FLOCK
November 16th 2011 - January 14th 2012
Visitors to THE DE MORGAN CENTRE this winter will be all of a flutter at the sight of this wonderful selection of bird inspired craft.
The temporary exhibition will feature an enchanting selection of ceramics, glasswork, driftwood sculptures and drawings, each piece inspired by the form and flight of birds. Alongside regular exhibitiors Wendy Ramshaw, Laurence McGowan, Prue Cooperand Sid Burnard, new additions to the De Morgan fold are glass artist Heather Konschuh, ceramicist Anthony Theakston and jeweller Barbara Christie.
A wide range of pieces will be exhibited, including both decorative and functional ceramics such as Laurence McGowan’s beautiful stoneware adorned with festive robins and Prue Cooper’s witty yet traditional slipware. Magical driftwood sculptures of birds peeping out of nests or perching on branches are presented by sculptor Sid Burnard, and elegant bird jugs and decorative lidded pots by Anthony Theakston. Colourful blown glass birds by Canadian glass artist Heather Konschuh and decorative jewellery in precious metals by Barbara Christie will also be exhibited. The Centre is delighted to be able to present a collection of bird drawings created exclusively for the De Morgan Centre and inspired by the collection of De Morgan’s whimsical decorated pottery by internationally renowned jeweller and designer Wendy Ramshaw.
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William De Morgan & Fine Cell Work
September 16th - November 3rd 2011
For our re-opening, we presented an exhibition of Fine Cell Work in the re-designed temporary exhibition space. The charity trains prisoners in highly skilled and paid needlework, using William De Morgan’s tile designs for many of their cushion ranges. The De Morgan Centre has had a long-standing relationship with Fine Cell Work and once again visitors had a chance to see and purchase from a range of cushions, bags and small items.
The charity currently brings skilled craftwork to a sector of the population which would otherwise have no access to it, and shares De Morgan’s commitment to making craftwork a day to day practice in the modern world. Victorian philanthropy embraced these dual interests and William De Morgan’s mother campaigned alongside Elizabeth Fry, who first brought paid needlework into prisons in the 19th Century.
The sense of continuity with the past and connection to the outside world is of great value to men and women separated from society, and they frequently express the self worth it gives them:
“It opens up another world, one that is long-forgotten. It is reinventing the craftsmanship of yesteryear. Then there is the pride and usefulness in seeing something of beauty come together, and the thought that my cell work will bring pleasure, now and hopefully long into the future…”
More information on Fine Cell Work
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The Ideal and the Erotic: Drawings by Evelyn De Morgan
1-17 February 2011
Lewis Elton Gallery, University of Surrey, Guildford
In association with the Watts Gallery and the University of Surrey
The exposure of the body through images of the nude was one of the most controversial issues in Victorian art. 19th century artists were pushing boundaries to use the nude body in ways never allowed before, fuelling intense debates about the relationship between art and public morals.
This exhibition explores the divide between naked and nude - the presentation of aestheticised and idealised forms as opposed to the raw, awkward reality of the unclothed body and in so doing places both the artist and today’s viewer in the role of voyeur.
For directions to the University Campus and the Lewis Elton Gallery please click here
