Pick Me Up Graphic Arts Festival at Somerset House

For several springs in a row, one of our favourite London dates was the Pick Me Up graphic arts festival at Somerset House. Billed as the UK's first graphic arts festival, it gathered illustrators, printmakers, designers and studios under one grand roof and invited the public not just to look, but to buy, make and meet the people behind the work.

It was a refreshing kind of art event. Instead of white cubes and hushed voices, you got crowded rooms, screenprinting demonstrations, zines spread across tables and artists happy to chat about how a piece was made.

What was the Pick Me Up graphic arts festival?

Pick Me Up launched at Somerset House in 2010 and ran each spring for seven editions, with the final festival held in 2016. The idea was simple and generous: showcase emerging talent alongside established names in illustration and graphic design, and make the work accessible, both in price and in spirit.

Collectives and studios took over rooms in the building, turning them into pop-up shops, workshops and installations. Some rooms felt like a print fair, others like an art school open day, and a few like a slightly chaotic party. That variety was the charm.

Pick Me Up made a case we still believe in: good design should be something you can afford to live with, not just admire.

The 2016 festival

The 2016 edition, which turned out to be the last, took community as its theme, inspired by the five-hundredth anniversary of Thomas More's Utopia. The festival's visual identity that year was created by the design studio Hato, and the programme once again mixed exhibitions with hands-on activities and work for sale.

Somerset House later decided not to continue the festival, explaining that it wanted to focus on new projects now that other graphic arts events had sprung up around the country. It was a sad moment for regulars, but also a sign of how much the scene Pick Me Up championed had grown.

Why graphic art belongs at home

The thing we took away from every visit was a fresh appetite for bold, graphic work on our own walls. Pieces like the bright abstract in our photo bring an instant lift to a room, especially one that leans neutral. A few ideas for living with graphic art:

• Use one strong piece as a starting point. Pull two or three colours from it for cushions, a rug or a painted door.
• Contrast with calm materials. Graphic prints sing against plaster walls, pale timber and linen.
• Do not over-match. A print should energise a room, not disappear into it.
• Support makers directly. Buying at fairs and studio sales puts money in artists' pockets.

If you love this kind of work, our features on Outline Editions and Noma Bar and the comic art prints of John Patrick Reynolds are a good next stop, and our guide to open studios and Christmas fairs in London covers other places to find affordable art.

Finding the Pick Me Up spirit today

Although the festival itself has ended, its legacy is easy to spot. Many of the illustrators and collectives it showcased went on to build loyal followings, and London still has plenty of print fairs, open studios and design markets where you can meet artists and buy directly. Look out for independent print fairs, art school degree shows and maker markets, and follow illustrators you like so you hear about their next show.

The lesson of Pick Me Up is worth carrying with you: art does not have to be expensive or intimidating to be meaningful. Sometimes the piece that makes a house feel like home is a screenprint you picked up on a sunny Saturday from the person who made it.

Looking back

We first published this post just before the 2016 festival opened. Since then Pick Me Up has become part of London's design history rather than a date in the diary, so treat this as a fond look back rather than a listing.

Questions readers ask

What was the Pick Me Up graphic arts festival?

Pick Me Up was an annual graphic arts festival at Somerset House in London, launched in 2010, that showcased illustration and graphic design and let visitors buy work and join workshops.

Is Pick Me Up still running at Somerset House?

No. The seventh and final edition took place in spring 2016, after which Somerset House decided not to continue the festival.

Where can I buy affordable graphic art in London now?

Try independent print fairs, open studios, art school degree shows and designer makers markets, where you can often buy directly from the artist.