Launch Party: Fruitful - RIPE Blueberries

God's House Tower hosts the launch party for RIPE Blueberries on Friday 23 October, from 6pm to 9pm. It's the opening night for a new exhibition of work by recent graduates from Solent University and Winchester School of Art, and the evening adds food trucks and music to the first installation of the show.

RIPE Blueberries comes through 'a space' arts' RIPE graduate scheme, run in partnership with Southampton Solent University, Winchester School of Art and the University of Southampton. It brings together nearly 40 home-grown artists working across a range of mediums, so you'll see a good mix of styles in one room. The RIPE programme was set up in 2018 to help graduate artists exhibit, experiment and build networks. Each year a new cohort is recruited under a different fruit name, and this one follows Bananas, Mangoes, Tomatoes, Peaches, Plums, Pears, Papayas and Coconuts.

The venue itself is a 13th-century survivor of the Old Town, built by order of Edward III after a French raid in 1338, and it now serves as the city's arts and heritage hub. The launch party is just the start: the exhibition stays open at God's House Tower until Sunday 1 November, so if you can't make the opening night, you've still got time to catch it later. Entry is free, with optional donation tickets available for £1, £2, £3, £5 or £10. The party runs from 6pm to 9pm on Friday 23 October at God's House Tower, Town Quay, Southampton.