Spring Fling Open Studios returns for its biggest year in 23 years and we’re so excited to finally share a first look at Spring Fling 2026.
This May, artists and makers across Dumfries & Galloway will open their studios, workshops and creative sites for our biggest Spring Fling yet, bringing together returning favourites and a remarkable number of artists taking part for the very first time.
Discover work across a huge range of contemporary visual art and craft – including painting, printmaking, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, photography, jewellery, glass, wood, metal, mixed media, installation, experimental, site-responsive and digitally led practice.
Studios are organised into colour-coded routes, making it easy to plan your visit and explore different parts of the region.
Alongside open studios, Spring Fling 2026 offers a vibrant programme of public commissions, participatory projects and live experiences — inviting you to encounter art in unexpected places, take part, slow down, explore and connect.
- CREATE – ambitious installation, site-responsive and experimental work, including From Tree to Sea by Gail McGarva
- EMERGE – our mentoring and bursary programme supporting early-career artists Sonah Chaudhry (jewellery) and Trinity Coombs (photography)
- FLOCK – led by Frances Ross, this collaborative ceramics programme has been visiting schools across Dumfries & Galloway, giving young people their first taste of clay and creative confidence. Each pupil’s bird will become part of a stunning collective installation at Spring Fling 2026
- CROWD by Kim Ayres – a participatory photography project where visitors become part of a large-scale crowd artwork
- Live performance – The Sailmaker’s Palm by Alex Rigg / Oceanallover
- Public events, family-friendly activities, evening openings, bus tours and more ways than ever to get involved
Saturday 23 – Monday 25 May 2026
Full programme details, venues and locations will be announced soon.
View our Virtual Studios now, and stay tuned for the reveal of the 2026 brochure artwork very soon… 👀
