Join The Art Gallery of Ballarat as they offer a series of public programs for their major double exhibition, Pre-Raphaelites and In the Company of Morris. The exhibitions offer an intimate and rare look into the world of the Pre-Raphaelite artists, models, and friends. It includes works of extraordinary beauty, from the portraits they made of each other, studies for paintings and commissions, to subjects taken from history, literature, and landscape. As part of this rare exhibition at The Art Gallery of Ballarat, audiences can now learn and practice once-radical techniques through a range of talks, drawing workshops, and panels.
Talk: Laurie Benson on the Pre-Raphaelites
The Curator of International Art at the NGV Laurie Benson, tells the story of this short-lived but very influential movement which profoundly affected the direction of British art into the 20th century. Laurie Benson curated the NGV exhibition Medieval Moderns which celebrated the role of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain, their place in the development of the illustrated book and their profound influence on later generations of artists. Saturday 17 June.
Workshop: Working with resin with Kate Rohde
A unique opportunity to work with Melbourne-based artist Kate Rohde. In this workshop, visitors will learn the essential skills for designing their own small wearable or sculptural objects and simple techniques for making a mold to cast designs. Sunday 18 June.
Workshop: Life drawing intensive with Alison Parkinson
Find ways to express both nature and true emotion in art in this all-day life-drawing session with Mount Prospect-based artist Alison Parkinson. Visitors have the opportunity to work with Parkinson and a life model on a series of poses after gaining inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelites. Sunday 25 June.
Workshop: Drawing in the gallery with Lisa Nolan
Award-winning artist Lisa Nolan will introduce participants to the art of drawing from other artworks. Spend time in the Pre-Raphaelites exhibition where participants will learn drawing basics, different techniques of perspective and composition and tricks to finding inspiration in the work of other artists. Saturday 8 July & Saturday 29 July.
Forum: Morris and me
Glenn Barkley, Deborah Klein and Kate Rohde are three inspirational artists whose work is featured in In the Company of Morris. In a stimulating discussion led by art curator and former gallery director Christopher Menz, the three artists will introduce their own art practices and discuss the influence of Morris & Co on their own work across a range of mediums such as ceramic vessels, painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and that of other contemporary designers. Saturday 15 July
Workshop: Discover silverpoint with Lisa Nolan
Silverpoint is an ancient technique that involves drawing with a silver wire on a specially treated surface. Discover the technique of drawing with silver, which was popular with artists from the Renaissance to the 19th century. Visitors will produce their own subtly glowing silverpoint drawing in the Pre-Raphaelite style under the guidance of artist Lisa Nolan. Sunday 16 July.
Pre-Raphaelite Auslan tour and workshop
Deaf educator Irene Holub leads an Auslan tour of the Pre-Raphaelites: Drawings and Watercolours and In the Company of Morris exhibitions. Engage with a selection of works in the exhibitions and participate in an inclusive group discussion. After the tour, audience can experiment with drawing, exploring the techniques which the Pre-Raphaelite artists used to create the feelings, movements and composition of their drawings. Saturday 22 July.
Workshop: Draw like a Pre-Raphaelite with Lily Mae Martin
Participants will visit the Pre-Raphaelites exhibition to gain inspiration and afterwards, join artist Lily Mae Martin to sketch a Pre-Raphaelite model dressed in medieval-inspired Pre-Raphaelite clothing.
Sunday 22 July and Sunday 5 August.
Workshop: Embroidery with Jem Olsen
Examples of skilled embroidery have been found in ancient Chinese and Middle Eastern cultures and in the work of Pre-Raphaelite William Morris. It can be practical, decorative and even therapeutic. Visitors will learn basic skills of embroidery in the workshop with Award-winning Ballarat-based textile artist and activist Jem Olsen. Sunday 30 July.
Bookings: https://www.artgalleryofballarat.com.au/explore/whats-on
ART GALLERY OF BALLARAT
40 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat
artgalleryofballarat.com.au/
Images and resources are available here. Interviews with Louise Tegart available on request.
The Art Gallery of Ballarat
Founded in 1884, the Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest, largest, and most significant art collection in regional Australia. The Gallery brings in over 200,000 visitors annually and is a major part of Ballarat’s visitor economy as well as a focus for visual arts in the Ballarat region. A recognised leader in regional arts, the Gallery is known for mounting high-profile, high-quality exhibitions that contribute to national conversations and debates about culture and identity.
Image credits:
Top: Edward Burne-Jones, 1868, Study of a woman’s head turned to the left (detail). © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Bottom: Pre-Raphaelites Rooms by Tara C Moore
