Alongside the main gallery programme, East Quay in Somerset also provides a range of opportunities for creative practitioners, from Somerset and further-afield, which take place across the whole building throughout the year. In 2026, we will be launching a new Billboard Commission and are delighted that the first iteration of the project will feature artwork by Johnny Carroll-Pell, with support from Project Art Works.
East Quay is an arts venue which opened in September 2021 in the harbour town of Watchet, West Somerset. It is managed by Onion Collective CIC, a Somerset-grown, not-for-profit social enterprise, illustrating that when people have the space and time to imagine collectively, the results can be creative, welcoming, meaningful and fun.
East Quay is home to two contemporary art galleries, nine artist studios, a project space, a paper mill, a geology workshop, a print studio, a bookshop, an education space, a restaurant, and five unique accommodation pods, all overlooking the town’s quayside on Somerset’s beautiful coast. It also hosts a diverse and ambitious events programme, delivered in-line with the organisation’s core values.
Image: East Quay, photo by Joseph Horton
The cultural programme at East Quay is managed by Contains Art CIO, which is founded on the belief that who you are, where you live and what you have should not constrain access to creativity and culture. In 2022, Contains Art was awarded NPO status by Arts Council England, with its purpose being to raise ideas, open minds, invite discussion, and encourage a social, economic, and environmental conversation through culture.
Image: Johnny Carroll-Pell, Untitled, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 122cm x 152cm
From January 7, 2026
to January 1, 2027
Location: East Quay, Watchet, TA23 0AQ
Email: hello@eastquaywatchet.co.uk
Phone: 01984 263103
