MARCH APRIL MAY 2013
Royal West of England Academy
EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS
Drawn
23 MARCH – 2 JUNE 2013
As a means of communication and navigation, drawing has taken on a universality and accessibility unlike any other medium. It is a building block of creativity, key to the visualisation and translation of ideas and practices, fundamental in making, doing, testing, failing, designing, thinking, playing and living. Drawing has taken on different definitions across the centuries, crossing spatial and theoretical boundaries, creating signposts that act as intersections between disciplines as diverse as typography and photography. Drawing allows us to analyse, record, map, mark and form, making the abstract legible, and the legible oblique. Its history is inscribed with legibility as it skirts around the boundaries of text and image. It can be either a representation, or an expression, creating shadows and memories, marks and imprints, traces in space. An open submission show, Drawn aims to raise the profile of drawing, presenting it as both an autonomous discipline and an interdisciplinary tool. From artists who either draw, or explore the concept of drawing in their practice, the show invited work from illustrators, videographers, sculptors, printers, embroiderers, typographers, animators and architects. Artists have been encouraged to use wall and floor space, utilising both traditional and experimental techniques and technologies. Invited artists Simon Read and Reece Jones will be exhibiting work that epitomises both new and traditional directions in drawing, while interactive events take place in The Drawing Lab. Join in the conversation on Twitter #drawn
Enquiries: 0117 973 5129
www.rwa.org.uk
THE DRAWING LAB 23 MARCH – 29 MAY
ARTIST RESIDENCY: KAREN WALLIS Artist Network member Karen Wallis will be working in the space, responding to the exhibition’s range of different drawing methods by making a collection of drawings created through interaction with visitors to the gallery. This collection will exist in two forms: a physical object in the gallery and a virtual version online. The form of both versions will directly reflect the content of the exhibition and be made in response to interaction with visitors, the exhibiting artists and staff at the gallery. Karen will be working in the galleries every Friday throughout the exhibition and work in progress will be available to view online and in The Drawing Lab.
ARTIST RESIDENCY: DEBBIE LOCKE Artist Network member Debbie Locke will be exploring her practice as part of an ongoing interest in her work into the process of ‘mapping’. Drawing forms the basis of her practice as the most immediate and expressive way to record her on-going investigations. In order to study the disparity between logical and irrational behaviour she creates environments where rules and boundaries can be broken and crossed, by simultaneously imposing and relinquishing control. This often takes the form of kinetic drawing installations, comprising of wall-based autonomous drawing machines. These installations run continuously over several days, creating documents as evidence of the process. Debbie will be running a series of workshops throughout Drawn as well as working in The Drawing Lab on Wednesdays. For an up-to-date list of dates when artists will be working in the space please call the RWA on 0117 973 5129 or check the website.
Exhibitions and Events
This Is England, Reece Jones, 2010, charcoal on paper with polymer varnish
The Drawing Lab is an interactive artist-led studio space designed to encourage audience participation and interaction. The space will be open to all throughout the exhibition and will provide drawing materials for anyone to make use of, either drawing in-situ or around the building. RWA artists will be working within the space over the duration of the exhibition creating an opportunity to discuss their practice in relation to drawing.
Drawn
DRAWING WITH A KNIFE, 1 DAY WORKSHOP, JESSICA PALMER SATURDAY 6 APRIL
EVENTS
10am – 4pm £40 This workshop takes a dynamic approach to drawing the human figure. Working with a life model you will try a contour drawing method of life drawing using a scalpel knife or scissors in place of charcoal or pencil, using coloured and recycled papers for texture and emphasis. This drawing process encourages participants to see edges, lines, spaces, relationships, light and shadows, and to combine them as a whole. Suitable for all abilities.
DRAWING MUM AND DAD FAMILY WORKSHOP, ANOUK MERCIER THURSDAY 28 MARCH AND THURSDAY 30 MAY 10 – 11.30am £5 per child (per session) A fun and informal workshop for children, parents and grandparents to learn basic portrait drawing skills, through a series of short interactive drawing games and challenges. Fun for all of the family! All children must be accompanied by an adult, maximum ratio 1:3.
