Two exciting new exhibitions will open at the Treasure House in Beverley on Saturday, 15 September.
On the opening day, there will be an Open Event at the Art Gallery when visitors will be able to meet artists, researchers and members of the team at the Treasure House who have been involved in the exhibitions. This free event will run from 1pm – 3pm.
‘Birds, Blooms and Butterflies’: Elizabeth Lambert’s Art’ is a free exhibition and will run until Saturday, 3 November, presenting the work of Beverley’s very own Elizabeth Lambert.
In the early nineteenth century, there was a rise in the popularity of botanical and natural history drawing, partly due to a growing interest in all things to do with the natural world. In Beverley,
Elizabeth Lambert (1791-1830) became captivated by this popular hobby, and produced hundreds of finely detailed drawings and watercolours.
In addition, she also played the organ at St Mary’s Church. For many years, her artworks were stored in California, cared for by her descendant Nicholas McGegan, himself an international conductor of classical music. This exhibition displays for the first time these beautiful artworks and explores Elizabeth’s life, touching on the middle class society in which she lived.
The other new exhibition opening on Saturday, 15 September will be ‘Peripheral Vision: Straw People by Julian Swift’. This free exhibition also runs until Saturday, 3 November.
Julian Swift studied at Manchester College of Art in the 1960s, and then spent over 30 years as a graphic designer.
His straw-people fantasy came to life in the 1990s when he saw two straw scarecrows in boilersuits in a field in Norfolk appearing to conduct a conversation. He then created a whole straw society invisible to humans, using things which affluent society throws away. The exhibition features mainly oil crayon drawings in gouache.
The straw people scavenge waste from city dwellings, and use it in their own ways, and sometimes they try to infiltrate into human society, like the straw lady who found a winning lottery ticket.
In addition, visitors will also be able to see a series of new works created for Beverley Art Gallery by sculptor Michelle Reader – ‘Plastic Harvest’ will feature Michelle’s quirky sculptures created from the colourful and sometimes shocking plastic rubbish of everyday life. Michelle has been working with local schoolchildren and some of their artworks have been added to the sculptures.
Curator Helena Gaudekova said;
“These two exhibitions are very very different, but both will be absolutely fascinating. It will be lovely to see the work of Beverley’s very own Elizabeth Lambert on display for the first time, and equally it will be interesting to see the darkly humorous work of Julian Swift, and see how it mocks our human ways.”
Full details of all exhibitions at the Art Gallery and Treasure House in Beverley, together with opening times, and details of the café, can be found at www.eastridingmuseums.co.uk
