inside
Compton Verney
Winter 2014
A Sense of Place: 2015 at Compton Verney New Curriculum, New Opportunities
Adopt an Artwork Takes Off Artwork adoption has brought much-needed support for Compton Verney. Caring for collections and mounting high-quality exhibitions is an expensive business and the money raised through adoptions helps us to do just that. Works of art throughout our permanent collections are available from just £25 - 2,500. If you are interested in adopting something in your own name, or that of a loved one, please contact Alexandra on 01926 645547.
Recent adoptions: Mrs Janatha Stubbs, MBE, MOM, has adopted Mrs Baldwin in Eastern Dress by Sir Joshua Reynolds (top image), The Scene at Golgotha by the Strasbourg School (above left), and Mirza Abu'l Hassan Khan by Sir William Beechey (left). A Tang Horse from the Chinese Collection (above right) has also been adopted for Matthew Brown.
Contents Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 6 Page 8
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Adopt an Artwork Takes Off News Bites A Sense of Place: 2015 at Compton Verney Re-Viewing the Landscape Update New Curriculum, New Opportunities
Page 10 Handbags Galore; A Day in the Life of Lindsey Fox, Retail Buyer Page 11 The Arts & Crafts House: Then & Now Page 12 Highlights of Istanbul & Bunting Bonanza Page 13 Save the Date Page 14 Acknowledgements
Cover photo: ‘If I Can’, Embroidery, 1857, William Morris , Copyright Society of Antiquaries of London: Kelmscott Manor
News Bites Farewell This season sees one of our long standing and much loved Gallery Assistants hanging up his gilet for the last time. Tony Isaacs, has been part of the team since day one and has helped define our approach to visitor welcome and experience. We shall miss him dearly and are hugely grateful for his support over the years.
Take Over Day Kids in Museums is a national campaign to encourage more activities for children and young people to take place in museum settings. This annual event takes place in November, and organisations such as art galleries, museums and heritage sites are taken over by children and young people. This year we worked with Stratford-uponAvon School and Campion School. Read more in the Curator’s Diary Blog.
Emily, Harriet and Event Duty Manager Paul
Award Winning Hire and Recreation Huge congratulations to Harriet Lund and Melanie Thorn from Compton Verney Venue Hire for winning Best Venue Team (Regional) at The Wedding Industry Awards, and to Emily Medcraft and all our Front of House team who make our guests welcome and ensure events run smoothly. Compton Verney’s Grounds Team can also be proud that we have picked up an award for Footpath of the Year from the Stratford Ramblers.
Learning Sponsored in Memory Paul Cooney has generously sponsored the learning activities for the Periodic Tales exhibition in memory of Barry and Judy Henman. Work experience students assisting Annelise, Collections and Exhibitions Manager
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A Sense of Place: 2015 at Compton Verney
2015 will inevitably be a challenging financial year, coming as it does after the closure of the Peter Moores Foundation and before the completion of the first and most important phase of our Park Restoration Project. (Don’t forget that we learn the outcome of our Round Two bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) at the end of January 2015.) However, we intend to use the next twelve months to very good effect. We’re not planning just to sit back, watching and waiting for the anticipated uplift prompted by 2016’s ‘Capability’ Brown and Shakespeare anniversary celebrations and the development of our invaluable historic landscape. Whatever the result of our HLF bid, we intend to sustain our forward momentum and build on the success we’ve achieved over the last few years. The major marketing exercises we commissioned in 2013 and 2014 (much of which was generously funded by the Arts Council England) provided us with additional, invaluable information about our visitors – and, crucially, about those who currently do not visit. What we aim to do in 2015 is to take this exercise one step further, and to tackle head-on the two key barriers to visiting which this research identified. The first is the perception that we are difficult to find, and that we are buried in the midst of the countryside. (Many people in our catchment area are still regrettably unaware of our exact location, even if they have often heard of us.) 4
Photos by Stuart Thomas (main left) and John Cleary (inset)
Secondly, we are faced with the obstacle that both our gallery title and our corporate logo, when viewed in isolation by those who do not know us, fail to convey any idea of what we are and what we offer. To deal with the first challenge, we intend to use the summer’s major exhibition, The Art and Crafts House, to help potential visitors pinpoint exactly where we are. We aim to do this by creating an exhibition-related Arts and Crafts Trail that will link us to nearby, well-known Cotswold destinations.
We will, for example, be featuring the work of the Hart Silversmiths’ workshop in Chipping Campden (founded in 1902 and still going strong), cross-marketing with the Gordon Russell Museum in Broadway (which will in turn provide us with a helpful link to our own Enid Marx collection), partnering with historic houses and collections such as Kelmscott and Rodmarton, and focusing on a cross-section of local craftspeople. In this way, we will exploit Compton Verney’s geographical hinterland to create a trail of contemporary makers across the Cotswolds.
