“It’s pronounced Mas-ham,” said the bus driver. Mass-ham – not Mash-em. Like somewhere you’d go to take the sacrament, not what you’d do to potatoes. “It’s how we tell the outsiders.”
Over the last twelve months however, more and more outsiders have been making their way to the small town of little more than a thousand inhabitants, halfway along the road between Ripon and Richmond.
They have been drawn not only by the annual sheep fair (which was on in market place last weekend), nor by the town’s two working breweries (Theakstons and Black Sheep). It is in fact a small converted rural building barely a mile from the central square of Masham that has been welcoming folks to the town from across Yorkshire and beyond.
ArtisOn is a new studio venue which pays host to a rich range of arts and crafts workshops week after week. This summer’s programme alone has included such highlights as courses in blacksmithing, stained glass panel making, sketching, knitting, and all kinds of painting. Courses are aimed at anyone with even the most passing interest, as long as they’re keen to learn: one of their recent day courses for example ran under the title ‘Art For The Truly Terrified’.
I dropped by on Friday, as a new class of students had come along for a day course in art journal making with Sarah Haslam, whilst in another room Jacqui Walker was teaching an introductory class in spinning. I tried my hand at playing with the paints and the printing tools in Sarah’s course, where she had her pupils making journal pages with acrylics and stencils, even pictures from magazines and yellowed pages cut out of old books.
Run by a small and dedicated team, their ethos is to bring art and the broader creative experience to anyone and everyone – something they achieve in the cosy, peaceful environment of ArtisOn where the guests are treated not only to an inspirational hands-on experience guided by thoughtful and knowledgeable teachers, but also to a cracking home-made lunch!
But the dedication to their art and their passion doesn’t end when the students pack up and go home.
This October sees the return of the Masham Arts Festival, with nine days of events that include music from Harrogate band The Birdman Rallies as well as Albert Ross & The Black Sea (to name but two), gospel singing, children’s storytelling, belly dance workshops, and photography and art exhibitions. Starting on October 21st, you can find out more here.
Masham has a long history of attracting anyone with an artistic streak. As part of the ArtisOn team, Josie Beszant invited me along, stopping off first at her gallery (known conveniently enough as ‘The Gallery’) in the heart of town which she has been running for over fifteen years. An émigré from Reading, once upon a time she of course was an outsider. But she says she would never turn back: the sheer kindness and friendliness of the local people is by now too familiar to let go.
This month, Masham is the place to be to enjoy that blend of creativity, conviviality, and simple pleasure – wherever you’re from.
