The Artemis Collective Summer Salon 2026

If you have been meaning to catch a bit of local art this month, the Artemis Collective Summer Salon is a good place to start. It opened on Saturday 15 August and runs right through to Monday 31 August, so there is plenty of time to drop in before it closes. The exhibition is held at the Manor Street Galleries at Cafe Momus, inside the Manor House in Stonehouse, and entry is free, which makes it an easy one to build into a wander round the area.

The bill is an eclectic one, curated by the Artemis Collective and pulling together a wide range of local artists from different creative backgrounds. That mix is really the point of it: rather than a single theme or a narrow school of work, you get a cross-section of what people in and around the city have been making. It is the kind of show that rewards a slow look, where the interest comes from seeing how differently artists are working alongside each other rather than from any one headline name. Because it is free and open every day, it is as much a casual drop-in as a proper gallery visit.

Opening hours are generous, too. The galleries are open Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00, so whether you want to go first thing or after work, there is a window that fits. The opening event was on Saturday 16 August from 18:00 to 20:00, so the show is now well under way and settled in for the rest of the month. If you have not been before, it is worth knowing that the collective tends to lean into that eclectic, inclusive spirit, so the work on the walls is likely to be as varied as the artists behind it.

For anyone who wants to make a proper afternoon of it, the galleries sit within Cafe Momus at the Manor House, so there is somewhere to sit and take it all in. Stonehouse is an area that does not always get the same attention as the waterfront, but it is exactly the kind of place where a local exhibition like this fits in. The fact that it is free and open every day makes it an easy one to drop into without much planning.

If you are planning your visit, it is worth remembering that the show runs until the end of August, so there is no need to rush, but it also means it will be gone once September rolls around. Whether you are a regular at the city's galleries or just fancy seeing some local work on a free afternoon, the Summer Salon is a low-pressure way to catch up on what the local creative community has been up to. It is a simple, free show that lets the work speak for itself, and with the galleries open every day from 10:00 to 20:00, it is easy to fit in whenever suits you best.