Celebrating Refugee Week 2019

Refugee Week is a nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees in the UK and encourages an improved understanding between communities.

Discover stories of displacement, explore the lives of refugees and the people who welcomed them throughout the generations, based on this year’s theme – You, Me and Those Who Came Before.

Refugee Week Launch

Saturday 15th June

11am – 4pm, Free

Celebrate the beginning of Refugee Week with live music, talks, poetry, creative workshops and stalls.

The 25th Commemoration of the Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsi
Saturday 15th June
2pm - 5:30pm, Free

Hear stories at the Urumuri commemoration for the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi.

Explore Kwibuka Rwanda – Remebering Rwanda, an exhibition developed by Dr Julia Viebach and Pitt Rivers Museum that looks at the memorials marking the sites where the genocide took place.

Working in collaboration with URUMURI Association

Knit-a-thon

Tuesday 18th June

11am – 4pm, Free

Get creative and meet other like-minded crafters to knit and crochet items such as hats, socks, gloves, and blankets for refugees across the globe. All items will be distributed by UK charity Knit for Peace.

To register interest or to support the event with some knitting to be delivered, please email gemma.hutton@bedford.gov.uk.

Pop-up Museum #You, me and those who came before

Wednesday 19th June

11am – 3pm, Free

Bedford Central Library

Bring the stories and objects that you, your parents and grandparents have brought with them from their home countries to share and celebrate at this Pop-Up Museum.

What favourite things did you, your parents or grandparents, bring with them to start life in the UK?

This Noisy Isle

Saturday 22nd June

Perfromances from 10am - 3pm

Adult: £8 / Child £6

Inspired by William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, enjoy This Noisy Isle, an outdoor treasure-hunt style performance for 7 to 11 year olds and their families.

This interactive adventure explores the refugee crisis in a new and inventive way and gives viewers the chance to solve puzzles, meet mysterious characters, navigate the choppy seas and more.

Each performance is limited to 16 patrons - Book Tickets Here.

Working in Collaboration with Spun Glass Theatre and The Place Bedford.

Windrush Family Day & Global Kitchen

Saturday 22nd June

12pm - 5pm, Free Entry

 A Different Brew Cafe

Celebrate National Windrush Day and Bedford's Windrush Generation with a day of face painting, music, folk songs, dancing, dominoes, food and Windrush stories.

Working in Collaboration with Arise In Bloom, Nubian Teachings, Friends Of Refugees, Urban Adventures (Natures Gifts), Bedfordshire Opportunities for Learning Disabilities (B.O.L.D), Retired Caribbean Nurses of Bedfordshire (RCNA)

Exhibition Talks & Tours

Edward Bawden: Home and Abroad Gallery Tour
Wednesday 5th June
12pm - 12:30pm
£5.90, (£4.70 Concessions)

Join exhibition curator Victoria Partridge, for a lunchtime tour of Edward Bawden: Home and Abroad and discover how Bawden's immediate surroundings and overseas travels have influenced his art.

Image: Edward Bawden (1903—1989) Edward Bawden in Portugal —Lisbon, Lithograph after linocut, 1962 ©The Edward Bawden Estate.

Rise and Fall of the Bedfordshire Brickworks by Richard Manning

Wednesday 12th June, 2pm
£5.90, (£4.70 Concessions)

Explore the Rise and Fall of Bedfordshire’s Brickworks with Richard Manning, a former London Brick Company employee of 40 years and Managing Director until 1995. Richard will be sharing his memories of the brickmaking industries in Bedford.

Image: 'Fuelling the brick firing kilns, London Brick Company, Stewartby', 1952 © The Mutual Security Agency

Lunchtime Lecture with Professor Christiana Payne – ‘Round and Round the Garden’
Wednesday 19th June
12pm - 1pm, Free

Join Professor of History of Art at Oxford Brookes University, Christiana Payne, for a lunchtime lecture of the Round and Round the Garden exhibition. Explore our human fascination with gardens and gardening and how they have provided inspiration for artists including, Pre-Raphaelite John Everett Millais, Walter Sickert and Joan Eardley.

This lecture is sponsored by Oxford Brookes University.

Booking is essential for these talks & tours. To book your place, please telephone 01234 718618 or email thehiggins@bedford.gov.uk.

Summer Painting Review

 © Cecil Higgins Art Gallery 

Joan Eardley (1921-1963) - Ragwort no 2 c 1960

One of the many reasons I admire this painting is due to the artist’s excellent use of colour and shapes that fit in brilliantly with the summery theme of this image.

Throughout art's lengthy history, it has been proven to be very difficult to project an image of a certain scenery onto a canvas, but this painting achieves this feat. One can also say it reminds them of walking amongst a field full of flowers in a summer breeze accompanied with a clear blue sky without a cloud in sight. 

