Projects

Spring Fling

Scotland’s premier visual art and craft open studio event.

 

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Samuel Sparrow's studio. Photo by Colin Tennant
'The Call', Katie Anderson for Spring Fling 2021. Photograph by Colin Tennant
SF Pop-UP at Spring Fling 2021. Photograph by Colin Tennant
Work by Laura Derby at Spring Fling 2021. Photograph by Colin Tennant
Anne Butler at work in her Studio for Spring Fling 2021. Photograph by Colin Tennant
Workshops at Spring Fling 2021. Photograph by Colin Tennant
'17 Hertz' by Emerge artist Rachel Shnapp at Spring Fling 2021, Image by Colin Tennant.
Hazel Campbell at Spring Fling 2020. Image by Colin Tennant
Alison Corfield at work during Spring Fling 2020. Image by Colin Tennant
Works by Morag Macpherson, Spring Fling 2020. Image by Colin Tennant
'The WaterOrgan' by Mark Zylgado for Spring Fling 2019. Image by Colin Tennant

This year's event will take place from the 25-27 May 2024.

One hundred and four studios across Dumfries and Galloway will open their doors for the 22nd open studios event.

All studios are specially selected, and include contemporary visual artists of every kind – painters, illustrators and original printmakers and more.

There is also jewellery-makers, potters, willow artists, glass-makers, woodworkers, textile artists, blacksmiths and knife-makers.

Many of the participants will be familiar to regular Spring Fling visitors, but as ever, organisers Upland CIC were keen to introduce fresh participants. 

You can visit the dedicated Spring Fling website for more information.

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Spring Fling is a vibrant visual art and craft open studios event covering the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway in South West Scotland. It is highly regarded as one of the UK’s most successful contemporary visual art and craft events.  

Dumfries and Galloway - inspiring, vibrant and buzzing with creativity - is well-recognised as a haven for artists and makers, and Spring Fling has helped put the region on the national and international cultural map.

Between 90 - 100 professional artists and makers throw open the doors to their studios over the late May bank holiday weekend, offering visitors the chance to get behind the scenes of artistic practice, experience artists and makers demonstrating and explaining their processes and inspirations and to have the opportunity to buy a piece of art direct from the artist. Each studio experience is unique, every artist is different but each will offer a meaningful insight into the inner workings of an artist’s life.e

In its first 21 years, Spring Fling attracted over 174,000 visitors who made around 546,000 studio visits. Over £10.2 million of art and craft was bought in studios and the event brought over £17.5 million to the local economy.

We commissioned D&G-based photographer and filmmaker Colin Tennant to produce a short film for the 2022 event to mark and celebrate Spring Fling's 20th year. It showed as part of the SF at 20 Exhibition at the Gracefield Arts Centre, and can now be seen here:

In addition to the core event, over the Spring Fling weekend visitors can enjoy a number of extra events and happenings such as public art commissions (see WaterOrganEdge and SFRM), exhibitions, performances, workshops and events. And visitors can studio hop the green way on one of the Spring Fling Bus Tours.

Spring Fling 2019 from Upland on Vimeo.

For more information on Spring Fling Open Studios visit the dedicated SF website.