SCRIBBLE AND SKETCH DRAWN SPECIAL: DRAWING WITH GRAPHICS, ANOUK MERCIER AND MAX MCCLURE SATURDAY 13 APRIL
DRAWING MACHINES FAMILY DROP-IN, DEBBIE LOCKE WEDNESDAY 3 APRIL AND WEDNESDAY 29 MAY 11am – 3pm FREE with exhibition entry A fun drop-in session for all the family, creating drawing machines out of simple materials, robots and children’s toys. Bring along your own rucksack and experiment with a machine that sits inside it, making drawings as you move around, or see how you can draw by working collaboratively with others, and make your own wind-up drawing machine. This family workshop is led by artist in residence Debbie Locke and is suitable for all the family. Children must be accompanied by an adult and should bring a rucksack.
Enquiries: 0117 973 5129
10.30am – 1pm FREE with exhibition entry Ideal for families of all ages and abilities, Scribble and Sketch offers a morning of fun and informal drawing workshops and exercises, led by Bristol Drawing Club founder and artist Anouk Mercier. Inspired by Drawn and in addition to the usual activities, the April session will also introduce the use of computer technology by exploring the art of drawing using a graphics tablet in a fun and interactive way. Activities are designed for parents and children to take part in together, in a lively and relaxed environment, or simply take advantage of the materials to get creative. Everyone is welcome! Book in advance or drop in on the day.
www.rwa.org.uk
See the Bristol Drawing School summer programme for additional drawing based workshops.
DRAWING: STATEMENT OR SOLILOQUY, JUSTINE HOPKINS ART HISTORY DAY SCHOOL SATURDAY 13 APRIL 10am – 4pm £30 Drawing is the most fundamental tool of any artist’s practise, the basic foundation on which art depends for its very existence. Drawings can be made for public display or as the private notations from which public work comes; they can be complex or simple, large or small, elaborately finished or no more than a few hasty lines. Above all they are personal. Artists at various stages in their careers and in history have hired assistants to help with their paintings, their sculptures and their graphic works, but no artist ever hired someone else to make their drawings. This Day School investigates the ways in which artists through the ages have made and used drawings, and considers the things that those drawings can tell us more clearly than any other medium about art in general and individual artists in particular.
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD, MORNING WORKSHOP, ANOUK MERCIER SATURDAY 20 APRIL 10am – 12.30pm £20, all materials provided This workshop is designed for anyone wishing to get back into drawing and/or develop new ways of approaching creative drawing. Whether you have been inspired by the Drawn exhibition to pick up drawing for the first time, or are looking for new ways of engaging with creative drawing, this workshop will present a series of short exercises designed to prompt and awaken inspiration, and generally get the creative juices flowing! Suitable for all abilities, from complete beginners to experienced drawers.
WHY DRAW? PANEL DISCUSSION SATURDAY 27 APRIL AND SATURDAY 18 MAY 2pm £3, Free to Academicians & Artist Network The RWA is hosting a panel discussion examining the role and relevance of drawing, providing a space for critical debate and creative conversation. The panel will explore the question of ‘why we draw’ and ‘how we draw’,
EXHIBITION TOUR SATURDAY 18 MAY
considering its relationship to other mediums
12pm FREE with exhibition entry
Janette Kerr and features panel members
Selection panel member Janette Kerr PRWA will be providing a tour of the exhibition, discussing some of the exhibition’s themes and selected works.
Centre; Anouk Mercier, fine artist, tutor and
and art forms. The panel will be chaired by RWA President Meryl Ainslie, Director of Rabley Drawing co-founder of Bristol Drawing Club; Drawn invited artist, Reece Jones; and artist-inresidence, Debbie Locke.
