We could not have asked for a more perfect day to drive to Quenington – a very pretty Cotswold village lying eight miles east of Cirencester.
We were there to enjoy a biennial exhibition celebrating contemporary art, which is laid out in the beautiful riverside gardens of the Old Rectory.
Fresh Air Sculpture was launched in 1992 by Lucy Abel Smith and her late husband, David. Now, Lucy and the Trustees have decided that the 17th show, Fresh Air Sculpture 2026, is to be the last.
“What a celebration it shall be! We shall be inviting many of those who have shown since the early days to return. There will also be new artists’ work on view too. Art has always been at the heart of what we do at The Old Rectory, and everyone will be welcome at this celebration,” said Lucy.
Looking to the future, the Quenington Sculpture Trust will continue to fund bursaries for tutors and creatives, focusing on makers and designers in the applied and decorative arts, which are most under threat from cuts in schools and colleges.
Fresh Air Sculpture is a biennial sculpture exhibition held in the expansive organic garden of The Old Rectory in the Cotswold village of Quenington.
The show affords a unique opportunity to see a creative mixture of traditional, modern and cutting-edge sculpture in this stunning outdoor setting. The Old Rectory gardens offer vast lawns joined by a bridge over the River Coln. There are hidden walkways, delightful pergolas, stunning flower beds, impressive vegetable gardens and greenhouses.
Fresh Air Sculpture gathers over 130 contemporary pieces of outdoor sculpture together in this tranquil setting, many of which have been created specifically for the gardens.
The excitement of Fresh Air Sculpture is the huge diversity of materials exploring a variety of media: from stone to textiles, ceramic to glass, sound to video, mosaic to metals, rubber to resin. Monumental pieces sit alongside smaller works to suit gardens and outdoor spaces of every size.
This last exhibition runs until Sunday, July 5th.
Info via https://www.freshairsculpture.com/
Here’s a look around some of what is on show.
Just across the road from the Old Rectory is the village church of St Swithins, which was staging its own outdoor sculptural show.
Inside the church, a second-hand book sale was taking advantage of the pews!
