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Category Archives: Aspire

Aspire

16 Tuesday Jul 2019

Posted by Salisbury Museum in Aspire, Special Events

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Constable, Tate Britain, volunteer

Louise Tunnard, Marketing and Communications Officer, and lady without whom most of us wouldn’t know what we are doing, was in London recently. She writes…

“These are three images (see below) that I took at the Aspire National Network for Constable Studies Event at Tate Britain last Thursday, 11 July.

This was to celebrate the Aspire Partnership, where we worked with five partners, National Museum of Wales, Oriel y Parc, Ipswich and Colchester Museums and National Galleries of Scotland. Each of us took it in turns to host Constable’s ‘Great Salisbury’.

The Salisbury Museum has also recently worked with the team from Late at Tate, members of Katy England’s TSM Collective, and a famous graffiti artist – Carleen de Sozer. We hosted a graffiti workshop here and also had a graffiti tour of Salisbury Cathedral. All the young people met at Tate Britain on Saturday 6 July at an event called ‘Fete at Tate’ to create a work of graffiti art, inspired by Constable’s painting of Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows, exhibited 1831.

Photo from earlier ‘graffiti’ tour of the Cathedral

(There was also a) Lego Constable that was made at Tate Britain – inspired by our own.

‘Lego’ Constable

Volunteer, Christine Mason accompanied me.”

Tate, London

TATE BRITAIN by Volunteer Christine Mason

05 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by Salisbury Museum in Aspire, Exhibitions

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Constable, Tate, volunteer

tate-trip-1.jpg

Christine and Nicola Trowell

Aspire Partner Seminar – Tate Britain, Friday 1st June 2018

Tate Britain hosted a full day seminar involving all the partners in the five year project, Aspire,  surrounding John Constable’s 1831 painting, ‘Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows’, and its journey round the UK.

Salisbury Museum was represented by Adrian Green, Louise Tunnard, Nicola Trowell (Aspire Trainee), and later in the day Katy England, and exhibition stewards Chris Frost and Chris Mason.  Getting its priorities right, the Tate first served a buffet lunch in the elegant Grand Saloon of sandwiches and salads, which gave everyone the opportunity to circulate, renew acquaintances among the Tate staff, meet representatives from the other centres and look at the two screens showing a continuous film of scenes from all the locations, including, of course, our own contemporary shot of the water meadows from Constable’s viewpoint with the sheep behaving very nicely.

The first session was open discussion, chaired by Caroline Collier, around four topics, the first being the Aspire Vision, the aim of which had been to equate Constable with Turner as the major figure in 19th century British landscape painting, and to bring new audiences to view the iconic painting.  The painting’s first location was the national Museum of Wales, Cardiff, and it was also shown at the visitor centre of Oriel y Parc, St David’s Pembrokeshire, where it caused great interest as visitors to the National Park, had not expected to see such a painting there, and queried if it was the REAL thing, but returned in their thousands for another view.  Salisbury had the advantage of being the actual spot where it was created, which made for a powerful experience, and the reproduction in Lego brought in a whole new audience.  The Scottish National Gallery was the only other partner to pursue the Lego theme, and removed a painting to accommodate it, which caused complaints by regular visitors to the gallery, but that was resolved by putting the Lego in the gallery’s foyer.

The second topic was Partnership Working, with everyone in agreement that it was successful, partly as five was a manageable number with which to work together.  Ipswich and Colchester felt they had moved to a new level of knowledge and new skills, after having had hard work convincing their Council of the worth of having the painting.

Thirdly, Workforce Participation was the subject, and it was widely agreed that the partnership had shown how to work in different situations, with different colleagues, with the benefit of others’ expertise, and all learnt from one special painting.

The last section of this session was devoted to how, over the five years of the project, changes have occurred in staffing, building works, organisational priorities, etc. and what lessons could be learnt from running a five year programme.

Tate trip 2

After a cup of tea and biscuit the second session was a panel discussion, again under four headings, with representatives from each partnership giving a short account beginning with Star Works and Tourism. Ipswich and Colchester Museums, based at Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich, felt they were rather off the beaten track of tourists, so they needed the local community to visit regularly , and having a ‘star work’ helped this aim. The Welsh National Park was in agreement with this, and said how much the painting had caused conversation and brought in locals.  Salisbury said to isolate a star work from its usual surroundings made it shine.