Exhibitions and Events
Kerstin McGregor Retrospective 6 – 24 APRIL 2013
Enquiries: 0117 973 5129
Kerstin McGregor was a highly intuitive artist, who regarded the process of creating art as of equal importance to the finished work. Always experimenting, she refused to be hidebound by technique or tradition. Though she regarded the making of artwork as a very serious business, there is an element of playfulness in some of the works in this retrospective. Insofar as there is a theme to the works in the exhibition, it is the living form, be it human or animal, viewed from a uniquely physical, cultural and metaphysical perspective. Cats, birds, people, fish and moths abound. Although oil painting was Kerstin’s first love, she made and exhibited artworks in a wide variety of media, during a career that lasted more than 30 years. The exhibition focuses, with a few exceptions, on previously unseen works produced in the last decade and a half of her life. Kerstin described her work as ‘being based on life, but drawn from the imagination’. Her peers have described her work variously as powerful, striking, technically accomplished, at times unsettling, and possessing great strength. Kerstin McGregor died in January 2012. Despite exhibiting widely in the Midlands and the North of England, and selling works throughout Britain and Europe, she is less well-known in the South West, yet she lived and worked here for nearly 20 years. Kerstin McGregor Retrospective brings her work into the spotlight for a new audience.
www.rwa.org.uk
Remembering Exhibitions 23 MAY – 19 JUNE 2013
Exhibitions and Events
National Exhibition of Children’s Art, Royal West of England Academy by Louis Arthur Ward
An exhibition marks a moment. It can define a movement, highlight an artist or characterise an institution. The RWA boasts a rich and fascinating history of past exhibitors and exhibitions dating back to its inaugural group show in 1845. Since then it has shown Canaletto, Rembrandt and Velasquez in a celebration of old masters, as well as bringing Gauguin, Bonnard and Rodin to the provinces in a seminal RWA exhibition on French Modern Art, 1930. This spring the RWA will be working with students on the University of Bristol’s MA course in Art History to curate an exhibition that explores our ‘collective exhibition history’. The exhibition looks at art and its documentation, retracing the past and exploring the concept of absence and memory. The exhibition will focus on works from the permanent collection to bring the Academy’s exhibition history to life, using archival objects including catalogues, photos and show posters to address not just what we remember, but how we remember.
EVENTS LECTURE: FILIPPO LIPPI - VOWS BROKEN, TALENT FULFILLED, ROBERT BAGGS SATURDAY 9 MARCH
ART HISTORY DAY SCHOOL: MANET, JENNIE SPIERS SATURDAY 16 MARCH
11am £10/£8 Popular speaker Robert Baggs introduces the painter Filippo Lippi, a brilliant talent with a florid personal life. Following a liaison with a nun, Lippi had a son who in turn became a famous painter who was trained by his father’s pupil, Botticelli. Whilst less well known perhaps than Botticelli, his images are stunningly beautiful. This talk discusses some of the more controversial aspects of Lippi’s life, and some of the myths that surround it. Baggs worked in the construction industry for nearly 40 years before discovering Italian Renaissance Art on his first trip to Italy. In 2006 he obtained a Master’s Degree in Art History and has reviewed many books for a variety of Art History journals. This will be his third visit to us.
SCRIBBLE AND SKETCH, ANOUK MERCIER SATURDAYS: 9 MARCH, 13 APRIL AND 11 MAY Scribble and Sketch is ideal for families of all ages and abilities, offering a morning of fun and informal drawing exercises. Activities are designed for parents and children to take part in together in a lively and relaxed environment, or you can simply take advantage of the materials to get creative. Everyone is welcome! Book in advance or drop in on the day and join in (space permitting). Free with exhibition entry (children must be accompanied by an adult).
Enquiries: 0117 973 5129
10am – 4pm £30 Manet was considered as the ‘father’ of impressionism by the French impressionist artists but never exhibited with them. Instead, he preferred to follow his own unique path and his shocking interpretation of modern life in 19th century Paris led to eventual success in the Salon. This one day course makes reference to the Royal Academy of Art’s exhibition, Manet: Portraying Life, 26 January – 14 April 2013, taking a detailed look at Manet’s portraits which offer a fascinating insight into the artist’s style and changes in technique, as well as into Parisian society of his time.
