Artober

Contemporary art at Royal William Yard

Artober is back for its third year, turning Royal William Yard into Plymouth's autumn home for contemporary art. It will feature exhibitions with locally and nationally renowned artists, some in residence for the duration and others with shorter pop-up shows, creating a constantly evolving display of contemporary art, large-scale oil portraits, landscape photography and interactive installations.

The Artober exhibition is the finale of the Yard’s third month-long contemporary art festival, which has already brought the Affordable Art Market, Plymouth Art Weekender, Path’s Hope Begins With A Home community exhibition, art workshops, and the Paint Out to the waterfront this October.

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Artober Exhibition

Friday 23 October – Sunday 1 November, 11am – 4pm
Melville Corner

Royal William Yard’s Artober Exhibition opens on Friday 23rd October at Melville Corner. For nine days it brings together 21 artists and makers, including the five winners of the Yard’s first Paint Out. Entry is free.

Among the artists showing their work at the Artober Exhibition are The Conscious Sisters CIC, run by Plymouth sisters Karen and Fiona Evans, who rework historic knitted fishermen’s jumpers to explore contemporary fishing issues. They are joined by the Yard’s own artist in residence, Sally Holt, known for her animal portraits in charcoal and on canvas. And textile designer Ewa Morawska, whose mixed-media collages and hangings draw on weathered surfaces and objects found on the shoreline.

The coast and moor run through much of the exhibition. Kate Bosence brings energetic, often abstract paintings and prints of Dartmoor and the coast. She’s joined by Gary Winters, who shares her Dartington studio and works across painting, print and collage. Donna Francesca paints atmospheric coastal scenes in oil, ash and wax, and Amy Teague uses a palette knife for her seascapes and landscapes. Alongside them are James Lewis’ seascapes, Elaine Ford’s paintings of land and sea, Erica Ankers’ semi-abstract paintings capturing the light and atmosphere of places, and Grace Beswick’s bold, nature-inspired prints.

Elsewhere, Martin Bush shows his bold, abstract impressionist paintings, Amber Jane Stevens explores feminine identity in contemporary painting, and former architect and designer Graham Steen brings his intricate drawings and paintings to the Yard. Former textile designer Polly Plouviez shows colour-drenched paintings, and digital pop artist Bored Claude completes the line-up.

The five winners of the Paint Out, held at the beginning of October, will take their place in the exhibition. Artists had four hours to capture the Yard from designated spots, and the winning pieces cover a variety of styles and techniques. Sebastian Soper took the overall prize, with Ronan Lear, David Fernandez Giron, Beck Curtis and Zi Jie Chan completing the top five.

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South West Coast Path Photographer of the Year 2026 Exhibition

23rd - 29th October - 11am - 4pm

Melville Building

Featuring 23 striking large-format photographs, the exhibition celebrates the beauty, wildlife and people of the 630-mile South West Coast Path, which stretches along the coasts of Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. Images include ‘Falling Fog’, the overall winning image, taken at West Bay in Dorset.

Alongside stunning landscapes and wildlife, the exhibition also highlights the growing impact of climate change on the Trail and the vital role supporters play in helping the South West Coast Path Association, the charity that cares for the path, protect this extraordinary National Trail for future generations. The exhibition was on display at Paddington Station before travelling to Plymouth.

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Workshops

Take part in one of the workshops taking place during October as part of Artober:

SUMMER Kids Craft

Art for all the family

There are free colouring activities throughout the month too: a weekly drop-in session every Saturday morning at DockSide Coffee Bar, colouring sheets available at DockSide, Pebble and the Pop-up Shop in the Arcade.

Keeping little ones entertained during a meal out and about, with children's colouring available for little diners at Wagamama, Seco Lounge and Wildwood.