Visitor Information
General information
Durslade Farm
Dropping Lane, Bruton
Somerset BA10 0NL
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Dropping Lane, Bruton
Somerset BA10 0NL
The galleries and garden are now reopen to the public. Please use our new booking system to make a reservation in advance:
Open Tuesday to Sunday
10 am – 4 pm
Closed Mondays (except bank holidays)
Entrance to the galleries and garden is free, however if you would like to join us in donating to local organizations, please do so when booking. Our current charitable giving is shared between Black Swan Arts in Frome, Bruton Food Drop and The Balsam Centre in Wincanton, supporting their community activities in response to COVID-19 through cultural, social and health initiatives.
Contact
Contact the teamMake Hauser & Wirth Somerset
Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset is reopen with social distancing measures in place.
Booking is not essential.
Opening Hours Booking is not essential.
Roth Bar & Grill
All table reservations and takeaway orders should be made in advance.
Opening Hours and Menu Exhibitions
Events
About
Hauser & Wirth Somerset is a pioneering world-class gallery and multi-purpose arts center which acts as a destination for experiencing art, architecture, and the remarkable Somerset landscape through new and innovative exhibitions of contemporary art. An impressive landscaped garden, designed by internationally renowned landscape architect Piet Oudolf, sits behind the gallery buildings and includes a changing programme of outdoor sculptures, and houses the Radić Pavilion, designed by Smiljan Radić.
Centered around a core belief in conservation, education and sustainability, Hauser & Wirth Somerset offers a wide variety of special events including talks, seminars, workshops and screenings, as well as an extensive learning programme for local schools, young people and families. The center also provides resources including a bookshop and dedicated learning room.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset supports an immersive artist-in-residence programme, encouraging artists to benefit from the idyllic surroundings and to integrate with the local community.
On-site restaurant, Roth Bar & Grill, serves seasonal, locally sourced produce, and is replete with works of art including a site-specific bar created by Björn and Oddur Roth, the son and grandson of artist Dieter Roth.
The centre is located on the outskirts of Bruton, on Durslade Farm, which is a working free-range farm, providing produce for Roth Bar & Grill. The gallery opened in 2014 – prior to this the buildings had remained derelict for several decades, until they were sensitively restored and new buildings added by Paris based architectural firm Laplace. Durslade Farmhouse, the original six-bedroom farmhouse, also renovated by Laplace, is available to rent for short stays.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset has been awarded a RIBA South West Award 2015, a Civic Trust 2015 Award, and in 2014 it was the winner of the William Stansell Historic Buildings Award, for Durslade Farmhouse. In 2015 it ran its own competition for young architects, titled The Shed Project.
The center is open with free admission to the public, six days per week, throughout the year.
Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset
Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset. Photo: Emma Lewis
Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset is a destination for contemporary making and the crafted object, showcasing work from the best emerging and established makers both nationally and internationally.
Since its launch in 2018, the gallery has presented work by over fifty artist-makers, providing valuable insights into the working processes and rich narratives of their practices. Make occupies two rooms of a Georgian townhouse at 13 High Street, Bruton with Jacqueline Moore as Director. There is an emphasis on pieces commissioned specifically for Make, some of which are created in response to Somerset and the South West, employing locally sourced materials. To coincide with the diverse and collaborative exhibition programme, the gallery hosts a number of participatory experiences including talks, workshops, residencies and community events.
Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset is reopen with social distancing measures in place. Booking is not essential.
13 High Street, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0AB
T + 44 (0) 1749 814 584
Open Wednesday to Saturday
10 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 4pm
Closed Sunday – Tuesday
9 Apr – 28 Aug 2020
Realising Form
Make, Somerset
‘Realising Form’ invites a dialogue between six makers from across the British Isles and Ireland, each who share a rigorous and intuitive approach to unearthing objects and vessels, handcrafted in clay, iron, concrete, glass and Jesmonite. The exhibition explores material possibilities from...
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11 Jan – 21 Mar 2020
dis/rupt
Make, Somerset
‘dis/rupt’ presents new and existing work by two contemporary makers, London-based Jochen Holz and Belfast-based Derek Wilson. Unique to both makers is a reinterpretation of their materials, exploring notions of functionality, the familiar, and the abstract, each challenging the properties and...
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19 Oct 2019 – 1 Jan 2020
Re.Use, Re.Think, Re.Imagine
Make, Somerset
The exhibition presents the work of seven UK-based experimental artists and makers, whose practice explores unique responses to materials and process. The group exhibition will feature new and existing works, spanning glass, ceramics, found objects, textiles and furniture. Whether repurposing,...
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17 Aug – 12 Oct 2019
David Gates: in dialogue
Make, Somerset
Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset is delighted to present ‘David Gates: in dialogue’, an exploration of containment, materiality, and the desire to collect, assemble, order and display. David Gates combines studio-furniture making with formal research, creating three-dimensional pieces inspired by...
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8 Jun – 10 Aug 2019
common ground
Make, Somerset
‘common ground’ presents works by two highly acclaimed makers: Nic Webb, an artist working with wood and clay, and Akiko Hirai, a ceramicist nominated for this year‘s Loewe Craft Prize. Nic Webb uses a combination of traditional skills and less conventional, experimental processes, to explore...
