Lovers of the arts and culture are always in for a treat when they visit Winchester. Modern art and striking architecture sit alongside historic buildings, monuments and museums. Performance art is also in abundance as Winchester plays host to a wide and diverse programme of musical and theatrical events. Let us take you through this summer's cultural highlights in Winchester.

Exhibitions
The Elements of Sculpture - until 2nd July winchester-cathedral.org.uk/event/elements-of-sculpture
With awe-inspiring architecture and over 1000 years of history, no trip to the city would be complete without visiting Winchester Cathedral. It has a rich history of art spanning over centuries, reflecting the evolving styles, techniques, and influences of various periods.

Until 2nd July visitors can enjoy the 'The Elements of Sculpture,' which showcases the works of five talented sculptors: William Braithwaite, Colin Reid, Almuth Tebbenhoff, Patricia Volk, and Peter Walker. This captivating exhibition invites visitors to explore the cathedral's architecture and diverse permanent collection using contemporary sculpture to highlight different historic elements within the building.

Entry is included with a general admission ticket, make sure you also venture down into the crypt during your visit to see Anthony Gormley's permanent striking sculpture, Sound II.

Constable - The Dark Side - Until 16th August arcwinchester.org.uk/event/constable 
The Gallery at the Grade II listed ARC has a programme of exceptional quality and varied temporary exhibitions which include curated exhibitions and works from national lenders. Until 16th August, Constable - The Dark Side exhibition can be found in the Gallery. As an artist, Constable has a reputation for being a painter of traditional 'chocolate box' English scenery; safe, unchallenging and sentimental. But, there was a darker side to the Suffolk master. This unique exhibition explores Constable's on-going obsession with the 'chiaroscuro' of nature – the contrast between light and dark and the way he placed that at the heart of his exploration of landscape.

Viewpoints: Time & Place - Until 13th August arcwinchester.org.uk/event/kate-dicker-and-peter-jarvis 
In The Arc City Space, programmed to coincide with the Constable exhibition, the work of two outstanding local artists, Kate Dicker and Peter Jarvis will be shown.

Kate Dicker: Paintings in mixed media of landscapes in the Itchen Valley.Kate is an artist-printmaker. Her walks in the Hampshire countryside have been the inspiration behind her exhibition.  

Peter Jarvis: Watercolours and drawings exploring historic buildings and local landscapes. Peter is an artist and illustrator who has a passion for and belief in the sketchbook as a means of understanding his subject matter, the use of which is central to the success of his watercolours.

After your visit, pause for a while outside to see the life-size bronze statue of the prominent medieval Jewish woman, Licoricia of Winchester. Designed by award-winning sculptor, Ian Rank-Broadley, the statue's unveiling last year was supported by a visit from HRH King Charles.

Summer Arts Festivals
Winchester Hat Fair - 30th June – 1st July  
This vibrant street festival brings together performers, artists, and musicians from all over the world. It is a family-friendly festival of Street Performance and Outdoor Arts taking place every year during the first weekend of July across the city. The festival is the UK's longest continually running Outdoor Arts festival.  hatfair.co.uk

Winchester Food Festival - 9th July
The art of creating beautiful dishes will be demonstrated by Winchester's favourite chefs at this year's inaugural Winchester Food Festival. This is a free event taking place in the Cathedral Outer Close and, as well as a kitchen stage there will be many local growers and producers exhibiting and selling the best of Winchester's food and drink. The event forms part of Hampshire Food Festival which runs across the county for the month of July. winchesterfoodfestival.co.uk 

Wickham Music Festival - 3rd – 6th August
Wickham Festival is a four-day music event that takes place in the village of Wickham in the Winchester district. Wickham hosts live music and comedy across four stages, as well as food stalls, craft stalls, real ale and cider bars and children's entertainers.  wickhamfestival.co.uk

Live performance
Winchester is a city where live entertainment is in abundance. The city itself boasts two theatres (Theatre Royal and the Chesil Theatre) and several performance spaces, including The Nutshell and The ARC. There are also venues dedicated to live music like the legendary Railway Inn which has supported many big names early on in their careers.

This summer look out for a programme of performances across city including:

• An irreverent style of Shakespeare's Much Ado About and all male Mikado at Theatre Royal.
• A  highly acclaimed new play, Henry I, written by Beth Flintoff performed in the historic Great Hall, home of King Arthur's round table.
• A new and ingenious adaptation of Treasure Island by the Chesil Theatre in the ground of Winchester College.

Art on foot
Walking around the city there plenty of opportunities to see art.Even our bollards are works of art in Winchester. Local artists Jenny Muncaster and Rachael Alexander, from the Colour Factory, have painted more than 20 bollards across the city centre showcasing their versions of famous artworks such as those by Picasso, Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, Matisse and Leonardo Da Vinci. 

On 22nd August you can take a step back in time with a special walking tour which illustrates how Jane Austen would have known Winchester through the medium of a series of detailed watercolour paintings produced by George Shepherd in the 1820's. The tour will explore twelve of Shepherd's familiar views of Winchester punctuated with references to Jane Austen's connection to the city (eventbrite.co.uk/o/winchester-area-tourist-guides-31535952145). 

Art across the Winchester district
In Wickham, Wild Art Gallery (wildartgallery.co.uk­) offers a range of unique and affordable artwork, as well as prints, cards, jewellery and gift wares. Whilst there you can also join a pencil or painting workshop and top up your own personal art supplies – a true one-stop shop. Conveniently located within Warwick Lane Shopping Centre in Wickham, you can complete your day with a visit to the coffeehouse and peruse the selection of boutiques and antique markets. 

Not many places offer the chance to do stone carving or copper sculpting, but Granary Creative Arts Centre in Bramdean (granarycreativearts.com) do just that! Spend the day trying some new techniques in a beautifully converted 17th Century granary and have a unique piece of hand-crafted art to take home with you.

If you happen to be visiting in August (19th-28th) then Hampshire Open Studios (hampshireopenstudios.org.uk) will afford you a closer look at the variety of makers that Winchester district has to offer. Around 45 Winchester artists open their home studios and galleries to offer visitors the chance to discover more about their work, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass, furniture, jewellery and many more.

Made in Winchester
There are many creative forces behind Winchester's locally produced arts, craft, food and drink. You can learn more about them and what they produce by watching our videos here: visitwinchester.co.uk/made-in-winchester/. You'll find a delightful array of gifts and souvenirs that have been 'made in Winchester' at Winchester's Visitor Information Centre and Gift Shop.

For more information and the latest updates follow @visitwinchesteruk or visit www.visitwinchester.co.uk.