Fifth Shrewsbury Arts Trail celebrates creativity
The fifth Shrewsbury Arts Trail has exploded into life in a town wide celebration of creativity, set to last us through the summer.
On a theme of the Environment, the 2025 trail features internationally renowned artists, modern masters and inspiring local talent and large-scale sculptures, transforming Shrewsbury streets into an open-air gallery.
At the heart of the trail is the major installation Virtues of Unity by acclaimed sculptor Halima Cassell MBE, who was recently shortlisted as part of the Heatherwick Studio bid to create a national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II in St James’s Park, London; despite winning the public vote, Halima’s lily-pad themed design ultimately lost out to Foster + Partners.
Virtues of Unity forms the centrepiece of the Inspirational Exhibition at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, open until the end of August - thanks to a collaboration with Soden Collection, on Wyle Cop.
Jonathan Soden, of Soden Collection, says: “This deeply symbolic work comprises 55 hand-crafted spherical vessels crafted from clays sourced from countries across the globe — including two new pieces created for the Shrewsbury Arts Trail exhibition. Each vessel is named after a human virtue and together make a powerful and timely statement about the need to recognise our shared humanity.
“It is a privilege to see this powerful and moving installation hosted for the first time in Halima’s adopted home county of Shropshire.”
Halima says: “Virtues of Unity communicates in a subtle but direct way that we are all one. The more we understand that we are really very much the same, hopefully there won’t be so much division and prejudice.”
Two of Halima’s Cassell monumental 8ft-high solid iron sculptures, Memento Mori, are also on show outside Shrewsbury Castle as part of the Arts Trail’s open air sculpture trail.
Shrewsbury Arts Trail made headlines around the globe in 2023 by showing three Salvador Dali sculptures - never before seen in the UK - thanks to a collaboration with the Dali Universe.
This year's sculpture trail welcomes back the flamboyant and much-loved Andrew Logan MBE, whose glittering Cosmic Egg was a highlight of the very first Shrewsbury Arts Trail. Logan has contributed Black Rose, a dramatic mirrored sculpture originally commissioned for the iconic BIBA store in 1973. Rising from The Dingle pond at the heart of The Quarry (Shrewsbury's town centre park), Black Rose returns to its intended watery setting.
He says: “It is wonderful to show my sculpture in the Dingle – in nature, where it was always meant to be seen.”
Soden Collection is also helping to bring to the Inspirational Exhibition pieces by Jacob Chandler, including a ‘monumental’ 4.8m canvas by Ian Rayer-Smith, who says he is ‘honoured’ to have his work featured in the Arts trail.
Ian adds: “Shropshire has a fantastic art community and there are a lot of great artists. I am so grateful to Jonathan Soden and the museum for making this happen and I am very happy that they wanted this bold painting to be in the exhibition.”
There are several works by ‘modern masters and ceramics by Pablo Picasso - placing Shrewsbury among the few towns outside major cities to exhibit such names.
Shrewsbury-born sculptor Jacob Chandler, known for his large scale public works, has contributed a gold-plated bronze work in two pieces titled IN HOC SIGNO, created in collaboration with Byrga Geniht.
Praising the ‘incredible calibre’ of the Shrewsbury Arts Trail this year, he said: “The draw of the arts trail is international and to see the buzz in the town that this event brings is hugely exciting, it feels as though the town is experiencing a renaissance.
“Shrewsbury is a vibrant town seeped in art, culture and history - the arts trail encourages people to look around, to appreciate the value that art brings to a space, both visually and emotionally.”
Australian land and light artist James Tapscott presents hauntingly beautiful photographs of Antarctic ice cores, nearly half a million years old and lit with cross-polarised filters to reveal their hidden, natural colours.
“I hope people feel a sense of wonder and appreciation of something as raw and elemental as a piece of ancient ice,” James says.
And Laura Ford, President of the Royal Society of Sculptors, has three fantastical bronze works — Conifer Girl, Bush Girl, and Stump Girl — in the courtyard of the museum café. These child-sized, part-human, part-plant figures evoke the tension between nature and imagination.
The theme for Shrewsbury Arts Trail 2025 is “The Environment”, tying in with Shrewsbury’s participation as a finalist in the RHS Britain in Bloom 2025 competition this summer. To mark this, flower-themed flags designed by local schoolchildren will fly above the High Street, and a children’s treasure trail — with prizes donated by local businesses — will offer a fun way for families to engage with the artworks.
The Open Exhibition, held across Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery and The Parade Shops, showcases work by a wide cross-section of local and regional artists. With no theme imposed, artists have been invited to respond freely, resulting in a vibrant and eclectic display of unfiltered creativity.
In addition, a packed programme of workshops, artist talks, demonstrations and community events will take place throughout July and August, including at the newly launched Shrewsbury Arts & Crafts Community Gallery in Shrewsbury Library.
Founder and curator Jess Richards, who has grown the trail into one of the UK’s most exciting regional arts events, said: “This trail exists to open up art to everyone — not just in cities but right here in Shropshire. Our aim is to inspire, to connect, and to celebrate creativity in all its forms.”
Though the trail has attracted international acclaim and support from top galleries, it remains independent — and relies heavily on donations, partnerships and volunteers to make it happen.
“The more help we receive, the more we can bring to Shrewsbury — for residents, for visitors, for the next generation of artists,” Jess says.
To donate, get involved, or sponsor the trail, visit the Shrewsbury Arts Trail website or email jess@shrewsburyartstrail.com.
