Every spring, studio doors across the Great Southern swing open for the Southern Art + Craft Trail. From Saturday the 26th of September to Sunday the 11th of October, over 500 artists will welcome curious visitors in for a look.

The trail is run by one of our Regional Arts Network Organisations, ArtSouth WA, and was established by a small team in Denmark who set out to give the region’s artists a bigger stage. The first trail ran in 2003 with just 36 venues; since then it’s grown into one of the state’s most loved regional arts events, with new exhibitors joining alongside old favourites each year. Over 650 artists and groups have taken part across the trail’s history, and a handful, like Adventures in Wood in Albany and June Smith in Denmark, are marking more than 20 years on the trail. Greater still, the event attracts over 15,000 people to the region!

What makes the trail worth the drive, beyond the incredible scenery, is the variety on offer. Studios open across painting, ceramics, woodwork, textiles, glass, sculpture and more, each run by the artist who works there. That means visitors can often see the tools, the process and the setting behind the finished pieces, not just the pieces themselves.

Whether you’re travelling from near or far, it’s easy to string together a day, a long weekend or more around whichever pocket of the region you want to explore, and you really can’t go wrong in your planning. Locals, of course, have it easiest of all, with no excuse not to soak it all up!

To start planning your journey, head to the Trail Directory on ArtSouth WA’s website, where you’ll find a map of every artist and venue. A few practical notes before you set off: opening times differ between studios, so check the dates in advance, and watch for the red cross in the guidebook, which marks a venue as closed that day. Because printed times can shift, it’s worth a quick check directly with the artist or venue if you’re travelling any distance to reach them.

Stay tuned for more about this beautiful trail; Our Sector Development Coordinator, Valeria Scoponi, is heading along (be sure to say hi!), and as part of our Regional Storytellers program, we’ll be sending a photographer to shoot a few artists in their element.

Find out more: Art + Craft Trail