Event category: Type

‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful’

In this famous statement, William Morris summed up his belief that art should be part of our everyday lives. He argued that well-designed and expertly-crafted objects could lift the spirit, and inspire both the maker and the eventual owner. Functional items could be made to carry stories and tell tales that enrich daily life. By slowing down and not taking the ‘everyday’ for granted, we can see and experience new things.

Today’s designers and makers continue to explore the role of craft. The William Morris Gallery invited members of the Society of Designer Craftsmen to create new work in response to Morris’s rallying call. This exhibition brings together an extraordinary range of objects which explore the potential of materials, decoration and narrative.

The Society of Designer Craftsmen is a multi-disciplinary society with roots stretching back to the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society.  Twenty-eight members have been shortlisted for this exhibition to present textiles, ceramics, mixed media, metal work and the book arts. They range from the Society’s most prominent names to individuals just starting out in their careers.

List of exhibiting artist: Adam Aaronson (glass), Judith Battersby (ceramics), Amy Cooper (ceramics), Sara Fell (glass and precious metals), Jenny Ford (textiles), Kirsten Glasbrook (textiles), Marion Hewitt (glass), Simon Jewell (furniture), Debbie Lyddon (textiles), Armando Magnino (furniture), Peter Moss (ceramics), Amarjeet Nandra (textiles),  Sandra Owens (ceramics), Sumi Perera (book art), Caroline Rees (glass), Niru Reid (textiles), Sally Reilly (ceramics), Rosalind Roberts (mixed media), Waring Robinson (furniture), Pam Schomberg (ceramics), Diana Springall (textiles), Kate Standen (ceramics), Teresa Strachan (textiles), Sass Tetzlaff (textiles), Susie Vickery (textiles), Jeanne Werge-Hartley (metalwork), Molly Williams (textiles), Stephanie Wright (ceramics)

Image: Nacre by Judith Battersby

The delicate ceramic milk bottles on display in the Tea Room carry a strong message. They represent one of the most infamous government cuts of the 1970s: the withdrawal of free milk from schools.

The bottles are inscribed with people’s personal views about the cuts, drawing parallels with the present day. The bottles are made by Raewyn Harrison, who lives and works in Waltham Forest.

David Bailey’s iconic photographs immortalised 1960s London. When he turned his camera east, he photographed the part of London he grew up in. As he expressed it recently, ‘London’s East End is in my DNA’.

This exhibition brings together intimate portraits of the characters, faces and streetscapes he encountered in the East End during the 1960s.

Image: David Bailey

In this series of paintings, David Mabb champions the history of political protest by bringing together slogans from recent and historical demonstrations. Removed from their context and framed in Morris & Co fabrics, this exhibition presents an opportunity to experience their messages afresh. On display in the Discovery Lounge.

Winner of the 2010 Inspired by Morris group show, Nicola Jarvis returns to the William Morris Gallery with a solo exhibition. A hand-embroidery specialist, Jarvis’s new work includes works on paper and textiles created in dialogue with the techniques and ideas championed by William Morris’s daughter, May Morris. Jarvis’s work will be exhibited alongside rarely seen archive materials offering refreshing new perspectives on May Morris’s career.

Lizzie Hughes’s diverse practice includes installation, video, sound works and performance

Working with the gallery’s archive, Hughes will investigate William Morris’s tireless pursuit of learning and enter into a dialogue with the local community. The amateur interests Hughes as someone often undertaking a solitary pursuit, an autodidact who finds unorthodox and innovative ways to solve problems. The residency will include a public event for amateur craftspeople to contribute to a lasting record of the residency.