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6 Apr – 1 Jun 2019
west lands
Make, Somerset
‘west lands’ celebrates the work of makers who are based in, or have a strong connection with, the South West. Whether working with locally sourced willow, ash wood or sheep’s fleece, materials from the region have been incorporated into many of the works on show. Equally, an exploration of...
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9 Feb – 30 Mar 2019
Retracing Nature
Make, Somerset
Both Adam Buick and Stuart Cairns explore their natural environment and local landscape through their work, united by a common interest in material and place. Occupying a single room each at Make, their work sits parted as does their physical practice, facing each other across the Irish Sea....
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1 Dec 2018 – 2 Feb 2019
Levelling Traditions
Make, Somerset
Make’s second exhibition entitled ‘Levelling Traditions’ brings together nine artist-makers united by an intimate understanding of material. Each was invited to create original works to interpret themes of rural life and traditions, the land, the domestic and the intimate – a world in which...
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28 Sep – 24 Nov 2018
Opening Narratives
Make, Somerset
With the resurgence of interest in craft skills, the landscape of making is changing and with it a dynamic generation of young makers with a shared passion for knowledge, process and materials has come to the fore. The makers exhibited possess an intimate understanding of their material and...
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Garden
Piet Oudolf, the internationally-renowned landscape designer from the Netherlands, has designed the landscaping scheme for the entire site, including Oudolf Field – a large perennial meadow situated behind the gallery buildings.
Carefully shaped and planted, the garden echoes the tradition of classical gardens, but the variety of species and combination of plants creates a looseness, softening the formality of its appearance. Known for his use of plants with spectacular seed heads, Oudolf has created a garden that has interest year round.
At the top of Oudolf Field sits the Radić Pavilion, designed by Chilean architect Smiljan Radić, it was installed at Hauser & Wirth Somerset in March 2015, following it’s unveiling the previous year as the Serpentine Gallery 2014 Pavilion.
Education
Hauser & Wirth Somerset has a rich and varied education program, providing opportunities for individuals, schools, special interest groups, families and outreach work. In conjunction with the exhibition program, the gallery offers a series of artist, specialist and curator-led talks, seminars and events open to schools, colleges, universities and general members of the public.
Regular events for families are held on the first Saturday of every month. Each exhibition includes a private view just for teachers and online resource packs are available for lesson planning. The gallery’s youth group Arthaus, meet once a month and have the opportunity to meet our artists, gallery team and specialists in a series of events such as workshops, conversations and talks.
Group Visits
Hauser & Wirth Somerset offers group tours, talks and tailored events. Pre-booking is essential for both self-directed visits and groups who wish to book a tour. Group leaders are asked to complete and submit a booking enquiry form at least two weeks in advance of your proposed visit.
The Education Team will process your request and check availability for your selected dates. We will aim to be in touch by email within three working days of receiving your form. If you would like to discuss options for a group visit to Hauser & Wirth Somerset, please call our Education Team on +44 1749 814060.
All public areas of Hauser & Wirth Somerset are accessible for wheelchair users. The gallery aims to be as accommodating as possible and if members of your group have disabilities or special needs, then please contact the gallery in advance of your visit to discuss your requirements.
Outdoor Sculpture
Hauser & Wirth Somerset has a changing program of outdoor sculptures by the gallery’s roster of artists. The works are often used as the inspiration for events and educational workshops.
Photo: Not Vital. Cannot Enter Cannot Exit, 2020.
Roth Bar & Grill
At the heart of Hauser & Wirth Somerset is onsite restaurant Roth Bar & Grill. Combining gastronomy with contemporary art, the restaurant is a vibrant, informal and convivial eating-place serving honest, simple and seasonal food. The restaurant, terrace and garden are also available for private hire at other times.
Roth Bar & Grill restaurant and terrace is open Tue – Sun, 10 am – 4 pm.
Breakfast from 9 am
Lunch from 12 noon
Afternoon tea from 2 pm
Friday dinner from 6 pm
Roth Bar & Grill will open on Saturday for dinner from 1st August. All table reservations and takeaway orders should be made in advance by visiting rothbarandgrill.co.uk
Durslade Farmhouse
Combining history and character with bold interiors and contemporary art, Durslade Farmhouse is our six bedroom property that is available to rent for single night, midweek, weekend or longer stays.
Dating back to the 18th Century, the Farmhouse was perceptively restored by Paris-based architectural firm Laplace in 2014. Original artworks by Hauser & Wirth artists are hung throughout, including two site-specific installations by Guillermo Kuitca and Pipilotti Rist.
Shop
Hauser & Wirth Somerset has two shops selling a range of books on art, architecture, design, food, gardening and landscape, as well as gifts, cards, bags, and limited edition art works.
We work with a range of artisans and makers, many based locally, including wood turner Greg Power who creates his spoons, bowls and cutting boards by hand using wood he sources locally in Somerset, and P.H. Coate and Son who produce stunning handmade willow baskets.
We also offer a range of Hauser & Wirth designed products, from beautiful lambs-wool blankets created by artists Mary Heilmann and Lee Lozano, to stunning Oudolf Field scarves and a range of Laguiole kitchen knives, made by the renowned French company using wood from here on Durslade Farm.
Local Partnerships
Hauser & Wirth Somerset supports, collaborates and works in partnership with many local institutions, businesses and organizations. Our founders Iwan & Manuela Wirth live locally and are patrons of a number of charities. Their charitable giving is focused on art, architecture, landscape, conservation, gardening, food, education and community.
