SUMMER newsletter

Summer Rain exhibition extended

If you haven’t yet seen our beautiful SUMMER RAIN exhibition it’s not too late! We are extending this stunning show until July 31st. The exhibition features poetic Arizonan and Oklahoman landscape paintings by Addison Karl paired with extraordinary textiles by Melinda Schwakhofer. Both artists share ancestral roots in the Southeastern woodlands of the USA from where their tribes were removed to Oklahoma. They both grew up even further west in Arizona and Los Angeles respectively. These parallel journeys are reflected in the works of art shown in SUMMER RAIN.

This is what visitors say about the show:

“Rich and deep! Almost overwhelming, so beautiful and complex – a joy.” Suzy

 “I feel so involved in looking and feeling and remembering my own experiences of being in nature or recognising its presence with me. A wonderful exhibition.” Sharon

Drop by the gallery soon to see for yourself!

A hidden agenda

Some of you may have noticed a latent theme emerging from our exhibition programming throughout 2025.

In recent years we have been increasingly conflicted by the challenge of running an environmentally responsible business whilst specialising exclusively in contemporary Native American art. Could we be both a ‘local’ business and keep our Indigenous focus? This year we set out to do just that.

All our recent exhibitions and events have featured artists from the Indigenous diaspora - artists who, for various reasons are based in the UK or Europe.

Diasporic stories are an essential component of a rich Indigenous narrative. In a post-colonial world many of us have mixed heritage and multiple reasons to travel and experience life on different continents. It has been an honour to showcase the art of several such artists and bring attention to stories of diaspora through the medium of contemporary art.

Consequently, I am happy to report that not one long haul flight or transatlantic shipment has been required so far this year!

We can’t say for certain what the future holds, but in 2025 we can confirm that we are proud to be a local business with a specialisation in Native American art and a minimal carbon footprint!

What’s next …

After the summer, I am delighted to announce that we will be back with a new, big, bright and beautiful show from the incomparable Rick Grimster.

Rick, who burst on to the art scene at 77 with a sold out show, turns 80 next month! We will be celebrating this milestone with a full gallery exhibition, ‘HOMELANDS’, opening in late September.

Summer Gallery Hours

Rainmaker Gallery will be open by appointment only from 15th August to 15th September. Feel free to contact us by email during this time. We are local and happy to welcome visitors.

Regular opening hours are:

Monday by appointment

Tuesday & Wednesday 10am - 5pm

Thursday by appointment

Friday 10am - 5pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm

Contact [email protected] / 0117 973 0398

Wishing you a glorious summer and hope to see you soon!

Jo & Erin xx