A photograph of two people looking at a laptop. The person on the left is seated, the are wearing a green dress and back boots, and have mid-length afro hair. The person on the right is standing, they are wearing blue jeans and a check short and have short hair. The room has large windows through which trees and greenery can be seen

Artist-led

Artist-led: The Hide

An ongoing series profiling artist-led initiatives and groups in the South West. This month we are celebrating The Hide.

Posted

24/04/25

Can you tell us about The Hide, who you are and what you do?

The Hide Artist Retreat offers dedicated residency spaces for creatives, as well as hosting cultural events throughout the year. These include GATHER for International Women’s Day, and THISS, The Hide Installation and Sculpture Showcase, an outdoor exhibition now in its fourth year.

We’re set up in the home of artist Alice Sheppard Fidler, a longtime activist for grassroots art organisations and co-founder of Studio Voltaire Gallery and Arts Charity. The Hide’s core values centre on supporting all kinds of creativity in a generous and non-judgmental environment. All visitors who stay with us are offered ways to connect with other artists and organisations.

Can you tell us why you set up and The Hide is important in the context that you are working in?

The Hide opened in 2021 during the pandemic to give artists the space and time to develop work in a nurturing, nature-filled environment.

In 2022, THISS was established to showcase the vibrant arts scene outside London. It provides local creatives with a way to connect to both their rural community and a wider arts network, and connects general audiences with the arts within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Being artist-led and artist-focused, The Hide Artist Retreat remains flexible, adapting to the current needs of artists to maintain an accommodating and accessible space.

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Can you tell us about what you are currently working on and if you have any projects coming up you’d like to share with our network?

We have just released our 2026 residency dates on our website, and THISS 2025 is happening in June, showcasing the work of ten artists from the South West and London responding to the themeadaptable matter. Selected for diverse and experimental approaches to making, their sculptures will be in dialogue with the garden and each other, connecting origins, geographies, and ideas. Most artworks were not intended for outdoors, so artists are challenged to adapt their work to unexpected conditions, and to explore the environmental implications of making permanent sculpture today. Free to attend: June 14/15 and 21/ 22, 11am - 5pm, The Hide Artist Retreat, GL5 5JJ.

A photograph of a person standing in a woodland area. They have shoulder length brown hair, and are wearing a sculptural outfit consisting of folded and layered fabric that has been printed with colourful patterns. They are standing next to a person-sized sculpture made of folded fabric tied with yellow cord.

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Can you describe your space and context, and how you operate and are funded?

The Hide sits in tranquil gardens near Minchinhampton Common. Its rural base is a focal point for both residents and the events that take place, supporting thinking around relationships to the land and the arts ecology in the region.

The Hide building is an “art house”, a material space that generates and encourages a fluid, reciprocal cultural ecosystem. Some residencies operate as non-financial exchanges, most require self-funding which feeds back in and allows the artist-led project to continue. For 2025, THISS is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, enabling partnerships with two youth charities in Gloucester, investing in the next generation of creative thinkers.