2015 Exhibitions
At the same time, the promotion of our other exhibitions during the year, along with the sitespecific publicity garnered by partnerships such as the remarkably successful ‘Coventry and Warwickshire 8’ cultural alliance and our new Ambassadors scheme, will also stress our easy-toreach location as well as publicising our everexpanding offer.
assurance of the British nation. The houses, bridges,
On the issue of brand recognition, we clearly do not have the resources to initiate a full-scale rebranding exercise. Nor, in truth, would we want to: it would surely be rather unwise to discard a name that has, over the last ten years, become increasingly synonymous with our growing national and regional reputation.
Canaletto: Celebrating Britain 14 March to 7 June This exhibition spotlights the paintings and drawings which Canaletto created between 1746 and 1755, when he chose to celebrate the latest achievements of British architecture and engineering. This is the first time which these painting have been gathered together, and collectively they illustrate Canaletto's nine-year stay in Britain which saw him document a series of new building works and projects, commissions which reflected the new-found wealth and churches and castles he recorded marked out Britain as the new Venice and conveyed a sense of self-confidence, as Britons sought cultural inspiration not just from the Mediterranean but also from their own history. Martin Parr : The Non-Conformists 14 March to 7 June The Non-Conformists features the first major body of work by celebrated documentary photographer and satirist Martin Parr. These black-and-white photographs from the mid-1970s document the Yorkshire mill town of Hebden Bridge and the surrounding Calder Valley. This remarkable series predates the colour photographs for which Parr was to become so well known in the following decade.
What we can do, though, is to enhance our corporate image, communicating more lucidly so that would-be visitors have a clearer idea of what they can experience and enjoy. To refresh our brand, then, we aim to add a strapline to our logo which encapsulates all that we can offer. We have already gone a long way along this path – partly thanks to the recent research and a Governors’ brand personality workshop, which helped us to better understand how others see us – and we hope to bring this to fruition next year. Any ideas you may have to this end would be most welcome!
Kern Baby by Faye Claridge
By improving awareness of where we are located, and of what we can offer our increasingly broad spectrum of visitors, we aim to create a solid base on which we can pitch our exciting, diverse and expanding offer from 2016 – the year, after all, of Shakespeare and ‘Capability’ Brown, to say nothing of our major exhibitions on Britain in the 1950s and the Grand Tour. All of this will, in turn, help us to increase our visitor numbers, currently at around 65,000 a year, towards our 2020 target of 100,000. As the cliché has it, onwards and upwards. Dr Steven Parissien, Director
27 June to 13 September (see page 11)
14 March to 13 December This enigmatic new commission by artist Faye Claridge in our historic grounds will take on the form of an exaggerated sculptural emblem of folklore. Resonating with Compton Verney’s extensive collection of British Folk Art, the new sculpture is based on the photographic work of Sir Benjamin Stone, who travelled the country recording unusual festivals and customs.
The Arts and Crafts House: Then and Now
Periodic Tales: The Art of the Elements 3 October to 13 December This exhibition will highlight how the chemical elements (gold, silver, iron, carbon etc) remain central to our lives and to artistic creation, through a series of contemporary and historic works. The exhibition will include work by Antony Gormley, Cornelia Parker, Thomas Heatherwick, Marc Quinn and Lucy Skaer and has been supported by the Beecroft Trust.
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Schematics of the Welcome Centre exterior and (below) interior
Re-Viewing the Landscape Update This major, transformational project continues to gather momentum as we await the results of our final round application to the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Wolfson Foundation
Garfield Weston Foundation
Having received a Development Grant for the project in 2013, we were able to develop plans and make our final submission in October 2014. A recent visit from a National HLF Board Member and our Regional Director went well, and we look forward to a decision in late January or early February.
Fidelity UK
29th May Charitable Trust
J. Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust
Country Houses Foundation
P.F. Charitable Trust
We have now also received planning permission for the Welcome Centre, Chapel refurbishment Grounds Workshop and footbridge.
