Hay Castle Events

This is for artists wishing to pay their entry for the Open Show. The show runs in the Main Gallery and Sculpture Gallery on the top floor mezzanine from Tue 1 April and Sunday 4 May 2025.

Entries cost £20 each and there is a maximum of two entries per artist. (The entry fee goes to help cover the cost associated with running the gallery.) Once you have paid the entry fee please make sure you fill in the form. Payment is required to get the order number for the form. You will be provided with a link to submit your artwork, along with dimensions and photographs. The photographs are important as this is what the panel will use to choose submissions.

LINK TO ENTRY FORM ONCE PAYMENT IS MADE

Terms & Conditions

• Fees are £20 for each submitted piece and are non refundable. (only 2 pieces of work can be submitted per person)
• Max size for 2D is 150cm x 150cm
• Max size for sculpture is 100cm x 100cm and no more than 150kg
• If successful, you will be notified by email.
• The exhibition runs from 01/04/25 to 04/05/25 and selected work must be delivered to the castle.
• Work must be clearly labelled on the reverse with name, title and price.
• The decision of the Selection Panel is final.
• Work will be insured whilst on exhibition at the castle.
• Submissions are welcomed for fine art and sculpture only.
• Hay Castle takes 40% commission on any work sold.

This takes place in the Clore Learning Space every other Monday from 11am until 4pm.

PLEASE NOTE LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS ARE NOW FORTNIGHTLY


Please bring your own materials

The sessions cost £18 for the full day from 11-4pm and £12 for a morning or afternoon session only.
The morning session starts at 11am so please arrive at about 10.45am
The afternoon session starts at 1:45pm so please arrive at least 10 mins beforehand

Next sessions will be:


Monday 10 February

Known all over the world for his illustration work for children, Quentin Blake has also produced drawings that are widely used in hospitals and other public spaces, and has created numerous personal artworks for exhibitions and publications. All these drawings are kept in the archive at his studio in London. Dive into this fascinating collection with this illustrated talk by Liz Williams, Quentin Blake’s archivist.
Liz also co-curated the exhibition Beasts, Battles & Books which is on in the main gallery until 2nd March.

For adults and children aged 10+

PLEASE NOTE THIS SESSION IS ON SUNDAY (NOT SATURDAY)

This week’s workshop focuses on doodle art. We will look at some well-known doodle artists such as Sam Cox aka Mr Doodle and Jon Burgerman, before we create some canvases of our own inspired by this free flowing, energetic art style. We will be using acrylic pens in this workshop.

£12.50 per person

12 places available – All materials provided

(This session is on a Sunday as Abi is away on the Saturday)

Also - if you would like to join the Collage workshop next Saturday with Caris Jackson Youth Art Group members get tickets for £12.50

Create your own original design priceless artwork and collectors piece!

Artist Caris Jackson will share her inventive creative processes and visual resources in this fun and friendly mixed media collage workshop.

Encouraging you to work imaginatively and create fantastic visual imagery, Caris will inspire and guide you through composition, building a narrative, creating a character, use of colour and mixed media so no previous experience is necessary.

Collage describes both the technique and the resulting work of art in which pieces of paper, photographs, fabric and other materials are arranged onto a backing. It can be a collection or combination of various things intentionally collected or randomly picked.

To make your collage even more personal, you are encouraged to bring your own A4 photocopied image (can be black & white or colour) but if you don't want to there is plenty of material provided to work with.

All materials and tuition provided plus tea and biscuits.

There are two sessions - one in the morning from 10.30am to 12.30pm and another in the afternoon from 1.30pm to 3.30pm

Reductions for two people coming together/family tickets

Hay Youth Art Group members can book tickets for a reduced price of £12.50

This takes place in the Clore Learning Space every other Monday from 11am until 4pm.

PLEASE NOTE LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS ARE NOW FORTNIGHTLY


Please bring your own materials

The sessions cost £18 for the full day from 11-4pm and £12 for a morning or afternoon session only.
The morning session starts at 11am so please arrive at about 10.45am
The afternoon session starts at 1:45pm so please arrive at least 10 mins beforehand

Next sessions will be:


Monday 24 February

Have-A-Go Shakespeare

Following our popular taster session in December, we are delighted to announce the beginning of regular workshops here at Hay Castle.

