Atkins Gallery is hosting its Annual Open Exhibition, featuring work by 10 local artists and exploring the human side of creativity. The exhibition, titled The Artist's Process, runs until 14 August 2026 and invites visitors to look beyond finished artworks to discover the creative journeys behind them.
The exhibition showcases inspiration, experimentation and personal development involved in creating original work. Materials on display include sketchbooks, diary entries and progress photographs that reveal how ideas develop into completed pieces.
Local artist highlights
One of the exhibition's highlights features local illustrator John Stilgoe's display documenting the creation of The Adventures of Walter the Waller, a children's book developed in collaboration with local author and heritage crafts specialist Alan Chamberlain. The pair met through an earlier exhibition at Atkins Building. Visitors will be able to view early concept sketches and follow the evolution of the book's illustrations from initial ideas to publication.
Councillor Mark Bools, Deputy Leader of Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, said the exhibition celebrates human imagination and creativity. "It gives visitors a rare opportunity to see the ideas and hard work that sit behind every finished artwork, while showcasing the wealth of artistic talent we have in the borough," he said.
Opening times and events
The exhibition is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, and on Saturday 18 July from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. Additional opening times will be announced via the Atkins Building website and social media channels.
Castle Baroque Players will perform a free lunchtime recital on Wednesday 5 August from 1pm to 2pm. Led by artistic director Seb Carrington, the Leicestershire-based ensemble will present music from seventeenth-century Italy on authentic period instruments. No booking is required.
For more information, email [email protected]