A new art gallery, Pokesdown Gallery, is opening on Christchurch Road in Pokesdown, Dorset, coinciding with the annual Dorset Art Weeks event starting May 23. The gallery joins a growing arts scene in Boscombe, which includes venues like BEAF, AUGER, Rhythm Store, TOSH, and Factory Studios. Its inaugural exhibition features works by two local artists: printmaker Sarah Humby, who teaches and sketches around Hengistbury Head, and glass sculptor Fabian Rose, who creates pieces using lost wax methods from his Southbourne workshop. The gallery will be open weekends during exhibitions.
This opening matters because it strengthens the local visual arts infrastructure in Dorset, providing a new dedicated space for community engagement and showcasing regional talent. By launching during Dorset Art Weeks, a yearly event that draws visitors to studios and galleries across the county, Pokesdown Gallery helps amplify the area's cultural profile and supports the growing network of arts venues in Boscombe, contributing to the vitality of the local art scene.