Eardley massively succeeds in bringing a season and location of a past year to life in this remarkably unique painting.

This painting is currently on display in the Round and Round the Garden exhibition.

Written by Volunteer Lauren

Spring 'Bunyan to the Brickworks' Events & Talks

As part of the exhibition, ‘Pride Inspiration Hope’ The Journey From Bunyan to the Brickworks, enjoy a variety of accompanying events and talks which explores the journeys of pride, inspiration and hope made by John Bunyan and those who came to Bedford after the Second World War to work at the Brickworks.

Stained-glass window of John Bunyan in
Bedford Gaol, Bunyan Meeting,
Bedford. With kind permission from 

Trustees of Bunyan Meeting.

John Bunyan, Bedford and Beyond by John Pestell

Tuesday 7th May, 12pm

£5.90 (concessions £4.70)

Join John Pestell, author of Travel with John Bunyan, for an immersive lunchtime lecture as he outlines the life, times and works of John Bunyan. 

Booking is essential. To book your place, please email thehiggins@bedford.gov.uk.

Remininscence Session: Bunyan to the Brickworks

Thursday 9th May, 11am

Free Entry (£1 for refreshments)
Join the discussion, meet new people and be inspired by memories and stories of the past. Explore the story of Bedford’s long heritage as town, as well as the journeys of John Bunyan and the people who came to work at the Brickworks after the Second World War.

'Algerino De Eso and Alfredo Minggei,
recruited from Italy and working for
London Brick Company, Stewartby',
1952 © The Mutual Security Agency

Pride, Inspiration, Hope: Bedfordshire Brickworks Day
Saturday 25th May
11am-4pm, Free Entry
Explore all things Brickworks in a day filled with fun activities, music and talks. Enjoy a variety of folk songs and stories, including performances from local musicians, Invisible Folk. Participate in an interactive panel discussion, where members of the public are invited to share memories and help build our wall of inspiration.

From Open Fields to Fletton Bricks: a History of Landscapes in Bedfordshire from John Bunyan to Sir Malcolm Stewart by Brian Kerr

Sunday 26th May
2pm, Free Entry
Discover the stories of two historical Bedfordians and how they navigated through a period of change in the town. Join Brian Kerr as he discusses John Bunyan’s use of Bedfordshire’s topography to inform his writing, and Sir Malcolm Stewart’s legacy in the village built for the workers at London Brick, Stewartby.

More Brickworks talks and lectures will take place in the Summer on a variety of topics, including the rise and fall of Bedford’s brickmaking industries.

Airship Heritage Trust

For those fascinated by the R101 and R100 airships or the sheds at Cardington, the forthcoming exhibition at Bedford Gallery is something to really look forward to. We have been working closely with the Airship Heritage Trust to put this exhibiton together as well as to develope ideas for permanent displays in the refurbished museum & gallery. Read more about how the trust have been working with us here : http://www.airshipsonline.com/Museum/index.html

World of Interiors Article

The May issue of The World of Interiors has a fantastic six page spread on Stanley Lewis's work and home in advance of the forthcoming retrospective of this little-known artist's work at Bedford Gallery.

Interviewed shortly before his death last year at the age of 103, the article shows a fascinating glimpse of an artist who was friends with Dylan Thomas and Augustus John, and who was highly respected by his peers before he left the art scene behind to become principal of Carmathan School of Art. The photographs of Lewis' work crammed into his daughter's Yorkshire home will give you a real taste of the exhibiton to come that will also display work from the Cecil Higgins Collection by Lewis’ tutors and contemporaries, including William Rothenstein, Augustus John and Stanley Spencer. KP

The Unknown Artist: Stanley Lewis and his Contemporaries is on display at Bedford Gallery, Castle Lane Bedford, Saturday 12th June – Sunday 5th September 2010

Exhibitions

Take a look at our new exhibitions page on the tab above or click here. Below is just one of the fascinating exhibitons coming up in our fantistic new exhibition space, Bedford Gallery, located on Castle Lane behind the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery.

Coming Next at Bedford Gallery...

The Unknown Artist: Stanley Lewis and his contemporaries
Bedford Gallery
Saturday 12th June – Sunday 5th September 2010

Born in 1905, Stanley Lewis was described as one of the most important artists of his generation. From his time at the Royal College of Art (1925 – 1930), Lewis continued to paint everyday until his death last year at the age of 103. This will be the first major exhibition of this talented but little-known artist, held alongside works from the Cecil Higgins Collection by Lewis’ tutors and contemporaries, including William Rothenstein, Augustus John and Stanley Spencer.

Clocking In

Our new exhibition, ‘Clocking In’ opens on 27th February 2010 at Bedford Gallery and continues until 23rd May.