In the marketing section Tate said the ambitious project had exceeded all targets, and all participating had done well in bringing in new audiences.  Salisbury said to help achieve this all schools in the area had been sent flyers and the Lego had brought many families in as they had actually been engaged in putting in the tiles.

Under Access Training there had been Visual Awareness sessions headed by the Tate.  Cardiff had done and continued to do work with the visually impaired and had a guide dog blogger.

The fourth subject in this session was the all important subject of curating Constable, which had been organised differently by each partner for their own particular venue.  As Ipswich has a collection of early Constable paintings of his home ground, these were grouped with the Salisbury Cathedral painting.  Scotland teamed it with works by William McTaggart, 1835-1910, Scottish landscape painter, who as Constable was to Suffolk and Salisbury, McTaggart was to Kintyre.   Tate Britain has taken it back to its original Royal Academy hanging of 1831 and it has one wall to itself, but Turner either side of it.

The next move was to view Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows in its shiny new frame and hanging in splendid isolation, but with the Turners nearby.  The meeting then shifted to the Clore part of the building for a luxurious celebratory tea, with champagne and a welcoming address from the Tate Britain Director and a representative from the Art Fund.

The final session of the day was in the Clore Auditorium and a short film of the reframing of the painting.  The Tate’s framer, Adrian Moore, and two young members of staff were in the film and present for the discussion after.  It was decided to reframe the painting as the previous frame was in the style of the early 18th century, so would not have been what Constable himself would have used.  The current frame is a design that would have been familiar to Constable in 1831.  The film showed the plain wooden frame, the mouldings being attached and the gold leaf applied, a lengthy and painstaking business.

Three of the four Aspire Trainees, including our own Nicola Trowell, then spoke of how the training had helped them further their careers, and all felt the educational part rewarding.

After a summing up, we were invited to enjoy ourselves at Late at the Tate.  The Tate’s young people groups were in the galleries with creative workshops, music, etc., Aspire themed.  We had been given vouchers for the street café, which had opened in the Tate’s café, and we relaxed with a delicious supper and glass of wine outside on the terrace.

It was a wonderful day, and brilliantly organised by the Tate, but of course we couldn’t leave without saying, ‘Hello’ to our very own Rex Whistler’s self portrait which hangs at the entrance to the restaurant he decorated so beautifully.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON CONSTABLE IN CONTEXT by Volunteer Alan Crooks

28 Tuesday Mar 2017

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Aspire, Salisbury, Visitors, Volunteers

One of the great pleasures and benefits of volunteering in the museum is the amount one learns (or not!) from the visiting public.

Following on from my previous blog on ‘Constable’s Wagon’ (17th January) I accessed the website for the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) at the University of Reading, which has photographs of various county farm carts.

This does show a ‘Wiltshire cart’ which has broad similarities to the wagon in Constable’s ‘Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831’, in that the front wheels are smaller than the rear, and the structure curves over the front and rear wheels. However, as can be seen from the illustration below, the curve is nowhere near as pronounced as depicted by Constable:

Wiltshire cart

A visitor suggested that perhaps commentators have ‘got it wrong’ in referring to it as a ‘Wiltshire wagon’ and that it is really a Suffolk wagon – Constable’s home county. However, the illustration of a Suffolk wagon on the MERL website is quite dissimilar:

Suffolk cart

Thus, I do believe that Timothy Wilcox was partially correct in his  book/catalogue ‘Constable and Salisbury, The Soul of Landscape’ (p152) in which he implies that Constable used artistic licence in the appearance of the wagon, to allow the eye to follow through the curves in the painting. However, we now know from Professor John E. Thornes lecture on ‘A Reassessment of the Solar Geometry of Constable’s Rainbow’ that this was not to predict/preempt  the spectacular appearance of the rainbow, as the rainbow was only painted in a year after the painting was first exhibited at the Royal Academy; in order to mark the death of his great friend, Archdeacon John Fisher.