The Mercers Company
Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust
The Saintbury Trust
Natural England
The Rural Payments Agency
We are immensely grateful to those trusts and foundations who have made generous grants to help fulfil the match funding requirement for this project, including:
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Shuttle parking
Interpretation space
Internal layout of the Welcome Centre
Forest School storage
Ticket desk Toilets
Coffee bar
Shop
Bike racks Canopy, benches and landscaping
Francis Coales Charitable Trust
Golden Bottle Trust
Lord Leverhulme Charitable Trust
Arts Connect West Midlands
There are still opportunities to help before the Board make their final decision: Sponsor a bird hide or Chapel window for
£10,000 Sponsor a Chapel pew, or enable us to host
Forest School for a year with a gift of £5,000
In addition, we have received substantial support from many individuals, including:
Lord and Lady Goodhart
Alex and Mary Robinson
Wyn Grant
James Robinson
Oliver Simon
Last but certainly not least, thanks to our hardworking event volunteers, notably Lady Willoughby de Broke, Bridget Barker, Christine Archer, Belinda McMicking, Laura Watts, Munchi Choksey and Josie Cameron-Ashcroft.
Help us bring the landscape to life with an
interpretive panel for £1,000 Restore a Chapel ceiling panel for £500 Inscribe a plank in our wetland boardwalk for
£100
For more information about how you can become a part of this important and exciting project, please contact Development on 01926 645547.
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Rendering of the new Gallery entrance (above) and students from Peking University handling the bronzes (below)
New Curriculum, New Opportunities The new national curriculum, which was introduced in September, has created opportunities to develop exciting, new programmes for schools at Compton Verney. One of the most significant areas of opportunity is within the history curriculum, which has changed considerably from the previous programme of study and now, for the first time, includes The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China. Coinciding with the re-display of our Chinese collection, which will be unveiled to the public in March 2015, we have created a new primary programme Rituals and Bronzes: The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China. A large number of students (5,000 +) visit Compton Verney each year and this will be the first programme we have run that specifically explores our Chinese collection.
Rituals and Bronzes: The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China This programme will enable Key Stage 2 students (7 – 11 year olds) to investigate the Chinese bronzes within our collection and explore life during the Shang Dynasty. Rituals and Bronzes links directly to national History, Art and Design curriculums and we anticipate that 800 students will take part in this programme annually and, to support and encourage school participation, each child’s visit will be highly subsidised by Compton Verney. In the morning students will tour the Chinese collection to explore and discuss the objects and artworks from Ancient China, recording their observations through sketching. They will look particularly at the ritual bronzes, exploring their importance and learning about religion, life and important people during the Shang Dynasty. The students will also have the exciting opportunity to handle one of the original bronzes from Ancient China and discover more about how they were created and their
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history. In the afternoon students will then create their own Chinese vessel using air drying clay. They will be shown different ways and techniques
Each programme also includes a taster session for traditional food the time period, such as the Stone Age treat frumenty or Viking porridge, and making and maintaining a fire,
to make a clay pot and, taking inspiration from the Chinese bronzes, will base their
which they will use for heat and cooking.
designs on the ritual vessels they have seen in the morning.
Objectives and outcomes
Vikings, Romans, Saxons and more In response to the new curriculum we have also developed six new, hands-on history programmes that use our Forest School site to explore life in early Britain: Stone Age Settlers,
Our mission at Compton Verney is to share our passion for art and heritage with as many people as possible, and these schools’ programmes will offer a fantastic opportunity for students to participate and interact with our world-class Chinese collection and landscape.
Bronze Age Builders, Iron Age Inhabitants, The Real Romans, Saxon Settlers and Viking
The most powerful and memorable learning
Villagers. In these programmes students explore what life would have been like during the time periods and what daily task might
will not only enable students to learn about history through original objects, artworks and
have entailed. In each programme students will take part in
happens through experience, these projects
hands-on experiences, but will also encourage them to explore their own creativity and artistic skills.
five practical activities that relate to the time period they are studying. These could range from building a miniature settlement, to making traditional wattle and daub or weaving nets for fishing.
The overall learning outcomes we hope students will achieve are:
An appreciation of ancient Chinese art and ritual bronzes and an understanding of the bronzes use and significance
Knowledge of life, customs, and religion during other time periods
New skills and an appreciation for how they can enjoy galleries and landscapes.
Forest School Leader Vix Curtlin (above) and conker stew (right).
For more information, contact the Learning Team. 9
Handbags Galore; A Day in the Life of Lindsey Fox, Retail Buyer From ballet, embroidery and geology through a long and varied career with Liberty’s, managing an embroidery workshop and serving as Stitch Magazine’s Promotions Manager, Lindsey Fox brings us both experience and creativity: My philosophy for the shop is that while it is important for the look and merchandise to be sympathetic to the current exhibition, there is no point in having a shop unless it can generate a strong income stream. As we are an independent gallery with no regular government support, generating income through the shop is essential to our survival. Every penny of your purchase, above the cost of the item itself, is re-invested in the exhibitions, learning programme and care of our collections, buildings and landscape. So when we stumble on something popular, such as the leather handbags we introduced during our Italian exhibition last year, we continue to carry it. The colours may change with the season, or to reflect the colour scheme of the current exhibition, but we stick with what works well for our customers.
