KIRSTY HARTSIOTIS TALK ‘‘How differently one must look at a flower’: Flowers, plants and nature in the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Cotswolds
Friday 12th Sept 2.15 - 3.15 pm
KIRSTY HARTSIOTIS TALK ‘‘How differently one must look at a flower’: Flowers, plants and nature in the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Cotswolds
The Arts and Crafts Movement is well-known for its use of the natural world for inspiration, from William Morris onwards. Here in the Cotswolds Arts and Crafts designers lived close to nature, getting to know intimately the places they chose for their homes, and drawing on the natural world around them for inspiration across all media. We’ll be delving into the use of nature in the work of William and May Morris, Ernest Gimson, the Barnsleys and their friends, as well as C R Ashbee’s Guild of Handicraft in Chipping Campden and the designers, makers and artists who lived in the Stroud area. From glittering stained glass to soft plaster, flowers appear, sometimes decorative, sometimes symbolic. We’ll look, too, at the gardens they designed, and where they went on their explorations into the countryside. Celebrate this flowering of enthusiasm for local nature in this talk by Arts Society Accredited lecturer Kirsty Hartsiotis, former curator of the Designated Arts and Crafts Movement collection at The Wilson, Cheltenham.
About
Kirsty Hartsiotis was the curator of the decorative and fine art at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum, Cheltenham from 2008 to 2023. She is currently a curator at Swindon Museums. At Cheltenham she looked after the Designated Arts and Crafts Movement collection, which includes the important private press archive, the Emery Walker Library. She’s curated many exhibitions, including A Very British Art Revolution; Ernest Gimson: Observation, Imagination & Making; and Crafting Change. She’s an Accredited Arts Society lecturer, speaking about the Arts and Crafts Movement, and she also lectures widely on her other passion – folklore. She’s also been an oral storyteller for over 20 years and has published a number of collections of stories. She was the newsletter editor for the Society of Decorative Art Collections from 2009 to 2023, is a regular columnist for Cotswold Life, and writes for diverse other publications on art history and folklore.
Cost £10, 30 places available.
Venue: Talks Tent (Red & Yellow Marquee) in the Pony Paddock, opposite the Artisan Food Court