A major new collaborative exhibition will open next month at The Young Gallery.

The exhibition is free to visit from 11 September in Gallery 2.

Drawing Together: Bath Academy of Art at Corsham brings together artworks from Bath Spa University Collections, Chippenham Museum and The Young Gallery for the first time. Featuring painting, photography, print and sculpture, from artists including Gillian Ayres, William Scott and Walter Sickert, the exhibition explores teaching, learning, creative practice and everyday life at the Academy

Founded in 1852 as the Bath School of Art, the institution relocated to Corsham Court in 1946 after its premises were damaged during the Second World War. The exhibition marks the 80th anniversary of this move, which transformed the small Wiltshire market town of Corsham into an important centre for art education and creative experimentation.

Artists, designers and teachers associated with the Academy helped shape post-war British art and art education, establishing a distinctive creative community. That community continues today, partly through Bath Spa University, which emerged from the Academy at Corsham. Yet the Academy’s presence across Bath and Wiltshire – and the region’s connections to many significant artistic figures of the twentieth century – remains relatively little known.

More than 40 Bath Spa University students have been involved with the project through bespoke workshops, discussions, interpretation and creative responses. Working as collaborators within the curatorial process, the students have brought new perspectives to the works of art, histories and ideas explored in the exhibition.

The exhibition will evolve as it tours to Chippenham Museum and the Michael Pennie Gallery at Bath Spa University, with each venue presenting a different aspect of the Academy’s history and legacy.

Drawing Together: Bath Academy of Art at Corsham is free to visit and no booking is required. It will be displayed in Gallery 2 at the Young Gallery from 11 September until 21 November 2026.

Tour dates

11 September – 21 November 2026: The Young Gallery, Salisbury
4 December 2026 – 20 February 2027: Chippenham Museum
5 March – 11 April 2027: Michael Pennie Gallery, Bath Spa University

Cllr Mel Jacob, Deputy Leader of Wiltshire Council and Cabinet Member for Communities, Engagement and Corporate Services, said: “The result of this collaborative project is a distinct exhibition which offers a glimpse into the history of the Bath Academy of Art and the important cultural role it has played.

“Everyone involved in the project, from the passionate students to Bath Spa University, Chippenham Museum and the Young Gallery, has enjoyed curating this exhibition and is looking forward to sharing it with the public.”

Helen Cobby, exhibition project lead and Curator of Bath Spa University Collections, said “It has been enormously valuable, and a real pleasure, to work so closely with colleagues at the Young Gallery and Chippenham Museum, and with Bath Spa University students. The students have been active collaborators in the curatorial process, bringing fresh and lively perspectives. As the exhibition evolves across its three venues, we hope it will reveal the continuing significance of the Bath Academy of Art and create new connections between its collections, communities and legacies.”

Bath Spa University Games Development student, said: “I hope visitors have as much fun exploring the artworks through the exhibition as we’ve had in collaboratively creating it.”

Dr Emily Dunbar, Curator and Gallery Manager, said: “Working in collaboration with staff and students across Bath Spa University and Chippenham Museum has brought the distinctive history of Bath Academy of Art to life in a new way, offering a valuable insight into this creative institution. It is a unique opportunity to see artworks from these different collections together for the first time.”

For more information about The Young Gallery, people should visit https://www.younggallerysalisbury.org.uk/