The most common reaction of visitors entering Gallery 2 (containing Constable’s great painting) was to stand stock still at the entrance and exclaim “Wow!”

Many visitors commented on how privileged they had been to be able to view this painting, on its own on the wall (in contrast to the situation when it goes to The Tate Gallery, when it could just become ‘one of many’) and in the absence of a large crowd. I certainly feel very privileged as an Engagement Volunteer to be in the presence of this great painting for 1.5 hours every week, and to share the joy of all our visitors.

MORE VISITORS’ COMMENTS shared by Volunteer Alan Crooks

28 Tuesday Mar 2017

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Visitors, Volunteering

Alan Crooks – continuing the thought that “one of the great pleasures and benefits of volunteering in the museum is the amount one learns (or not!) from the visiting public” (see previous blog)…

Another visitor who had been a member of staff at Godolphin School, contemplating Methuen’s ‘The City and Cathedral of Salisbury as seen from Harnham Hill’ (1955)  commented that Godolphin School has a Methuen House (which “always lost all the sporting events”). He said he had quizzed many of his colleagues, including some of long-standing, and was surprised that so few of them knew why Methuen House was so-named. Sadly, I was distracted away before he could enlighten me. However, a little research revealed that Field Marshal The Lord Methuen GCB, GCMG, GCVO, Legion d’Honneur (The 3rd Baron Methuen) was elected Chairman of the Governing Body of Godolphin School, Salisbury on June 10, 1913. This link will take you to a blog which describes his interest in education, his love of books and his knowledge of music.

Another visitor stood in front of Claude Buckle’s railway poster, ‘Salisbury: Where History Begins’ commemorating the visit of Charles II in 1651. He swore blind that Buckle had got the date wrong as Charles II “didn’t ascend the throne until 1660”. I had to go home and quickly check an encyclopaedia to find that Charles II had ascended the throne of Scotland in 1651, and so had visited Salisbury that same year. He issued the Declaration of Breda in 1660 in which he stated the terms on which he accepted the crown of England.

Goodbye Old Friend

28 Tuesday Mar 2017

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Aspire, Salisbury

Millions of pounds left the museum yesterday.  More importantly, we lost an old friend. John Constable’s Salisbury  Cathedral from the Meadows 1831 , with us since September of last year, has gone.

Constable away

What an epic painting, one which we have been privileged to come to know so well.  And what a very good exhibition of Salisbury museum’s own paintings we had to go with it.

The exhibition attracted more and more visitors as time went by and word got out. If you missed the painting, it has now gone to the Scottish National Gallery…

Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831 came to us courtesy of Aspire, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Art Fund.

Well Worth A Look

14 Tuesday Mar 2017

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News, Salisbury, YouTube

From our website this week.  Well worth a look…

Back in September 2016 we announced a Rainbow Photographic Competition, inviting photographers to capture a rainbow over the skies of Salisbury. This was inspired by John Constable’s painting ‘Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows’ on display at the museum. We are thrilled to announce the prize winners are First – Martin Cook, Second – Marie Jones and Third – Alan Clarke. Here is Martin’s award-winning image. Thanks also to the Salisbury Branch of London Camera Exchange, who donated the prizes. The winning photographs will go on display at the museum soon. See all the entries on YouTube https://youtu.be/Z8DXRnzOtwg

Martin_Cook_2

Another Farewell – to Nicola…

28 Tuesday Feb 2017

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Aspire, Museum, Salisbury

February 28th marks my last day as Salisbury Museum’s Aspire Trainee – I am not quite sure where the last seven months have gone!

In July 2016, I entered into the role remarkably naïve to the phenomenal hard work put in by all those at the Museum. Since then, I have learned how to produce exhibition and learning content, discovered hugely obscure facts about John Constable, aided in delivering school workshops, given a speech to 30 heritage professionals, produced trails, helped market a major exhibition, shadowed at Tate Britain, helped to construct (and carry!) a LEGO masterpiece – and those were just some of the highlights.

goodbye2.JPG

Having always been fascinated by the role of museums and heritage, particularly at university, I knew that I wanted to work in such an environment. However, after graduating I soon realised the difficulties that young people face gaining experience (especially paid) in these types of roles. I have been incredibly fortunate to have been given the opportunity by the museum and the Aspire Project to develop the skills needed to propel myself into a heritage career; an experience I will endeavour not to let go to waste. Nevertheless, I am very aware that these opportunities are few and far between, which is why I believe partnerships such as Aspire are so very important to the future of heritage. I would like to give my thanks to all those on the Aspire project for all their hard work.

