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FESTIVAL OF WESSEX 2026 • 35 ‘FLOW THE RIVER STOUR TALES’ (Oil on canvas, 152 x 101 cm, 2026) Debbie Lee: Flow Dorset artist Debbie Lee was the headline commissioned artist for Dorset Art Weeks 2026. Her immersive exhibition, titled Flow , features large-scale drawings, animation, poetry, and a centrepiece oil painting inspired by the River Stour. Through walking and drawing, Debbie presents new stories for the River Stour, from childhood memories to sheltering wildlife. The commission maps our emotional connection with rivers: ancient routes and folklore, hydro-ecology and defence, interwoven with contemporary themes and ideas. Visitors can view her hand-painted maps and are invited to contribute their own thoughts and illustrations to blank river maps at the exhibition. Until 4 July: Bere Marsh Farm, SHILLINGSTONE, near Blandford, DT11 0QY. Thursday 9am - 4pm, Friday 10am - 4pm, Saturday 10am - 12noon. 07908 255770 / thecrt.co.uk. Exhibit A Summer 2026 Threaded Together An exciting new body of work by silk weaver Debby Kirby will mark 40 years of weaving at Walford Mill Crafts. Debby Kirby is the resident silk weaver at Walford Mill and has 40 years of textile knowledge and expertise. Her workshop is an ever-changing kaleidoscope of colour, where you can experience the sound of her Harris countermarch loom, known by many as “the heartbeat of the mill”. Debby has invented and perfected a method of hand-weaving paper, aluminium, photographs and paintings through her hand-dyed silk. This is a wholly unique practice that has led to collaborations with artists, designers and photographers. This exhibition is a woven journey celebrating her career throughout the last forty years. It features solo and collaborative work by Debby alongside Manda Beeching (painter and printmaker), Claire Thomas (fine artist), Sarah Ricketts (jeweller), Caroline Parrott (aluminium artist) and Jez Randall (photographer). Her exhibition also showcases exciting new work by ceramicist David Pointer. Debby will be on hand every day throughout the exhibition so there's plenty of time to come and visit her at the Mill before she leaves at the end of the year. 29 July - 30 August: Walford Mill Crafts, Knobcrook Road, WIMBORNE, BH21 1NL. Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 11am - 4pm.