The Arts Society Lectures
Lectures about the Arts & Crafts Movement with a special interest in William Morris and his circle.
Lectures are given by Fiona Rose our accredited lecturer with The Arts Society (formerly known as NADFAS). For more information about Fiona please click this link.
If you are interested in booking a lecture by Fiona, or finding out more information, please contact us via the Contact page or by phoning (01799) 531233. Fiona also gives a special interest day about William Morris: The Man Behind the Famous Floral Designs.
1 Hour Lectures:
The Pursuit of Beauty: An Overview of the Life & Works of William Morris
William Morris (1834-1896) was the single most influential designer of the nineteenth century. He was also a political theorist, poet, writer, publisher, and environmental campaigner. Morris’s aim in life was “to transform the world with beauty” not just by creating beautiful objects but in the detail of everyday life and the belief in art for all. He believed in the value of good design for the maker and consumer and that the learning of manual skills made for a well-rounded life. This talk provides an overview of his visionary thinking, his early life and influences, his marriage, family and homes and the work of Morris & Co.
In the Garden with William Morris: Flora as Art
More famous for his work inside the home, William Morris (1834-1896) made a significant impact on the evolution of the English garden. He considered the garden inseparable from the house, rejecting Victorian formality and instead drawing inspiration from medieval gardens. This lecture examines his gardening principles drawing from Morris’s lectures, letters, poetry, and prose. It also explores his own gardens that served as an inspiration behind his flower-based designs: Red House, Kelmscott Manor, Kelmscott House and the garden at his factory Merton Abbey Works.
William Morris and the Art of the Home
To use his own words, William Morris "set out to transform the world with beauty" believing "the most important production of Art and the thing most to be longed for... is a beautiful house". Through his firm Morris & Co. he sought to elevate the so- called Lesser Arts (decorative arts) to the status of the Fine Arts with a move away from mass production and a return to craftsmanship. He believed beautiful surroundings promoted creativity and happiness. This copiously illustrated lecture explores his design philosophy and examines Morris's life and work in the context of his own homes.
The Life & Work of May Morris: "A Remarkable Woman"
Towards the end of her life May Morris (1862-1938) - designer, craftsperson, and younger daughter of William Morris – wrote, ‘I’m a remarkable woman, always was, though none of you seem to think so’. Overshadowed in her lifetime by the achievements of her illustrious father, thankfully today May Morris is recognised as a leading figure in the Arts & Crafts Movement. Excelling in the field of embroidery, she was Head of Embroidery at Morris & Co. by the time she was twenty-three. May also designed wallpapers, made jewellery and was a talented amateur watercolour artist. She was instrumental in founding the Women’s Guild of Arts formed to support women working in the arts and crafts field at a time when they were excluded from similar organisations. A skilled editor, May spent her later years editing the 24 volumes of her father's collected works.
William Morris's Red House: The Beautifullest Place on Earth
Red House was the only home William Morris ever owned and helped design. When the house was completed in 1860, Morris’s friend Edward Burne-Jones described it as, “the beautifullest place on earth.” The challenge of furnishing his new home inspired Morris to found the decorating company Morris & Co. Often described as, ‘the cradle of the Arts & Crafts Movement’, Red House is one of the most important and influential buildings in the history of domestic architecture. This talk is copiously illustrated by beautiful photographs, internal and external, of Red House and Morris furnishings.
Uncompromising Genius: The Life & Work of Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright is recognized as one of the most important architects of all time. He was a genius who believed he was destined to redesign the world. Over the course of his long career he designed over 800 buildings, including revolutionary structures such as The Guggenheim Museum, Fallingwater, the Johnson Wax Building and Taliesin. However, Wright’s architectural achievements were often over shadowed by his turbulent private life. In his 92 years, he fathered 7 children, married three times, and suffered great personal tragedy. This illustrated lecture provides an overview of his work, colourful personal life and most iconic buildings.
Frida Kahlo: A Life in Art
Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-54) was queen of the selfies long before Kim Kardashian but instead of using Instagram Frida used a brush and oils to paint her own reality. Often associated with the Surrealist movement, Frida denied this insisting she painted life exactly as she had experienced it. Frida’s personal life was tumultuous. Horrifically injured in an accident as a teenager she was dogged by physical pain and suffering for the rest of her life. She married, divorced, and remarried the painter Diego Rivera her artistic and political soulmate though an unfaithful husband.
This illustrated lecture explores Frida’s life through her most iconic paintings. Some of her paintings examined in this lecture are graphic and unflinching with subjects including murder, suicide, marital infidelity, miscarriage, revolution, living with a disability and death. Diego Rivera acknowledged Frida as, “the first woman in the history of art to treat, with absolute and uncompromising honesty… those general and specific themes which exclusively affect women”. Recognised as one of the greatest female artists of the 20th century she is known for her originality, bold use of colour, passion, courage and as someone who created life and beauty in the face of great personal suffering and adversity.
The David Parr House: A Decorative Artist’s Palace of Art
Behind the front door of a modest terraced house in Cambridge lies an extraordinary Victorian hand painted interior. Working class decorative artist David Parr (1854-1927) spent many years decorating the finest churches and grandest homes in the country. In his precious spare time, he painted the walls of his own home with designs inspired by those he had worked on professionally, adapting them to create his own palace of art at 186 Gwydir Street. Subsequently lived in for 85 years by his granddaughter, and only discovered in 2009, the David Parr House is a unique example of Arts & Crafts workmanship layered with C20th social history. The House is open for guided small group tours, but interior photography on tours is prohibited. However, with the permission of DPH and as a volunteer House Guide at 186, through this talk I will visually take you inside the property to learn about the lives of those who lived there, the commissions David worked on and the inspirations behind his wall paintings. This Arts Society talk is given in collaboration with the David Parr House Charitable Trust and a third of my fee will be donated to the charity.