The exhibition will be an exploration into the past, present and future working lives of the people of Bedford. From market trading to brick-making to cutting-edge aerospace research, the working lives of the people of Bedford have always been varied. We will be using interviews with local people, as well as the Art Gallery & Museum collections to illustrate the vibrancy and variety of Bedfordshire life.

The exhibition includes amazing insights in our working day, highlighting what has remained the same but also, how our lives have changed.

‘There were still people in Bedford who believed in what they called gold water, which was the water they washed the gold in, having medicinal properties when they drank it or rubbed it in. His job was to go and retrieve the water that they had washed the gold objects in and hand it out gratuitously to the people of Bedford.’ Richard Stoodley (speaking about his father working at John Bull & Co from 1920 to 1970)

We have commissioned artist Jonny Hannah to design a poster to celebrate the opening of the exhibition. We are very pleased to have limited editions of the poster, printed by Jonny Hannah at ‘Cake and Ale Press’, for sale at the exhibition.

On the 12nd March we will be having a one-off, free screening of British Pathé newsreels. From 2 – 3pm you will be able to see amazing footage of supersonic jets at Thurleigh, Land Army girls on the High Street, and the ‘Super Giant’ of Stewartby. It’s your chance to see the place you live in as you’ve never seen it before.

On Saturday 17th April there will be a chance to discover how Victorian Bedfordian’s would have lived and worked. Earning a Crust: A Victorian Working Day is a free family day at Bedford Museum. There will be lots of activities; you will be able to join in with rag-rug making, washday, writing with quill pen and ink and laying the table for a Victorian dinner party! There will also be folk music provided by Graeme Meek who sings songs inspired by Bedfordshire life, as well as traditional basket weaving from Martin Hazell and you can have a go at lace-making.

Our popular programme of free lunchtime talks will return, beginning with ‘Clocking In: An Introduction’ on Wednesday 3rd March, at Bedford Gallery, 1pm. Other planned talks include more in-depth looks at The Britannia Iron & Steel Works, Bedford High Street and The Elstow Royal Ordnance Factory.

What was your first job?

Our new exhibition, ‘Clocking In’ opens on 27th February 2010 at Bedford Gallery. The exhibition will be an exploration into the past, present and future working lives of the people of Bedford. From market trading to brick-making to cutting-edge aerospace research, the working lives of the people of Bedford have always been varied. We will be using interviews with local people, as well as the Art Gallery & Museum collections, to illustrate the vibrancy and variety of Bedfordshire life.

The exhibition includes amazing insights into our working day, highlighting what has remained the same but also, how our lives have changed.

‘There were still people in Bedford who believed in what they called gold water, which was the water they washed the gold in, having medicinal properties when they drank it or rubbed it in. His job was to go and retrieve the water that they had washed the gold objects in and hand it out gratuitously to the people of Bedford.’ Richard Stoodley (speaking about his father working at John Bull & Co from 1920 to 1970)

We would love to know what was the first job you ever had? All stories and anecdotes welcome! Get in touch by leaving comments here on the blog, on facebook or on twitter.

My first job was as chief potwasher (kitchen assistant) at The Blacksmiths Arms in Ravensden, where I worked at the weekends whilst I was studying at Bedford College. My favourite part was the potato tumbler that we used to make the chips - an excellent time saving device, really I need one at home.

GH

What's On: Janurary

Exhibition Edward Bawden @BedfordGallery until 31st January
Exhibition Star-Gazing until @BedfordGallery 31st January
Exhibition CARNIVAL! @BedfordMusuem from 16th January

Diary:
Sun 3rd: Winds of Exchange closes

Wed 6th: Lunchtime Talk- Eric Ravilious 1 - 1.30pm @BedfordGallery
Thur 7th: Reminiscence Coffee Morning 11am - 12.30pm @BedfordMuseum
Tue 12th: Friends Lecture - Treasures I have found in the Gallery by Tom Perrett, Head of Collections 7.30pm, £6 @BedfordGallery
Sat 16th: Carnival! opens - Carnival art and costumes until Sun 18th April Bedford Museum
Sat 16th: Saturday Archaeology Workshop (SAW) Astronomy & Archaeology - Ancient Calendars Contact Susannah Oliver on 01234 217418 to join SAW Bedford Museum
Wed 20th: Lunchtime Talk: Edward Bawden - Art vs Design 1 - 1.30pm Bedford Gallery
Thur 21st: Film Night Hue & Cry (1947) @BedfordGallery http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039478/ late opening, film commences at 7pm
Sat 30th: Rock, Fossils and Minerals Day - Bedfordshire & Luton Geology Group answer your geological queries. 1 - 4pm @BedfordMuseum
Sun 31st Jan: Last day of Edward Bawden exhibiton 2-5pm @BedfordGallery

Winds of Exchange Pictures

The Winds of Exchange exhibition at Bedford Museum has been exploring the links between Bedford and Japan. Curated by Marion Maule, this colourful and exciting display has been delighting visitors with its broad range of objects from a Japanese code book from Bletchley Park, a Nissan concept car designed in Bedfordshire, Japanese costume, a Samuri sword, and much, much more.

