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FESTIVAL OF WESSEX 2026 • 37 ‘LANGTON HERRING MIRROR’ BEATRICE KERR ‘CLIFTON ARTS CLUB MEMBERS PAINTING’ (1914} Clifton Arts: Art Now! Formed in 1906, Clifton Arts was founded by four artists and members of the Royal West of England Academy, welcoming women and men with high artistic skills and ambitious goals. 120 years later, Art Now! showcases the work of the 250 current club members, offering the public the opportunity to compare and contrast the club’s artistic legacy and its present-day creativity. Running alongside this exhibition, the Clifton Arts Fair features works for sale, opportunities for people to engage in art- making, demonstrations by artists, and musical interludes. 8 - 18 July: Victoria Methodist Church, 1 Whiteladies Road, BRISTOL, BS8 1NU. 10am - 5pm (except Sunday 12 July, 2 - 5pm). cliftonarts.org. Highlights from the Collection Highlights from RAMM’s rich and varied fine art collection, dating from the 1400s to the present day. Until 9 August: RAMM, Queen Street, EXETER, EX4 3RX. Tuesday 10.30am - 5pm, Wednesday - Sunday 10am - 5pm. Free entry. rammuseum.org.uk . NAHEM SHOA ‘ PORTRAIT OF DES’ (Detail) ‘SILVERDALE HOARD’ ‘CHARMINSTER GRAVE GROUP’ Treasure! Lost and Found Archaeological discoveries can reveal surprising things about our past. A cache of 2,114 Roman coins buried near Piddletrenthide tell us about political crisis in the 3rd century. Over 200 pieces of Viking silver, hidden in Lancashire between 900 and 910 CE, speak of conflict and far-reaching trade connections. A Bronze Age axe still bears the mineralised impression of 4,000-year-old woven cloth – some of the earliest evidence of weaving ever found in Britain. Each find, carefully recorded and preserved, adds another layer to our understanding of the people who came before us. This summer, Dorset Museum & Art Gallery opens Treasure! Lost and Found , an exhibition that celebrates some of Britain's most remarkable archaeological finds and the stories behind them. A number of items are on public display for the very first time, including the Stalbridge Hoard - a collection of objects deliberately buried over 3,000 years ago. What makes this exhibition particularly special is the breadth of treasure on display. Alongside local discoveries, the Museum has secured loans from major institutions including the British Museum, Herefordshire Museums and Galleries, and Lancashire County Museum Service. The exhibition includes part of the amazing Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard and an Iron Age mirror that has yielded surprising insights into ancient social structures and a young woman’s appearance through modern genetic analysis. To help visitors engage more deeply with these finds, the exhibition features immersive digital experiences created by students from Arts University Bournemouth. Using holograms, a projection, and a Holobox, the students have designed interactive installations that allow visitors of all ages to understand the people behind the finds and engage with their stories in immediate and accessible ways. The exhibition also explores the crucial role of the Treasure Act - legislation introduced in 1996 that transformed how precious archaeological finds are recorded and protected. Before the act, a number of cases sadly demonstrated how easily national treasures could be lost from public view. Today, when metal detectorists, archaeologists, and the public work together, treasures are properly recorded and preserved for everyone to enjoy. The context of a find - knowing exactly where it was buried and what lay alongside it - transforms a single object into a window onto ancient lives. Whether objects were buried as grave goods, ritual offerings, or hidden in times of crisis, they all reveal something fundamental about human nature: our impulse to value, protect, and preserve what matters most. Until 13 September: Dorset Museum & Art Gallery, High West Street, DORCHESTER, DT1 1XA. 10am - 5pm. dorsetmuseum.org .