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Remarkable Women

2 weekly sessions on campus, on Thursdays at 2 - 4pm, starting from Thursday 12 November

Overview

Inspired by the recent ‘May Morris: Crafting a Legacy’ exhibition at the Lady Lever Art Gallery, this course showcases the pioneering Arts and Crafts designer-maker May Morris, exploring her work alongside that of other major artists of the movement, including Kate Faulkner, Mary J. Newill, and Phoebe Anna Traquair.

Talented and prodigious, May played an important role in her father William Morris’s design firm, becoming director of Morris & Co’s embroidery department aged just 23. Together with her fellow creatives, she revolutionised the world of the arts, elevating traditional craft practices to the level of fine art, improving arts education, and raising the status of the female art professional in the period.

Join me to learn more about these remarkable women, to explore the beauty and skill of their creations, and to celebrate their incredible contribution to the Victorian art world.

This course aims to provide participants with greater knowledge of the art and design work of May Morris and her fellow female creatives, within the context of the Arts and Crafts movement as a whole. It seeks to promote an understanding of the issues surrounding both women’s creative practice within the Victorian period and subsequent feminist scholarship that has promoted and showcased the importance of their contribution to the movement.

Our course is designed for anyone with an interest in the history of art and design, especially those seeking to further their knowledge of the Arts and Crafts movement and the pioneering women artists who were central to its development. No prior knowledge is needed, just a passion for exploring and discussing the fine and decorative arts.

Syllabus

  • Week 1: Introduction: The Arts and Crafts movement.
  • Week 2: Sisterhood: May Morris and her contemporaries.

Course lecturer

Dr Anna Maddison is an Art Historian specialising in the art, literature and culture of the Victorian era. Her areas of expertise include the Rossettis, the Pre-Raphaelites and Aestheticism, and the Arts and Crafts Movement. Anna has over 20 years’ experience designing and teaching higher education courses for Liverpool University (Continuing Education), LJMU, Bradford University, and in a freelance capacity for groups including The Art Fund. She has taught courses at local art galleries over the years, including the Walker, the Lady Lever, Tate Liverpool, and the Atkinson in Southport.

Course fee

  • Standard fee: £35