A year ago there was muttering in the Somerset town of Bruton, England, that the arrival of fancy artworld types might turn the ancient parish into a rustic playground for the global ultra-rich. Once they’ve pulled on their wellies, however, it turns out that Wirth and his wife, Manuela Hauser, are ready to get down with both the mud and the cultural enrichment of his new ’hood. Hauser & Wirth Somerset – a converted seventeenth-century farmhouse and grounds, featuring multiple free-to-enter galleries, outdoor artworks and a buzzy restaurant – opened in July to general artworld approval, but perhaps more importantly, with a neighbourhood-pleasing programme of talks, workshops and site-relevant residencies. How this commitment to grassroots engagement will evolve to fit the decidedly more urban terrain of downtown LA when the 9,300sqm Hauser Wirth & Schimmel opens for business next year remains to be seen.