47 “I need a minute” moments… this is your sign.
@the_roaming_sauna_ is back this weekend - wood-fired, tucked into the meadow and ready to sort you out.
Hot sauna.
Cold plunge.
Repeat until you feel like a new human.
No emails.
No noise.
Just heat, cold and a bit of Suffolk calm.
Go on… you’ve earned it.
📅 ⏰
10th Apr 18:00 - 21:00
11th Apr 09:00 - 19:00
12th Apr 11:00 - 16:00
17th Apr 18:00 - 21:00
18th Apr 11:00 - 20:00
👉 Limited spaces - don’t hang about
Book direct with The Roaming Sauna @the_roaming_sauna_
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This is going to be a banger…
Forget the Great British Bake Off, make room for the Great Rougham Sausage Vote.
Our chefs, alongside Thurston Butchers have been busy dreaming up some seriously creative flavours for a brand new exclusive Rougham sausage and now it’s down to you to finish the creativity off.
Vote for your favourite flavour in the poll on stories, or comment below and the winning sausage gets made into a limited edition weekly special, right here at the café.
We’re heading to @thurstonbutchers next week to bring the winning sausage to life, so your vote actually matters!
The contenders are:
1. Nduja & Burrata
2. Bloody Mary
3. Smoked Cheddar & Apple
4. Spiced Lamb & Mint
5. Chipotle & Brie
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7. Apple & Cranberry
So, what’s your favourite?
Poll closes Thursday 16th April - so vote and rope in your mates, and may the best banger win.
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We’ve had lots of interest in our upcoming Cherry Blossom workshop that we can taste the Prosecco!
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We are pairing professional art guidance from Day Design with the cosy, rustic atmosphere of Blackthorpe Barn for a night of acrylic painting, grazing, and sipping.
Every guest gets their own masterpiece to take home, fueled by a glass of bubbly and a curated selection of tapas.
If you’ve been thinking about trying something new or just need a creative night out, we’d love to see you there.
Seats are filling up, so head to the link in our bio to make sure you’re part of our very first session!
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We’ve featured our new adults’ menu, but we also have a new children’s menu.
There’s plenty on the list to satisfy all types of little eaters.
So if you fancy a day out this week, you can rely on Roots Café to be a safe destination for all the family. We also welcome well-behaved dogs.
Have a walk around our beautiful Estate first, perhaps?
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Thatch update… week eight
We’re nearly there.
On this Easter Day, we’re entering the final stages, with the team working on the ridge, the detail that brings the whole roof together.
Blackthorpe Barn continues to take on its rich golden finish, and it’s been something special to watch this traditional craft unfold week by week.
With completion now in sight, if you’ve been thinking of visiting to see the thatchers at work, we’d recommend doing so soon.
If you’re spending part of your Easter with us, take the time to enjoy the café and explore the shop.
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