A massive thank you to all at Salisbury Museum, particularly to those I have worked closely with and who have taught me so much during my traineeship. A special thank you most of all to Joyce (Paeson) – for all the exhibition help and advice, for sharing her office and for constantly providing me with a supply of much-needed support and coffee.

goodbye

It has been a pleasure to work alongside all the staff and volunteers at the museum and to be part of such an incredible and worthwhile partnership. I wish the museum and you all a wonderful and prosperous future. I will miss working within this role a great deal (I can’t promise that I won’t pop in to visit every now and again). I will also be leaving my Reception role at the end of April, having spent nearly two years as part of the Visitor Service Team it will be hard to say goodbye!

Now, to put this training to good use and turn my attention to the next adventure….

Best wishes, Nicola

And our best wishes go with you Nicola…

 

The Water Meadows

28 Tuesday Feb 2017

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Aspire, Museum, Salisbury

After over one hundred Members, volunteers and friends of the museum  attended  a guided walk over the meadows recently, Dr Hadrian Cook – teacher, lecturer, researcher, writer and long-time associate of the Harnham Water Meadows Trust – gave  a fascinating talk on it all at the museum last week.

Again, about a hundred attended, and it was yet another of those wonderful lectures when you knew the speaker could have talked, and the audience happily listened, for hours. The history of the meadows, set against the changing fortunes and requirements of agriculture over the ages, was interesting, of course, but, to those of us with limited background in science, that side of it was a revelation. The late medieval and early modern farmer would not have considered himself a scientist but he obviously knew his land, and nature, and made maximum use of the meadows. Dr Cook explained that, in the end, here in Salisbury, the sheep, grazed on the meadow, were little more than a mechanism for ensuring the arable fields on the sides of the hills were kept manured (see earlier blog for how that worked out). They had long since ceased to be important for their wool, or even of much importance, in the greater scheme of things, for their meat.

It was also interesting to learn a little about the engineering involved in making sure that the flooding of the meadows worked as it was intended to do. It was nothing so simple as just digging a few ditches. The intricate arrangement of leats – top carriers and carriers, all at the right levels – hatches (to control flow) and drains must have been something learned by the locals over time. It had to work properly, or the grass would just rot if left wet. Then there were causeways and sometimes aqueducts to build too!

It was the advent of artificial fertilizers that contributed to the end of water meadows. What have we lost…?

wharnhamdb2104p05-jpg-pwrt  Salisbury from the Meadows_0

An Update on the Lego

21 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by Salisbury Museum in Aspire, Education, schools, children, Special Events

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Aspire, Museum, News, Salisbury Cathedral, Visitors, Volunteers

Wow! It was a truly amazing day at the museum last week.

We had over 705 visitors, picking up 65,280 bits of LEGO and putting them onto 1,020 LEGO tiles. In exactly six hours we made a complete LEGO version of Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows. This is now on display in the Main Exhibition Galleries, opposite the real thing. The plan is for the work to stay there until the end of the month, when it will go on display in Salisbury Library.

lego-constable

Thank you to all involved

Painting by…..

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

Posted by Salisbury Museum in Aspire, Education, schools, children

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Aspire, Children's activities, Museum, News, Salisbury, Salisbury Cathedral

…numbers? No – these are LEGO bricks! In this, the museum’s second collaboration with the family-owned Danish company LEGO, John Constable’s fabulous painting, Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows (1831) is coming to life today as a brick by brick construction. This is part of the museum’s Aspire programme of activities ( Aspire is the programme which has brought the painting to Salisbury and is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Art Fund ) which continue until March when the painting moves on.

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20170214_123309_resized

Volunteer Catherine O’Sullivan looks on as the youngsters admire their handiwork!

A lot of Volunteers are assisting with this epic undertaking today. Thank you!

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