Exciting Day Trip to Henley on Thames and Ewelme!

Join us for an enchanting day out on Thursday, July 25th, exploring the picturesque towns of Henley on Thames and Ewelme. 

We have places available on an arranged trip to Henley on Thames and Ewelme on Thursday 25 July by coach, leaving Newbold Comyn at 8.30am with a further pick up opposite the Spa Centre.  The cost is £43 per person.

 Travelling straight to Henley on Thames and the River & Rowing Museum.  This is a fascinating museum housed in an award-winning building in a beautiful riverside setting.  It covers stories of the river, the town of Henley, the international sport of rowing and much more.  Of particular interest is the recently opened Piper Gallery exploring the life and career of John Piper, one of the most significant British artists of the 20^th century whose home was on the edge of Henley.  Admission to the museum is included in the cost of this trip.  There is a cafe to purchase coffee and lunch or stroll the short distance into the town to explore.  The Town Hall is a Grade II listed building,  the iconic Henley Bridge is a masterpiece of Georgian architecture spanning the Thames and St. Mary's Church has stood the test of time since the 13^th century.  There are also plenty of seats to sit beside the river and enjoy a picnic.

 Leaving at 1.45pm we travel the short distance to the pretty village of Ewelme.  We will be met by the village archivist at the historic church of St. Mary the Virgin where we will be told about the associations with the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and the Ewelme Trust which was set up in 1437 and still exists today.  We will also see the Almshouses and the village school which is the oldest school building in the country in use as a Church State Primary School.  We then return through the village to the Watercress Beds Nature Reserve where watercress was grown in specially-built beds fed by Ewelme Brook which runs through the village.  There we will have tea and cake (included in the price) and hear the history of this site.  We leave at 5.00pm.

 Non-members are very welcome to join us, please contact the Secretary on:

 friendsofleamingtonartgallery@hotmail.co.uk  for further details and booking forms.

 

Could you help support the gallery?

 Join FLAG and Support the Gallery!

Would you consider becoming a member of FLAG to help support the gallery? Your membership fees help to provide additional funds for conservation, purchasing new objects, and improving access to the  collections. We also sponsor the Visitors' Choice prize at the Open exhibition, which you may have visited.

Currently, we're giving extra funds to support the Arts Society volunteers with the long-term storage of a delicate collection of fans made from ivory, wood, paper, and silk. Since 2005, we have been providing annual funding to the Arts Society to aid their important work.

Most of the fans are Georgian or Victorian and are made of ivory or wood with delicate paper and silk. Currently they are stored folded up so every time they are looked at and opened, damage and wear is caused – especially as creases in fabric create a point of weakness.

The ideal way to store the fans is flat in their open position which avoids additional stress to the fabric and allows them to be admired with minimal handling. FLAG funding will provide custom sloped support created from acid-free card and new boxes to accommodate them in the open position.

FLAG are very pleased to be able to support this project and look forward to seeing the fans safely stored for the future.

Membership costs just £12 per year. You can download a membership form from our website or pick up an application leaflet from the foyer at the Pump Rooms.

As a FLAG member, you'll enjoy numerous benefits, including interesting outings, a range of talks and study days, and free entry to gallery events.

Payments can be made by cheque or bank transfer. For more details, please contact the Secretary at: friendsofleamingtonartgallery@hotmail.co.uk.

Thank you for your support!

 

Planning an exhibition at the gallery

This is a shared posting from Substack from Through Our Hands, who are having an exhibition at the art gallery from Jan to May 2025. There will be 6 textile artists creating new works alongside existing pieces inspired by the gallery's collections.

Above is another photo that Daniel Lismore has shared with us. He will be building a site specific piece in the gallery during December whilst he’s visiting Leamington. I’m sure being so last minute is a little unnerving for the gallery staff organizing the hanging etc but I’m certain it will be fine and there’s not really a better way of dealing with such amazing works!

In other news, the exhibition title has been finalized:

Unravelling History. Unpicking The Collections and Reworking Textile Traditions.

I must admit, we spent a considerable amount of time deliberating over it, wanting it to not only capture the essence of the artwork but also highlight its connection to the gallery’s collections. The tag line bit above is courtesy of Laura Kemshall who is always a whizz at such things! Certainly, all the new work being produced is done as a direct response to the pieces from the collections in the gallery or with commonalitites of subject matter or technique.

In the exhibition, the combination of new and old works will demonstrate how enduring themes have consistently resonated with textile artists and makers throughout history. These include visual inspirations like flowers and decorative techniques, as well as personal narratives and broader political themes such as protest and community building.

The exhibition will also showcase the gallery’s textile collection, featuring rarely-seen artifacts like Caribbean quilts, paintings, botanical books, toys, and fossils. It will also introduce audiences to donations from Amy Mary Spenlove Brown ( who donated a series of her own watercolours, as well as wide range of domestic items including a parasol, boot hooks and embroidery samplers) and Miss Cox, emphasizing the sense of heritage and value that family heirlooms carry.

1 of the 3 Caribbean quilts in the LSAG collection.

