Wednesday 6 January 2016

May Morris 2016



The MAY MORRIS conference takes place 13-14 May, based at the William Morris Gallery with visits elsewhere.              Programme details here


May Morris: conference to examine influence of Arts and Crafts pioneer
May Morris Conference 2016
Friday 13 May and Saturday 14 May 2016
William Morris Gallery
Forest Road, London E17 4PP
The William Morris Gallery is to host a landmark conference presenting important new insights into the career of leading arts and crafts designer May Morris, the younger daughter of William and Jane Morris.
The event, which marks thirty years since the publication of Jan Marsh’s seminal biography, Jane and May Morris – A Biographical Story, will bring together new research on May’s life and work from curators, academics and independent scholars. The conclusions of the conference will inform a major new exhibition of May Morris’s work at the William Morris Gallery in 2017.
May Morris was a professional designer, embroiderer, teacher and writer. She exhibited widely in the UK and abroad, founded the Women’s Guild of Arts and was responsible for designing some of Morris & Co’s most iconic textiles. May also participated in the early Socialist Movement and was instrumental in preserving and shaping her father’s legacy.
Included in the two-day study event are visits to the V&A’s Clothworkers’ Centre and the William Morris Gallery’s collection store to view rare May Morris textiles. Delegates will also have the opportunity to take part in a riverside walk exploring the environment in which May lived and worked in Hammersmith, led by the William Morris Society.
The keynote lecture will be delivered by Jan Marsh, who will reflect on the growth of public and academic interest in May Morris’s career since the publication of her biography in 1986.
Jan Marsh, President of the William Morris Society,  says:
‘Always overshadowed by her illustrious father and also by her mother’s reputation as a Pre-Raphaelite muse, and originally ignored by the Dictionary of National Biography, May Morris has never received the attention her own achievements deserve.   This Conference will explore many facets of her career, bringing a wealth of recent research into view.
Anna Mason, Manager of the William Morris Gallery, said:
‘’May Morris was a talented designer and maker and made a unique contribution to the international development of art embroidery. The William Morris Gallery holds a rich archive and is delighted to be collaborating with our partner organisations to convene this conference. We hope it will bring even more new material to light in advance of the exhibition planned in 2017.”

The full programme can be viewed at https://maymorrisconference2016.eventbrite.co.uk. Single and two day tickets can also be bought via this link.

The conference is open to the general public as well as those with an academic or professional interest in May Morris’s life and work. 

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