Are you curious about Shakespeare? Would you like to learn more, share what you know and ‘Have-A-Go’ in an informal environment with a like-minded group? Come for tea, a chat and a bash at Shakespeare. No experience or prior knowledge necessary!

The sessions are run by our Artistic Directors, Sue Best and Phil Bowen, who have a lifetime’s experience of working with Shakespeare in a professional and participatory context. The workshops offer an opportunity for all-comers to ‘Have-A-Go’ at Shakespeare in a fun and supportive environment and facilitate discussion around the themes of the plays in both a historical and current context.

£7.50 per session - payable on the day.

All welcome! No experience necessary

Further sessions on:

Tuesday 11 March
Tuesday 25 March
Tuesday 8 April

A back-to-basics workshop where we will practice the skills required for shading using pencils and charcoals. We will also have a go at white on black shading before completing bubble images using only shading techniques.

£12.50 per person

12 places available – All materials provided

This takes place in the Clore Learning Space every other Monday from 11am until 4pm.

PLEASE NOTE LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS ARE NOW FORTNIGHTLY


Please bring your own materials

The sessions cost £18 for the full day from 11-4pm and £12 for a morning or afternoon session only.
The morning session starts at 11am so please arrive at about 10.45am
The afternoon session starts at 1:45pm so please arrive at least 10 mins beforehand

Next sessions will be:


Monday 10 March

We are showing two of the films from Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures - Snuff and Angel Pavement.

Screenings will take place in the Clore Learning Space at 11am and 2pm.

There will be cushions and chairs for these family screenings.

FREE but ticketed to keep an eye on numbers.

Here is some info about each of the films:

SNUFF - A tale from Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures. Village knight Sir Thomas Magpie, well known for both his generosity and love of flamboyant hats, despairs that his clumsy page Snuff will ever learn the tricky skills he needs to one day be a knight himself. However, when four thieves threaten to raid a local bootmaker’s shop, Snuff has a clever idea to outfox the villains and save the day. His reward? His very own horse and fancy hat, just like a proper knight!

ANGEL PAVEMENT - Corky and Loopy are two ordinary girls, apart from also being secret angels! With the aid of a magic pencil that can draw in the air, they go on ‘angel patrol’ amazing people in their town with beautiful art and rescuing the odd animal too. One day they meet street artist Sid and decide to help him take part in a local drawing competition by lending him the special pencil. Sid creates incredible drawings in the sky, and ultimately scoops a top prize, bringing joy and wonder to all. Angel Pavement is the latest episode in the landmark animated box set Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures, inspired by the whimsical and vibrant work of the beloved children's author and illustrator Sir Quentin Blake.

Jackie Morris is an illustrator, author and painter who lives and works in Wales. She has illustrated many books including The lost Words, co-created with Robert Macfarlane and Hay Festival Book of the year in 2017, The Snow Leopard, The Iceberg and The White Fox. Much of her work is inspired by shapeshifting and the wilder world.

We will be looking at and practicing several different styles of typography, calligraphy and lettering, and use the Tombow brush pens to try brush lettering. We will look to create a unique piece of work using different lettering styles.

£12.50 per person

12 places available – All materials provided

Cantorion Y Gelli is Hay’s mixed-voice, Welsh-language choir.
Musical Director, Gemma Woolford, gathered a group of friends together after the final lockdown to learn one Welsh song, and the fun started from there. Members are either learning Welsh or passionate about Wales and the language, three first language Welsh-speakers keeping a close ear on pronunciation.

Cantorion Y Gelli is excited to collaborate with Hay Castle this St David’s Day to bring you an evening of Welsh entertainment. The choir has a varied repertoire of traditional folk songs, hymns, male voice choir classics and even a football anthem! Come along and celebrate this very important day in the calendar and enjoy some good old-fashioned Welsh “hwyl”!

You can see more about Cantorion y Gwlli on their Facebook page