Free Lunchtime Talks and Events

These are held on Friday lunchtimes, starting at 12.30pm, they last for half an hour, and are often run by Curator Sophie Cummings.  The subject of the talk held last Friday, attended by approximately 20 people, was the Art & Conflict exhibition which looks at how artists have depicted peace and conflict in their art. Sophie picked out various paintings and talked about them, revealing interesting facts about the artists on the way.

 Above, Sophie began by talking to people about how the Swindon Collection was started, and then talked about the fact that the pink book published by Thamesdown Borough Council in 1991 has three sections, the first catalogues the most prestigious artists, then there's a second section for the less well thought of artists and finally a list of other artists and their artworks with no descriptions at the very end of the book. The painting below 'Tower Bridge, London- A War-time Nocturne by Sir Claude Francis Barry is included in the second part of the book, although now we think of it as a much loved work.

Below Sophie is looking at and talking about these two works by Ian Hamilton Finlay

There are lunchtime events for the next three Fridays:

Drop in Event Wiltshire WWI postcards from prisoners of war

Friday, 26 October | 12.30 pm - 2.30 pm

Join our curator to explore Swindon’s collection of Prisoner of War postcards. During World War I, many soldiers were held as prisoners of war at camps in Germany
Friday, 2 November | 12.30 pm - 1.00 pm

Join our curator for a free lunchtime tour of the new exhibition “Cicatrix”. Cicatrix is a contemporary art project incorporating drawing, films and installation. It explores the scars of World War I on the landscape, people and psyche of Wiltshire.

Friday, 9 November | 12.30 pm - 1.00 pm

Join our curator for a free lunchtime tour of our Art and Conflict exhibition. Discover how artists have depicted peace and conflict in their art while learning more about Swindon’s remarkable collection of modern British art.

Cicatrix Exhibition

The Cicatrix exhibition in the main gallery opened with a Private View on 13 October, this was followed by a Clark Holt sponsored evening a week later, and then there was an evening organised by the Friends when Katie Ackrill walked around the exhibition with artists Prudence Maltby, Susan Francis, Henny Burnett and Caro Williams
I took photos at each event which I'll share with you below.

 They're in chronological order, so we're starting with the PV where the wine was donated by the Australian High Commission

 There were speeches and lots of people

 It's almost possible to see the High Sheriff, Nicky Alberry in the blue dress talking with Sophie Cummings on her left as you look at the photo.

 And then there was the Clark Holt evening:

 Sophie and Jeremy Holt exchanging a few words

 before Sophie led the gathered people around the Cicatrix exhibition starting with Henny Burnett's 100 Wiltshire Towers

 and moving onto this large, expressive painting by Australian artist, Sophie Cape

 and then to Prudence Maltby's drawings

 and Catherine Farish's images of indigenous Canadian soldiers photographed before they came to train on Salisbury Plain.

Next photos taken at the Friends' talk the following week, strangely these are the best photos, if I'm allowed to say that. I hope people get this far!!!

 Above talking to Susan Francis about her film and the other things around it, and below talkign about the remarkable photos of indigenous Canadians wearing headresses

 another view of Prudence Maltby's drawings

 and I like this photo through the branches

 here's Caro Williamd explaining about her bird song installations

 and finally some time was spent explaining which pieces the artists had chosen to go on display on the grey wall from the Swindon Collection to accompany the Cicatrix exhibition. Caro Williams particularly likes the Captain Cook painting by Patrick Hayman, when he landed in New Zealand, the noise of the birds was so great, he had to sleep on the ship to escape the noise. Caro can be seen below talking about the painting.

If you haven't yet seen the exhibition, it's well worth a visit.
There's also a lovely reference to the exhibition on the council's website.

Visit from the Victoria Art Gallery Friends

Approximately 25 Friends of the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath visited Swindon Museum and Art Gallery on Monday 24 September, the morning started with coffee and cake, the remnants of which can be seen in the second photo. Curator Sophie Cummings began by explaining the history of the Swindon Collection and then talked about a few of the paintings in the current exhibition: 'Art and Conflict: works from the Swindon Collection'

 Sophie then  moved on to the Cicatrix exhibition. Cicatrix means scar of a healed wound and is a 'centenary project which reflects the story of Wiltshire during World War I'. It features work by artists Prudence Maltby, Susan Francis, Henny Burnet and Caro Williams

 Above Sophie is talking about the 100 Wiltshire Towers by Henny Burnett

 and then moved around the gallery

 talking about all the pieces. There are laminated information leaflets about  each artist and their work available in the gallery.

 Everyone then had about half an hour to wander round the gallery before being joined by 7 of our Friends at Jack's Bistro just round the corner form the museum.

 I took a few general photos

 which I've included in case people want to see themselves

We had a really enjoyable time and hope to arrange a reciprocal visit before long. I'm meeting Fiona Pollard, events organiser of the Friends and Chair of the Friends of the Victoria Art Gallery next week so hope to come up with a date soon.