Notice: Watts Gallery Announces Packed Spring Programme

Published on: 27 Feb, 2019
Updated on: 27 Feb, 2019

Watts Gallery Artists’ Village in Compton recently announced a jam-packed programme of events and exhibitions taking place between April and June 2019 and detailed below.

Moonscapes (Tuesday, April 2 to Sunday, June 23 June): In the 50th anniversary year of the first moon landing, this exhibition will explore the fascination that artists and scientists have long had with the earth’s closest cosmic neighbour.

Bringing together dramatic moonlit landscapes by William Holman Hunt and symbolist paintings of moon goddesses by Evelyn De Morgan with early lunar photography, this exhibition explores the full artistic inspiration that 19th-century artists found in the moon.

Raymond Booth 1929 – 2015: Detailing Nature (Friday, March 1 to Monday, April 22): This exhibition will combine exquisite paintings and studies to tell the little-known story of one of Britain’s most accomplished botanical, wildlife and natural history artists.

For the first time, artworks uncovered by long-time friend and exhibition Co-curator, Peyton Skipwith – found when clearing Booth’s studio after his death – will be on public display. Seen together in Watts Contemporary Gallery, these works offer an insight into the practice and working life of a reclusive artist.

Detailing Nature – Raymond Booth

Journeys In The Holy Land: Recent Paintings by Alexander Creswell (Friday, April 26 to Sunday, June 9): Alexander Creswell returns to Watts Contemporary Gallery, exhibiting paintings from recent travels in the Holy Land with a new collection of small watercolours on show for the first time.

Art For All (Friday, June 14 to Sunday, June 30): The ‘Art for All’ community programme continues the social enterprise and art education work of Mary Watts. This exhibition celebrates the art made by members of the ‘Art for All’ programme across the year. See inspiring work, hear stories of individuals from Surrey-based community groups and prisons participating in the programme, and purchase original art.

The following programme of talks and events will also be available on the subject of ‘Cosmic Conversations: Art, Science and Culture of the Moon’.

7pm, Wednesday, April 17: Art historian Dr Alexandra Loske and astronomer Robert Massey discuss their new book, ‘Moon: Art, Science, Culture‘, taking us on a beautiful and visionary journey through their writing and exploring our endless fascination with the Moon.

From Earth to the Moon: The Work of the Surrey Space Centre (6pm, Wednesday, May 1): The University of Surrey and its spin-out, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), are world leaders in the design, construction and operation of micro nano-satellites. Soon, such spacecrafts will be exploring the Moon and the solar system beyond. Join Professor Craig Underwood for a unique insight into Surrey’s pioneering role in these developments. The talk will be followed by a tour of the Space Centre.

Alexander Creswell: The Architecture of Faith (7pm, Wednesday, May 15): Alexander Creswell is an artist known for his fluency and technical skill in watercolour. His paintings combine subtle colouring and skillful draughtsmanship with a deep reverence for natural light. Travel is an essential part of Creswell’s work and his current Watts Contemporary exhibition, ‘Journeys in the Holy Land’, is a celebration of his recent trips to Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock: The Sky At Night (7pm, Saturday, May 25): : The moon has fascinated humankind since the beginning of history – but far from being a mere rock out in space, it has phenomenal power over the earth, creating great waves, dictating the length of the day and perhaps even playing a role in the creation of life on earth. It is certainly a key player in the story of our fragile planet, but how well do we know our closest neighbour? Co-presenter of BBC Four’s ‘The Sky at Night’, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, takes us on a journey through the moon’s past, present and ultimate future.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

To The Moon & Back (11am to 9pm, Saturday, May 25): : Ever wondered how heavy meteorites are? How old the Moon is? Want to find out more about what it is like to work at NASA? Discover the answers to all these questions and more. Explore the upcoming Moonscapes exhibition, enjoy supper under the stars and inspiring talks, activities and demonstrations by artists and space scientists.

Watts Cinema: ‘A Trip to the Moon’ and ‘Hidden Figures’ (7pm, Friday, June 7): In association with Venture Cinema, enjoy this screening of the Oscar-nominated film, ‘Hidden Figures’ which follows the true story of three African-American women hired by NASA on the Mercury programme in the early 1960s. The film will be paired with an animated short, ‘A Trip to the Moon’, a silent film made by Georges Méliès in 1902.

Shakespeare And The Moon (7pm, Wednesday, June 12): For Shakespeare, the moon might be quick, slow, unlucky, chaste, watery, funny, or angry, but above all it (or she) was variable. Drawing inspiration from the Moonscapes exhibition, writer Dr Daniel Swift will explore some of the Moon’s appearances in Shakespeare’s plays.

A Programme of workshops and courses will also take place:

6.30pm to 8.30pm, Thursdays, April 11 to May 16 and May 30 to July 4: Experiment with hand-building, wheel throwing and surface decoration techniques. Build your confidence in working with clay and learn more about ceramics with tutor, Joshua Schoeman.

6.30pm to 8.30pm, Thursdays, April 11 to May 16 and May 30 to July 4: Using the Watts Gallery’s historic galleries and gardens for inspiration, develop skills in drawing using a variety of materials. The course will include opportunities to draw from life models, with guidance from Jane, a professional portrait painter.

11am to 4pm, Saturday, April 27 and Friday, May 24: Lunar Antique Glass Printing: Discover the beauty of silk-screen printing with HALTglass founder and artist James Cockerill. Sketch, design and layer images of the moon before printing onto mouth-blown antique glass.

Great Thoughts: Thursdays, 10.30am to 12pm: Art activities, conversation and coffee sessions for people living with dementia. Artist and gallery educators facilitate these weekly sessions for individuals living with early- to mid-stages of dementia and their carers, friends and family members. All sessions start with tea and coffee.

10am to 5pm, Saturday, May 11: Moon Jars: Moon jars are traditional Korean porcelain ceramic vessels, so called because of their shape and milky glaze. Join potter Jose Carvalho in this day long workshop exploring the history and techniques of the Moon Jar, learn more by hand-building in terracotta before moving on to glaze and decorate a bespoke, hand-thrown porcelain Moon Jar to keep.

11am to 1pm, Mondays, May 13, May 20, June 3, June 10 and June 17: History of Art Course: Moons: Science, Myth and the Visual Arts: examining Victorian ideas of the moon in science, myth and art. Study these ideas in more depth in this course and explore their longer history in our culture.

Family events and activities taking place include:

From Tuesday, April 9 to Monday April 22: From celestial tealight holders to metallic moon prints, follow in the footsteps of the moonscapes artists and make it your mission to capture the magic of the moon this Easter.

10am to 11am, Friday, May 17: Watts Tots: Textures (for the under-5s): Make textured moon pictures and have a play with ‘moon dust’.

Saturday, May 25 to Sunday, June 2 (Half Term): Let your imagination take you to the moon and back. Make your own lunar landscape in creative workshops and hear stories from many moons ago.

10am to 11am, Friday, June 21: Watts Tots Watercolour Painting: Create watercolour planet paintings using sponges, spray bottles and wax crayons.

Workshops (suitable for age 13 to 17 years) 10.30am to 1pm, Saturday, May 4: Meet & Make: Sculpture: Meet Artist in Residence Mary Branson, and explore her new work inspired by the Moonscapes exhibition. Visit her studio, hear what it’s like being an artist, and contribute to her installation of clay moon goddesses.

11am to 4pm, Saturday, June 22: Meet & Make: Textiles: Meet textile artist Norma Kennedy and create a moonscape felted artwork using the nuno felting technique.

For more information about all of the above events, visit https://www.wattsgallery.org.uk/whats-on/.