LECTURE: ART AND THE TRAVELLING LANDSCAPE, KATY HALLETT SATURDAY 20 APRIL 11am £10/£8 Katy Hallett is the National Art Coordinator for Sustrans, the sustainable transport organisation, based in Bristol. Over the last twenty years Sustrans has pioneered and commissioned innovative art in public places across the UK. The Bristol Bath Railway Path was the first section of the National Cycle Network built in 1979 and hosts a range of art work including Twisted Arch commissioned in 2007 to celebrate Sustrans 30th birthday. Sustrans exists to to encourage people to walk and cycle for the benefit of their own health and the health of the environment.
www.rwa.org.uk
LECTURE: EARTH, FIRE, WATER, PETER HAYES SATURDAY 4 MAY
ROSAFRESCA CONCERT SUNDAY 21 APRIL 3 – 4pm £5, booking recommended Three musicians with a passion for Early, Renaissance, Spanish, Moorish and Elizabethan Music came together in the summer of 2009 to form Rosafresca. Directed by Steve Walter, Bristol-based Rosafresca captures the excitement and spontaneity at the heart of the music, whether Elizabethan love song or rhythmic Spanish dance.
SPRING SERENADE: NEW BRISTOL SINFONIA AT THE RWA SUNDAY 28 APRIL 7pm (doors open 6pm) £10 (£8 concession) A concert of light classics perfect for a spring evening performed by the string players of New Bristol Sinfonia, with guest soloists Robert Miller (Trumpet) and Lavinia Redman (Oboe). New Bristol Sinfonia return to perform at the RWA this spring with a beautifully varied programme, from the Baroque to the Romantic, under the direction of exciting young conductor Robert Weaver. The performance is followed by a chance to take in the RWA’s current exhibition (Drawn) after hours. This concert is to help raise funds for both the RWA and New Bristol Sinfonia.
11am £10/£8 Bath-based ceramicist Peter Hayes has always been interested in why and how ‘things’ are made of clay, and is naturally drawn to the timelessness of shapes found in artefacts and objects from other cultures. In this talk he will explain the different processes of erosion used in his work, including the use of minerals, like iron and copper, and the effects of sanding to create texture and cracks. Hayes has worked as a potter and ceramic sculptor in Africa, India, Japan and New Mexico, working with tribes and village potters. His work is in the public collection of The Scottish National Gallery, The Museum of Modern Art Jamaica, The Museum of Modern Art Brussels and The Silver Collection, California, amongst others.
ART HISTORY DAY SCHOOL: FRENCH AND BRITISH IMPRESSIONISTS, JENNIE SPIERS SATURDAY 11 MAY 10am – 4pm £30 This popular one day course will be looking at the works of French artists such as Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas and Berthe Morisot alongside British artists such as James Guthrie, Stanhope Forbes, Walter Sickert and Laura Knight. It will explore the differing impressionist styles of each of these artists, making direct comparisons as well as presenting a more general introduction to Impressionism.
Exhibitions and Events
RWA FRIENDS CULTURAL GROUP VISIT TO APSLEY HOUSE AND THE ROYAL ACADEMY
BRISTOL DRAWING SCHOOL
SATURDAY 6 APRIL 2013 8.30am Tickets: £26 (does not include entry fee) Apsley House, Hyde Park Corner: This Georgian building, one of the best examples in London by Robert Adam and built 1771-1778, houses one of the finest collections of paintings, silverplate, porcelain, sculpture, ceramics, furniture and personal effects in London. Paintings on display are by Goya, Rubens, Van Dyck, Caravaggio, Correggio, Brueghel, Steen, de Hooch, Wilkie and Lawrence as well as the famous ‘Water Seller of Seville’ by Velasquez, plus many other treasures to be seen in the building. Royal Academy, Piccadilly: After the visit to Apsley House we drive to the Royal Academy for the first major exhibition of 2013: ‘Manet: Portraying Life’ . This exhibition showcases Manet’s portraiture and will include over 50 paintings spanning his career, together with pastels and contemporary photographs. Download a booking form from the website: www.rwa.org.uk
RWA FRIENDS PAINTING HOLIDAY 2013 – HOPE COVE
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
By popular demand we will be hosting our annual painting holiday for 2013 at the Cottage Hotel, Hope Cove, Devon, a favourite with previous RWA Friends. To find out more please contact Ann Baber: T: 01934 513993 E: trips@rwa.org.uk
Coleton Fishacre and Dartington
SATURDAY 13 JULY
16 – 20 SEPTEMBER 5 day trip to Yorkshire
SATURDAY 16 NOVEMBER Tate Modern, Courtalds
Enquiries: 0117 973 5129
NEW TERM BEGINS ON 15 APRIL Choose from our selection of 10 and 5 week courses including Beginners and Intermediate Drawing, Sketch and Print, Portrait Drawing, Drawing Life with a Knife and Drawing, Paint and Colour. We also have a range of 1,2 and 3 day workshops as well as our regular Wednesday evening Life Drawing drop-in see www.drawingschool.org.uk
www.rwa.org.uk
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OPENING HOURS Galleries and cafe Monday – Saturday: 9.30am – 5.30pm Sunday: 11am – 5pm Last admission 30 minutes before closing. Before travelling, please call ahead to check opening hours as we occasionally close for special events.
