The West Downs Gallery

The West Downs Gallery will become a mixed use area within the West Downs centre from mid November. We are unable to accept any future bookings for exhibitions in this space.

Creativity is highly valued at the University. We are immensely proud of the extensive and diverse art collection on display in our buildings and throughout our grounds.

Much of our art collection dates back to the days of King Alfred's College when we delivered teacher training courses with specialisms in art. We continue to commission and collect works of art, and we work to support emerging local and regional artists. A rolling programme of exhibitions by contemporary artists is organised within our West Downs Gallery.

The West Downs Gallery is sited within the beautiful West Downs Centre on Romsey Road, our flagship campus building. The gallery aims to show creative work of the highest quality to inspire debate and participation between creative professionals, academics, students and the public.

Coming soon:

2 Oct. - 16 Nov. 2024: Open Fire, an award-winning immersive exhibition focussing on wildfires and climate change.

Open Fire is a collaboration between artist, researcher and activist Marilene Ribeiro and Senior Lecturer in Film Production Julio Molina. It is supported by Winchester Action on the Climate Crisis, which is based at the University, and the University's Culture-Media-Text Research Centre.

A launch event will take place on 2 October at the Gallery, from 18.00 to 20.30. Join us for this exhibition opening and roundtable panel discussion, which will bring together citizen voices, experts and the artist in a debate on the climate crisis and wildfire. Book your free space here.

Recent

Sensing Space by Hampshire Sculpture Trust, part of Hampshire Open Studios. 17 - 26 August 2024

'Heartwood' by Dave Tipper, 2 July - 8 August 2024

Heartwood was a photographic study into the landscape of Old Winchester Hill. The rich and complex history of the hill has created a number of winding pathways which are at first hard to follow. David Tipper's approach has been to study the landscape from a variety of different perspectives. By continually returning to the hill, night and day, the land begins to reveal its underlying stories and mysterious history. Heartwood shared secrets hidden by layers of time and de-centred our human perspective of the land itself.

Visiting the West Downs Gallery

The Gallery is open from 8am until 6pm Monday to Friday and 8.30am until 4pm on Saturdays. The West Downs quarter is a short walk from the city centre. As there is no car parking on campus for visitors, we encourage you to make use of the Winchester Park & Ride, or to use public transport. Buses stop directly outside the West Downs Centre on the Romsey Road.