Miss Cox

There’s lots to think about when putting together an exhibition from initially discussing an idea with curators, and then completing formal exhibition proposal forms, explaining to interested parties how the exhibition would work and be of value to the community and be accessible to a wide range of audiences, not just the target audience. Practical planning has to be done once the agreement to proceed has been given, and fellow artists invited to take part, meetings arranged, archives and stores visited to search for inspirational artefacts, new work planned and made, marketing thought about - logos, colours (we’ve chosen Eating Room Red - a deep red - and Dimity - cream), catalogue layouts, delivery of pieces, workshops, talks, QR codes, hanging, even the lettering on the walls has to be carefully considered - eg did you know that we see best with an 80% contrast? 

Lots more to tell so do come back and find out more as the planning continues.

2024 Summer Trips

 

SUMMER PROGRAMME OF EXCURSIONS

 

Wednesday 24 April – Wollaton Hall & Nottingham Castle, Notts.

 

Wollaton Hall is a stunning Grade I listed Elizabethan mansion set in 500 acres of natural parkland.  It is now owned by Nottingham City Council and is home to the Natural History Museum.  Collections can be viewed in rooms including The Long Gallery, The Great Hall and Salon.

Followed by a visit to Nottingham Castle where there are a range of galleries and exhibitions including The Nottingham Lace Gallery, the Craft Gallery and Museum & Art Gallery.

Cost £38 pp

 

Wednesday 22 May – Bewdley & Hartlebury Castle, Worcs.

 

Spending the morning in the attractive Georgian town of Bewdley where the Bewdley Museum has a wide variety of collections including fine art. 

In the afternoon we visit Hartlebury Castle where a tour of the Hurd Library and the Bishop's Palace is included.

Cost £46 pp

 

Tuesday 18 June – Ashbourne & Tissington Hall, Derbys.

 

Arriving at Tissington Hall there will be a tour of the Hall which was built in 1609 with later additions.  There are also gardens and St. Mary's Church which can be explored. 

The afternoon is spent in Ashbourne discovering the more than 200 listed buildings including historic almshouses and coaching inns.

Cost £45 pp

 

Thursday 25 July – River & Rowing Museum, Henley on Thames & Ewelme, Oxon.

 

The River & Rowing Museum is a fascinating museum housed in an award-winning building in a beautiful riverside setting. As well as stories of the river it houses The Piper Gallery exploring the life and career of John Piper, one of the most significant artists of the 20^th century.

We then travel to Ewelme where we will be met by the village archivist at the historic church of St. Mary the Virgin who will tell us the history of the church, its associations with the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and about the Ewelme Trust.

Cost £43 pp

 

Tuesday 20 August – Droitwich Spa, Worcs. & Hampton Court Castle, Herefordshire.

 

Stopping in Droitwich Spa with time to wander round the town and discover the historic history of this salt town.

We then travel to Hampton Court Castle where there are spectacular gardens to view.  A guided tour of the Castle is included to discover its chequered and fascinating history.

Cost £40 pp

 

 

For full details of these trips and how to book please contact the Secretary at:

 

friendsofleamingtonartgallery@hotmail.co.uk

 

Friday Focus schedule - FREE talks at the gallery

 

Friday Focus is back in the gallery from this Friday, 19th January. Schedule for future talks below.

16th January 2024 - All welcome!

 

Flag Programme 2023/24

MEETINGS ARE HELD IN THE BAPTIST CHURCH, CHANDOS ST., LEAMINGTON SPA, STARTING AT 7.30pm UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED. ENTRANCE FEE OF £3 INCLUDES COFFEE/TEA AND BISCUITS

17 October
Jane Simpkiss - Curating in the 21st Century

Jane worked at Leamington Spa AG&M as Art Curator until recently but has now been snapped up by Compton Verney. She will talk about curating in general including recent trips to America to study Dutch and British art respectively.

14 November
Clive Katz - Back to Back Houses

Clive is a volunteer at The Back to Back Houses, Birmingham, has intimate knowledge of them and will be telling us all about them.

19 December
Paula Fletcher - The History of the USA Art Deco District of Miami Beach

Paula was a volunteer walking guide for ten years with the Miami Design Preservation League and gave private Art Deco walks. She now does private walking tours of Warwick and Leamington Spa but will be taking us to sunny Florida while we are in mid-winter.

16 January 2.30pm
Dr. Christopher Hilton - The Lives & Work of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears

Our speaker is the head of Archive & Library, The Red House, Aldeburgh. Some may remember an informative and amusing talk given by Christopher on the life and work of Bernard Spilsbury when he was an archivist at the Wellcome Trust. He has been at The Red House for a few years now and those of us on the holiday to Suffolk had the pleasure of meeting him there. He has generously agreed to come to Leamington from Suffolk to give us this talk.

20 February 2.30pm
Sarah Shalgosky - Curating the Campus

Sarah is the Curator of the Warwick University Art Collection. We are all probably familiar with some of this wonderful collection so near to us . It will be fascinating to learn more.

19 March
Angus Kaye - In the Victorian Architect's Studio - perfectionists, pragmatists and 'Rogues'

This promises to be a lively talk - more details to follow.

16 April - A.G.M. starting at 7.00pm
Historic Coventry Trust

Following the AGM a speaker from Historic Coventry Trust will be discussing their impressive "Rescue of Coventry's medieval Charterhouse". We may be able to also hear about some of their other projects in Coventry.