We start planning for the year as soon as the exhibitions are agreed. I research the artist’s work and life, and talk with the curator about the design for the galleries and the ethos. At the same time I attend the gift fairs in London, do on-line research and talk with clients and people who have come forward to offer their work for sale. I always have the work of at least three local artists or artisans represented although I don’t single them out in the shop. I want the buyer to make a purchase decision purely based on whether they love an item. I feel that it is important to bring new stock into the shop frequently so that repeat visitors always find something different to tempt them. We are obviously not a high street shop, or a National Trust site, so we must also maintain a uniquely Compton Verney feel to the shop. I hope that you will come in and see how we transform the shop for each exhibition next year and hopefully we can inspire you to support our work with a purchase. Lindsey Fox
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The Arts & Crafts House: Then & Now 27 June -13 September 2015 The Arts & Crafts House traces the origins, legacy and enduring appeal of the historic Arts and
first crowd funding venture.
Crafts Movement and its fascination with the creation of the home.
relating to three creative houses – the homes of William Morris - Red House and Kelmscott
At the centre of the exhibition will be works
In a society where sustainability, regionalism
Manor, and Ernest Gimson’s cottage -
and the handmade are becoming increasing
Stoneywell in Charnwood Forest Leicestershire.
ideas of form and function key to the movement and present various artists whose work is pushing the boundaries of craft in relation to historic Arts and Crafts ideas. Devised as a series of encounters between historic and contemporary works, the exhibition will look at the fascinating link between the life and work of designers and makers then and now.
View of Kelmscott (c) The Wilson Cheltenham
benchmarks for design and living in general, the ideals of the movement have never seemed so current. The exhibition will also explore
The exhibition will also explore the garden and the importance of the natural world for the key early shapers of the movement: John Ruskin (with items from his Guild of St. George) and William Morris. The important collaborations of plantswoman and designer Gertrude Jekyll and architect Edwin Lutyens will celebrate an important high point when the house and garden were to fuse into a single vision. Morris and Jekyll’s work in particular will be shown in the context of work by artist Rosa Nguyen who will work with wallpaper, plants and ceramics and Landscape Designer and Plantsman Dan Pearson who will be creating a William Morris wild flower meadow on Compton Verney’s extensive West Lawn. The meadow will be mown into a formal parterre with the design of Morris’ ‘Trellis’ wallpaper (featured background and Courtesy of William Morris Gallery, London Borough of Waltham Forest ) and was funded through Compton Verney’s
The Hart Silversmiths: A Living Tradition This exhibition sits alongside the Arts & Crafts House to explore the evolution of a living tradition in design and silversmithing which has its origins in the Arts and Crafts Movement. Following the line of the family of Harts who have worked in the Silk Mill in Chipping Campden for over a century, this exhibition brings together both domestic and civic commissions alongside the spectacular drawings which have inspired them. The exhibition has received support from the Hart Silversmiths Trust. 11
Highlights of Istanbul Between the wonderful sites, sounds, smells and tastes; boat trips and seraglios; the Benefactors’ and Patrons’ trip to Istanbul was unforgettable. Join us next year in The Hague and Amsterdam (see page on right) and experience exclusive tours of newly re-opened galleries, unusual heritage sites and world-class art and cuisine.
A visit to the Blue Mosque, Istanbul
Bunting Bonanza Although beaten by some three kilometres in our World Record attempt to create the longest line of bunting, the project has enabled us to connect with literally hundreds of individuals and organisations during our tenth anniversary year. A fantastic 7.5 kilometres of bunting was created and a huge “well done” is due to Moira Walters, our staff and volunteers and all of you who helped to create this massive work of art. Thanks to John Crossley (left) and the grounds team, the bunting was hung in the Gallery and grounds for the Winter Weekend 2014.
