When DRAWN’s usual home at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings became temporarily unavailable due to essential structural repairs, Event Director and artist Cherie Jerrard was faced with a choice: put the event on hold, or use the disruption as an opportunity to try something new.

This November, DRAWN returns to Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, the venue where the collective first began in 2021, but with a new contemporary direction.

“It is a bit of an experiment,” says Cherie. “The Flaxmill gave us the freedom to create these big, bustling events, and suddenly I had to look at what we could do differently in a very different building. Rather than trying to recreate the same event, I decided to work with the Museum and make a feature of the spaces we have.”

DRAWN Contemporary will bring together a smaller, carefully curated selection of artists, ceramicists, jewellers, designers and makers, with work ranging from accessible prints and beautifully made objects through to larger original artworks and statement pieces.

The ambition may have grown, but Cherie is determined that DRAWN doesn’t lose the accessibility and sense of community on which it was built.

“I want somebody to feel completely comfortable coming in just to have a look. They might buy a card or a print, they might fall in love with an original artwork they hadn’t expected to find, or they might simply leave feeling inspired. Contemporary art shouldn’t feel as though you need to know the rules before you walk through the door.”

That is also why entry will remain completely free, while DRAWN will take no commission from artists’ sales, allowing visitors to buy directly from the people who created the work.

DRAWN Contemporary takes place at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday 21 November from 10am–4pm, and Sunday 22 November from 11am–4pm.