These photos will give you a little taster of the show, which is open until 3rd January.

Edward Bawden Review in the Independent

Click on the picture below to read Rhoda Koenig's four star review of the Edward Bawden Exhibition in the Independent.

Star Gazing: Admiral Smyth's Celestial Observations

An astronomical exhibition at Bedford Gallery (Lower Gallery only) from 5th December

Admiral Smyth, veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, built a private observatory in the garden of his Bedford home. From here, he observed and described deep-sky objects including star clusters and nebulae. This exhibition, part of the nationwide Local Heroes project celebrating 350 years of the Royal Society, looks at Smyth’s achievements and features images taken by the Hubble space telescope.

Press

Here are a list of articles in the national press that cover the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery Collections and the opening of Bedford Gallery.

Peyton Skipworth has written an article that appears on page 20 of the Royal Academy Magazine, browsable online

Click on the image to the left to read Martin Gayford's article about Bawden in the Telegraph of Saturday 26th September.

Articles appeared in The New Statesman, May 2009 and

Culture 24, April 2009 about the Cecil Higgins collection when the Treasures exhibiton opened in April.

The Tate website still features information on the colelction from the Treasures show that featured at Tate Britain from 15th September 2008 until 15th February 2009.

Exhibitions at Bedford Museum

pARTicipate 22nd Sept – 18th Oct
An exhibition celebrating artistic talent, diversity, culture and good work young people do in the community, contributing to Bedford’s heritage.

Winds of Change 24th Oct – 3rd Jan
Exploring the varied and surprising links between Bedfordshire and Japan. Part of Japan-UK 150, celebrating 150 years of official reading links between Japan and the UK.

Free Lectures

There are a number of lunchtime talks to accompany the exhibitons on Edward Bawden at Bedford Gallery and the Winds of Change exhibiton at Bedford Museum. These talks are free to attend, and are held at Bedford Gallery on the dates stated below. All talks are by gallery staff unless stated.

7th Oct Lunchtime talk: The Edward Bawden archive 1pm – 1.30pm

21st Oct Lunchtime talk: Edward Bawden: Master of the linocut 1pm – 1.30pm

4th Nov Lunchtime talk: Bedfordshire & Japan Part 1 (Marion Maule) 1pm – 1.30pm

11th Nov Lunchtime talk: Printmaking at The Curwen with Tom Martin, Studio Manager 1pm – 1.30pm

12th Nov Evening lecture: Winds of Exchange (Marion Maule) 7pm

18th Nov Lunchtime talk: Bedfordshire & Japan Part 2 (Marion Maule) 1pm – 1.30pm

2nd Dec Lunchtime talk: Bawden and his Circle 1pm – 1.30pm

8th Dec Evening lecture: Admiral Smyth and astronomy in Bedford 7pm

6th Jan Lunchtime talk: Eric Ravilious 1pm – 1.30pm

20th Jan Lunchtime talk: Edward Bawden: Art vs. Design 1pm – 1.30pm

Edward Bawden

3rd October 2009 – 31st January 2010 at Bedford Gallery

From 1981 – 1989 Edward Bawden (1903 – 1989) donated the contents of his studio to the Art Gallery. Edward Bawden was one of Britain’s most original and versatile artists, known for his inventive and often humorous illustrations. This major exhibition sees much of this work on show for the very first time. It covers every medium Bawden used, from watercolours and prints to examples of his commercial design.

The exhibition is accompanied by Edward Bawden by Caroline Bacon and James MacGregor. An illustrated catalogue of the wonderful collection at Cecil Higgins Art Gallery. The book is available at both the museum and gallery shops, or you can order a copy over the phone on 01234 211222 or 01234 353323.

Illustrated in colour throughout, and featuring previously unpublished material.
Edition limited to 2,000 copies
RRP £25
ISBN 0-9512657-5-8

In celebration of the Edward Bawden exhibition, Cecil Higgins Art Gallery and Bedford Museum have also commissioned a limited edition print from the artist Mark Hearld who is inspired by Bawden’s work. ‘Rooster and Railway Carriage’ is a lithographic print in a limited edition of 75. The print costs £225 (plus postage and packing) and measures approximately 485mm by 670mm. It is available by contacting the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery & Bedford Museum on 01234 353323 and will also be on sale from the Bedford Gallery shop during the Edward Bawden exhibition.

Mark Hearld, ‘Rooster and Railway Carriage’ 2009