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Save the Date 2015 Benefactor, Patron and Supporter Events for 2015
Benefactors’ and Patrons’ overseas trip to Amsterdam and The Hague
13 March - Canaletto: Celebrating Britain and
4 - 8 Nov, 2015
Martin Parr: The Non-Conformists Private View Benefactors, Patrons and Supporters (Free of charge)
21 April - Danson House and Hall Place Director-led tours of the collections and summer contemporary arts shows at Hall Place and Danson House. Benefactors, Patrons and Supporters only (At cost)
11 May - Martin Jennings Studio Visit and pre-auction viewing at Bonham’s, Oxford Benefactors and Patrons only (At cost)
Join us to experience the art, architecture, and history of these spectacular cities. Stay in two luxurious hotels and enjoy walking tours, boat rides and sites such as:
The newly re-opened Mauritshuis featuring the work of Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Van Dyck and Rubens;
The art deco Gemeentemuseum with its valuable collection of modern and applied art including Picasso, Klee and Mondrian;
The Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder auction house located in a splendid 17th century building with a beautiful collection of period furniture;
The Royal Delft Blue Porcelain factory, and The historic Van Kleef jenever distillery. 26 June - The Arts and Crafts House: Then and Now Private View Benefactors, Patrons and Supporters (Free of
More details to follow in the New Year.
charge)
4 July - Formal Dinner Fundraising Gala Following on from the success of the 2014 opera gala, we will be holding another exceptional evening of music, food and surprises. In addition, ticket holders for this event will be invited to a special private view of our fabulous Shakespeare’s Painters exhibition in 2016 (Ticket prices TBC)
September - Benefactors’ weekend excursion to Brighton to include Director and Curator-led tours of Charleston (the former country retreat of the Bloomsbury Set), Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft and The Royal Pavilion. Exact date TBC. Benefactors only (Some charges will apply)
Martin Jennings’ sculpture of Sir John Betjeman in Saint Pancras Station, London (above left), and the interior of the Hotel Des Indes, The Hague.
2 October - Periodic Tales: Art of the Elements Private View Benefactors, Patrons and Supporters (Free of charge)
4 - 8 November - Benefactors’ and Patrons’ visit to Amsterdam and The Hague Benefactors and Patrons only (At cost)
Set aside 4 July for our annual fundraising gala with music, an auction and surprises! 13
Thank you for your support Thank you to all our Benefactors, Patrons, Supporters and Corporate Members for your continued support. Your membership makes a huge difference to us and contributes towards all aspects of Compton Verney, from our exhibitions and collections to our grounds and educational work.
Benefactors Lady Goodhart Dr Catherine MS Alexander Kirsten Suenson-Taylor Alex and Mary Robinson Adrian and Jacqui Beecroft
Wyn Grant Paul Cooney James Robinson Anonymous
Patrons David & Jill Pittaway David & Sandra Burbidge Bridget Barker & Simon Herrtage Peter Gregory-Hood Roger Cadbury Lord & Lady Willoughby de Broke Mrs Susan Bridgewater Pam Barnes Dr & Mrs Munchi Choksey David & Catherine Loudon Sarah Stoten Mr & Mrs Ludovic de Walden Mrs Joanne E Perry Anonymous
William & Jane Pusey Roger Salmons & Helen Rose Mrs Christine Archer P E Shirley Mrs Michael Markham Richard Shore Sir Martin & Lady Jacomb Victoria Peers The Brook Family Nicholas & Marie-France Burton Professor Robert Bluglass CBE & Dr Kerry Bluglass Janet Bell Smith
Supporters Clive Barnes Gordon Brace Lady Butler Mr Peter Boycott Graham Greene CBE Jenny Grimstone-Jones Sarah Holman David Howells Howard & Melanie Jackson Bob & Sandy Marchant N Meades Mrs Penny Perris
The Four Pillars When you purchase a membership at any level and/or make a donation, you are welcome to specify an area of your own interest which your membership/donation will contribute towards:
The Exhibition Fund for our exhibitions and collections.
The Adam Fund for our built heritage.
The Inspire Fund for art education.
The Capability Fund for our historic landscape.
For further information, or if you would like to support The Four Pillars of Compton Verney, please call Alexandra Grimes on 01926 645 547 or donate online now via the Big Give.
Other ways you can help Consider leaving us a legacy, organising an event or naming a tree, artwork or room for yourself or a loved one. Call 01926 645 547 or visit the website for more information.
Andrew & Julia Pick Michael Robarts Sir Christopher Trye Sir Robert Wade-Gery Barrie Dugdale OBE Mike & Joan Broad Philip & Lulette Monbiot And 40 others who wish to remain anonymous, or have not yet specified how they would like to be listed.
Corporate Members Martinspeed Ltd Bonhams Farrow & Ball
Aquarelle Publishing Blackwall Green Fred Winter Ltd Goldcrest Cleaning Ltd Lightmedia Communications Ltd Mitchell Gallery
Renaissance Creative Wright Hassall Perrywell Computer Systems Ltd Larch Consulting Ltd James Butler Ltd Avidity IP Limited Healthcare Development Services Ltd
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust
Our first Forest School birthday party was a huge success. If you’d like to know more, call Harriet on 01926 645521.