Wells Art Contemporary: an international competition for gallery and installation works in Wells Cathedral
Case study authored by Paddy O’Hagan and June MacFarlane, Wells Art Contemporary CIC
Overview
Wells Art Contemporary, WAC, is now in its 14th year. We are very proud to have our open competition and exhibition hosted by Wells Cathedral in Somerset, but much of this case study holds true for other smaller spaces.
Wells Cathedral is the first Gothic cathedral in England. Completed in the 14th Century, and offering soaring interior spaces as well as extensive cloisters, it is greatly prized by artists as a site for their work. We receive several thousand entries from all over the world – around 30 countries in total.
There are three parts to WAC:
· gallery works in the cloisters,
· site-specific installations in the body of the cathedral itself
· and in the exterior spaces around the cathedral and invited community projects from local charities.
Gallery and Installations entries are submitted through our London partner, Parker Harris, and independent selectors make the final choices.
Context
We have two primary considerations when working with Wells Cathedral. Firstly, great care must be taken that no damage occurs to the fabric of the building. This means that everything must be free-standing, with no destructive fixings or adhesives used on any of the surfaces. All the display boards in the white-wall gallery are free-standing.
Secondly, we, and the artists, must bear in mind that the primary business of the cathedral is worship, and nothing that we do should compromise this. This means working around the day-to-day events that take place in the cathedral, as well as unexpected and last-minute activities, such as funerals.
Wells Cathedral is more than an exhibition space and we are very pleased that our artists respond to this. In discussion with the cathedral we identify in advance suitable sites for installations. These are photographed and measured and are then available on our website for artists to view before they submit entries for the competition. This helps greatly to streamline the selection and curation processes.
For the first time in 2025 we offered a theme for the Installations: ‘Flowing Light’ is taken from the major work of Mechthild of Magdeburg, a 13th-century mystic, and was suggested by the Dean of Wells. While not prescriptive we were very interested to see how many of the artists responded enthusiastically to this theme.
Objectives and outcomes
To bring international art of a high quality to Wells, Somerset.
To bring additional visitors into the cathedral – admission to the cathedral is £15 per head, excluding under-18s, worshippers and local residents.
To encourage local people, schools, charities, to engage with the cathedral and art.
To invite installation artists to engage with the building and its meaning.
Initiation and planning
WAC is a Community Interest Company (CIC). A small team of five volunteers leads the work in Wells, expanding to around fifty for the exhibition itself, including stewards. Planning commences in December for the following October. Close cooperation between the local team and the cathedral is vital, with the cathedral maintenance staff an essential part of the process.
Parker Harris, a commercial organisation in London, manages the entries and the selection process. They are paid from entry fees.
One major sponsor covers the catalogue and insurance; WAC covers the rest of the publicity and materials and the main cost of the boards for the white-wall gallery.
Wells Cathedral has not charged us for hosting the exhibition.
We make a very small profit.
Description
An open call for entries for both the Gallery and the Installations goes out from our London partners seven months ahead of the October show. A fee is charged for each entry. An initial triage process weeds out entries which are unacceptable or inappropriate.
Sometimes it is necessary to turn down entries simply because the cathedral cannot accommodate modern requirements; for example, there are very few electrical sockets in the body of the cathedral, which impacts sound and video installations.
Independent selectors make the final choices.
Community Projects, usually four in number, are by invitation and are supported by a donor directed grant.
We show approximately 100 Gallery works in a white wall Gallery in the cloisters and approximately 23 Installations in the main body of the cathedral.
The Gallery works and the Installations have a reciprocal relationship in that they occupy neighbouring sites, but they each have their own character. The Gallery works are representative of the wide range of international entries to WAC while the selection rationale for the site-specific Installations is much more in dialogue with the atmosphere and fabric of a Gothic cathedral.
There is a distinction to be drawn between using the building as a gallery space (which would hold true for the white wall Gallery in the cloisters), and the site-specific Installations in the body of the cathedral. For example, almost all of the Gallery works are framed, whereas the Installations invite the eye to roam over their surroundings. The Gallery works are not expected to engage with their surroundings, whereas this is a prime consideration for the Installations.
Gallery works are received either directly from artists or via AMOC, (Art Moves of Chelsea), unwrapped by a dedicated team, curated by the WAC team in Wells, and hung, with the assistance of interns from the Blue School in Wells, in the free-standing white wall gallery. The partnership with the local school has been extremely valuable for both sides.
Installations are brought to the cathedral and installed by their makers, with support from cathedral maintenance staff.
Community Projects are installed by their makers.
The exhibition runs for 3-4 weeks, with a Private View on day 1 or 2. 400 guests are invited to the Private View.
Prizes are awarded, including a Peoples’ Prize, voted for by visitors. Art works are for sale.
Appraisal
Wells is the only UK cathedral to host an open international contemporary art exhibition. The fact that it is seen to be engaging with both contemporary art and the local community enhances its reputation both locally and nationally.
The Private View of the exhibition, held in the cathedral, is attended by around 400 guests, including many of the artists and local VIPs, and is a highlight in the city calendar.
An entry fee (currently £15) is charged by the cathedral, which includes entry to WAC. Entry is free for local people.
In October 2025 the number of people visiting Wells Cathedral was 24,897, and in October 2024, without a WAC show, it was 18,864.
The People’s Vote is a good measure of the engagement with visitors and covers every work in the exhibition. In October 2025 there were just under 2000 votes, somewhat down on the 2024 show which took place in August. (The 2025 show also took place for a shorter length of time.) The Installations are highly rated by visitors, and a Community Project is almost always in the top tier of voting.
WAC has a direct effect on the local community, via the Blue School, Wells, and via the locally based Community Projects. Local media coverage is extensive.
Artists remark on the professional quality of the organisation and our stewards engage with the visitors to the cathedral and the exhibition and report back.
We review our own performance with a wash-up meeting in the month after the exhibition closes.
Conclusion
Wells Art Contemporary and its team of volunteers bring to Wells and its surroundings an exhibition of contemporary art of a quality rarely seen outside the big cities. Wells Cathedral plays a vital part by generously hosting the exhibition and we work closely with it to produce the show. We engage with local charitable organisations and with the local community and the show itself has an enviable international reputation.
However, no exhibition of this nature should rest on its laurels! We look forward to continuing to act as a beacon for contemporary art in our area and to exploring further the dialogue between art and sacred spaces.