Bringing arts events to the local community

What is Common Works Gallery?

Common Works Gallery is a non-profit community interest company based in Wimbledon that organises community arts events.

Katie Preston and Katharine Rowe, with fellow artist Mel Barrett, came up with the idea during lockdown of bringing together artists to exchange ideas and create opportunities to share and show work. We took inspiration for the Common Works logo, name and philosophy from artist, maker and designer William Morris, whose workshops were based in Merton Abbey Mills, not far from central Wimbledon.

We aim to SHOWCASE artists, provide them with a supportive COMMUNITY as well as opportunities to COLLABORATE in paid workshops and commissions, and finally to INSPIRE everyone to explore their own creativity.

Common Works Gallery’s first major event was Art in the Park in 2021, in partnership with The Friends of Cannizaro Park and is now a biannual event. In 2022 we revived the Merton Arts Festival Artists’ Open House after a three-year break and are happy to discuss new opportunities for local artists and teachers so please get in touch for a chat.

  • Katie Preston

    DIRECTOR

    Katie is a printmaker and graphic designer living and working in Wimbledon. She had a long career in illustrated non-fiction publishing before rediscovering her love of art with a two-year foundation diploma at Putney School of Art and Design 2017-19.

    Screen-printing has been her medium of choice since 2018 and you can see her prints of landscapes and flowers on Instagram @katieprestonart and at www.katieprestonstudio.co.uk

    Katie brings her design and marketing knowledge to Common Works Gallery and her experience of community fundraising and events organisation.

  • Katharine Rowe

    DIRECTOR

    Katharine lives and paints in her studio in Wimbledon. She works primarily in oils but also loves to use pencil, charcoal and watercolours.

    Katharine studied History of Art at Edinburgh University and l’Universite de la Sorbonne. She then worked in advertising for 8 years which was great fun but found the office environment increasingly claustrophobic and yearned to be outside battling the elements with a paintbrush. The past 15 years have been dedicated to just that.

    Katharine also paints portraits, particularly canine ones, and was a painter on Sky Portrait Artist of the Year in 2020.

    Follow her on Instagram @Katharine_rowe www.katharinerowe.com