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Join us in the gallery or online.
The Barn at Messums West is a 13th century barn and wooden roof over the heads of discussions and the sharing of information in person about creativity and our environment.
Our season of talks brings together experts and audiences to discuss the role of creativity and the relationship with environment across a range of topics.
Talks are free to attend for Students and online. Tickets are available in advance and where possible up to a limitation of numbers we try to have lunch together on one table for up to 80 people to break bread and share thoughts.
SYMPOSIUMS ARCHIVE
Saturday 4 October 2025
Our annual architectural symposium continued to look at the positive impact of innovation in construction and design in confronting some of the many challenges we face in contemporary society. It considered how thinking differently can present new solutions to old problems and looked at how imaginative solutions can help shape our everyday lives.
Saturday 12 July 2025
What is the place of sculpture in the 21st century? In an era which has seen government funding for the arts hit record lows, the pervasive influence of artificial intelligence in art and culture, the destruction of historic statues around the globe, and a crisis in art education, what is the fate of this medium that has been an integral part of human creativity for millenia.
LIVING IN A MATERIAL WORLD - ART, MAKING & THE ENVIRONMENT
Saturday 14 June 2025
For this one-day symposium at Messums West took art as a starting point to explore new materials and new ways of making that could shape our futures. We invited artists, designers, makers, researchers and institutional representatives to talk on and discuss how they are thinking about materiality in the 21st century
DOES ART WORK?
Saturday 24 May 2025
The symposium explored through examples from the creative industries, science, education, economics and welfare, why the arts and the act of making are so integral to fostering empathy, thinking about art and creativity as a language through which we understand ourselves and others.
CERAMIC SYMPOSIUM 2025
Saturday 1 March 2025
Aartists, writers and curators in a day of insight and investigation into ceramic and the innovative artists making with clay today.
Monday 11 November 2024
A platform for discussions that bridge artistic expression with environmental awareness, focusing on how landscapes can inspire and be transformed by creative endeavours.
Saturday 5 October 2024
Environmental symposium in partnership with Ocean Rising (an alliance connecting the ocean with culture), dedicated to the understanding of our oceans, with guest speakers including leading scientists and environmental experts.
ARCHITECTURE: RESTORE NOT MORE - REIMAGINING EXISTING BUILDINGS
Saturday 7 September 2024
Architectural symposium focused on the positive impact that rejuvenating, repurposing and refurbishing existing buildings has on both design and sustainability.
PAINT SYMPOSIUM 2024
Saturday 27 July 2024
A symposium on the subject of painting today, with leading artists, academics, curators and art historians exploring concepts of abstraction and discussing the current position of abstract painting.
CERAMIC SYMPOSIUM 2024
Saturday 6 April 2024
Ceramics symposium to mark Earth Month, focussing on the themes of Messums’ ‘Of the Earth’ exhibition, drawing attention to makers that are engaging with the raw materiality of clay and a connection with the landscape.
Saturday 7 October 2023
Architecture symposium considering buildings that function as creative spaces for arts in the community, the relationship between art and architecture, the interface between sculpture and architecture and the role of beauty in architectural practice.
ACTIVE ENVIRONMENTALISM SYMPOSIUM
Saturday 3 June 2023
Environmental symposium discussing issues currently faced with regard to problem solving around the environment, examining the metrics we work to and whether they are helpful in leading to positive change.
CERAMIC SYMPOSIUM 2023
Saturday 1 April 2023
Ceramics symposium, including presentations by artists, writers and curators. The symposium was paralleled by a ‘Young Clay Symposium’ organised by Messums Creative, where participants aged 10+ could celebrate ceramics through hands-on learning.
ARCHITECTURE SYMPOSIUM: RE-USE, RE-CYCLE, RE-IMAGINE
Saturday 17 September 2022
Architectural symposium celebrating the latest innovation and evolution in construction and design, examining changing practices with current examples of creativity and ideas of what might be possible in the future.
LIVING WITHIN - ARCHITECTURE 2020
Saturday 7 October 2020
A symposium to open the Architectural Models exhibition at Messums West, considering the radical changes in the spaces we inhabit.
CONTACT INFORMATION
- Messums Studios
- Unit 1 Homeland Security, Chilmark, SP3 5DU
Opening Hours
- By appointment (Tuesday - Saturday)
- Sunday and Monday - Closed
REFUNDS & CANCELLATIONS
We appreciate that sometimes things can change. Please see our Refunds & Cancellations Policy for more information.
