Romsey Art Festival

It’s the second outing for this multi-venue event, which features exhibitions, film screenings, craft fairs, open studios, mural paintings and more, all with a goal of celebrating community through contemporary art.

Home to various exciting art spaces, as well as an abundance of quirky independent shops and cafés, the Romsey, Mill Road and Petersfield area has long been regarded as the true ‘cultural quarter’ of Cambridge, and the festival offers the perfect opportunity to soak up all this vibrant corner of the city has to offer.

The event is spearheaded by the team at the Cambridge Art Salon, who were keen to showcase the wealth of talent in the local community, making lots of different kinds of art as widely accessible as possible.

“‘The arts’ embraces so many diverse disciplines and mediums that everyone in the community should be able to see them as something that includes, and is meaningful for them,” explains Ruthie Collins, director of the Salon. “That isn’t always the case. The Cambridge Art Salon, particularly through the Romsey Art Festival, aims to change that. We also see the Art Festival as a vital starting place for new contemporary arts or creative projects with a real community focus.”

The festival opens with a family-friendly Hope for Syria day on Saturday 9 August, taking place 12-6pm at Hope Street Yard. As well as a bouncy castle and face painting for the little ones, there will be lots of stalls to explore, selling everything from retro clothing, bric-a-brac, furniture and art to Dutch and electric bikes.

There’s also a busy lineup of live music planned which includes performances from The Tuesday Club, Ellis, Connely & Reed and Incredible Creedence, amongst lots of others.

Food-wise, you’ll be able to get stuck into hot dogs, burgers, pizza and ice cream, as well as coffee, beers and wines. Live art will hit the streets from 3pm on the same day as the festival’s Art Party Walk starts out from the skate ramp at Parkside. Opening with music and dance from SIN Cru, the Rebel Arts cycle-powered disco will lead the way over the bridge into Romsey Town.

Local people are invited to join the procession, bringing along their music-inspired costumes and creations. Also on the schedule for this year’s festival are a host of exhibitions from local artists throughout the two weeks, including a show at the Six Bells pub, led by Jill Eastland and the Rebel Arts Network.

Meanwhile photographer Matt Widgery will be exhibiting his ‘Mill Road Faces’ collection, as well as sharing some tricks of the trade to help you get snapping in his street photography workshop.

There will also be a series of specially commissioned audio installations entitled Fade Into View around the Romsey Town and Mill Road area. Created by Unclaimed Creatures – also commissioned by the likes of the British Museum – these siteresponsive ‘movements’ can be listened to individually or altogether; see www.unclaimedcreatures.org for details.

“We see the Art Festival as a vital starting place for new contemporary arts or creative projects with a real community focus”

Fernando Feijoo and Matt Bagnell will be celebrating the launch of their collaborative print book ‘ProjectRun’ which curiously considers the many uses of the word ‘run’. In addition, the two will also be leading a print workshop, where you (and your dog) are invited to enjoy a day experimenting with wood block type poster printing, as well as lino cut images.

There’s plenty to entice movie buffs over the course of the festival too, with Cambridge Cinema Shorts taking over the Bath House on Saturday 9 August to present an afternoon of enigmatic, thought-provoking short films.

The Romsey area’s many popular foodie haunts are getting in on the arty action too, with the likes of cocktail bar 196 on Mill Road offering a unique concoction in honour of the festival and café Urban Larder hosting a special exhibition by typographic artist Katy Figg. Cambridge Food Tours, meanwhile will be offering a special Where Food Meets Art walking tour – which takes in multiple art exhibitions and seven delicious tastings at some of Mill Road’s favourite foodie haunts.

There will be plenty more to enjoy throughout the fortnight as well, with artists of all levels sharing their talents and skills with those keen to nurture their creativity, so be sure to get out and enjoy this unique celebration of art and the Romsey community.

www.romseyartfestival.org.uk