HIRE THE GALLERIES Available throughout the year for weddings, evening events, parties and receptions, the RWA galleries are spectacular and unique. Call us on 0117 973 5129 for availability and prices (from £450).
Visitor Information
Diary EXHIBITION: REIGNING CATS AND DOGS UNTIL 15 MARCH
WORKSHOP: BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD SATURDAY 20 APRIL, 10AM – 12.30PM
FAMILY WORKSHOP: SCRIBBLE AND SKETCH SATURDAY 9 MARCH, 10.30AM – 1PM
LECTURE: ART AND THE TRAVELLING LANDSCAPE SATURDAY 20 APRIL, 11AM
LECTURE: FILIPPO LIPPI-VOWS BROKEN, TALENT FULFILLED SATURDAY 9 MARCH, 11AM ART HISTORY DAY SCHOOL: MANET SATURDAY 16 MARCH, 10AM – 4PM EXHIBITION: DRAWN 2013 23 MARCH – 2 JUNE INTERACTIVE STUDIO: THE DRAWING LAB 23 MARCH – 29 MAY FAMILY WORKSHOP: DRAWING MUM AND DAD WEDNESDAY 27 MARCH, 10 – 11.30AM FAMILY DROP-IN: DRAWING MACHINES WEDNESDAY 3 APRIL, 11AM – 3PM EXHIBITION: KERSTIN MCGREGOR RETROSPECTIVE 6 – 24 APRIL RWA FRIENDS CULTURAL GROUP VISIT: APSLEY HOUSE AND THE ROYAL ACADEMY SATURDAY 6 APRIL 2013 WORKSHOP: DRAWING WITH A KNIFE SATURDAY 6 APRIL, 10AM – 4PM ART HISTORY DAY SCHOOL: DRAWING: STATEMENT OR SOLILOQUY? SATURDAY 13 APRIL, 10AM – 4PM FAMILY WORKSHOP: SCRIBBLE AND SKETCH DRAWN SPECIAL SATURDAY 13 APRIL, 10.30AM – 1PM
AFTERNOON CONCERT: ROSAFRESCA SUNDAY 21 APRIL, 3 – 4PM CONCERT: NEW BRISTOL SINFONIA, SPRING SERENADE SUNDAY 28 APRIL, 7PM LECTURE: EARTH, FIRE, WATER, PETER HAYES SATURDAY 4 MAY, 11AM ART HISTORY DAY SCHOOL: FRENCH AND BRITISH IMPRESSIONISTS SATURDAY 11 MAY, 10AM – 4PM FAMILY WORKSHOP: SCRIBBLE AND SKETCH SATURDAY 11 MAY, 10.30AM – 1PM EXHIBITION TOUR: DRAWN SATURDAY 18 MAY, 12PM PANEL DISCUSSION: WHY DRAW? SATURDAY 18 MAY, 2PM EXHIBITION: REMEMBERING EXHIBITIONS 23 MAY – 19 JUNE FAMILY DROP-IN: DRAWING MACHINES WEDNESDAY 29 MAY, 11AM – 3PM FAMILY WORKSHOP: DRAWING MUM AND DAD THURSDAY 30 MAY, 10 – 11.30AM
Royal West of England Academy, Queen’s Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PX
0117 973 5129
| www.rwa.org.uk