Artists from H&F’s Macbeth Centre are showing off their works on the walls of Arts & Crafts icon William Morris.
The historic riverside home of Morris – Kelmscott House in Hammersmith – is now displaying local artists’ work alongside his world-class prints. The famed arts society has carefully selected our student’s pieces for the second year in a row.
Vanessa Manson from the William Morris Society said: “We're so honoured to be hosting the outstanding work of the students from the Macbeth Centre again this year. We chose pieces that displayed a wide range of skill, technique, and medium, but that also indicate the exciting direction that contemporary craft is taking.
“We hope to continue to participate in the coming years to keep the spirit of William Morris and skilled craftsmanship alive.”
Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s Macbeth learning centre offers dozens of arts and crafts classes, all taught by the best in the business – see the full list on our website.
Exhibition unveiled
From jewellery to picture framing and pottery, the exhibition features a wide variety of beautiful pieces from our talented learners.
Elena Sivachenko, 68, has been selected for a second year running. Last year, her silver blue enamel brooch – Blue Bells – sat on display in the museum. This year, she’s exhibiting her stunning stained glass, My love is like a red, red rose.
“William Morris is such a big name in art history,” she said. “In every corner of the world, people know who he is. It's a great honour to be exhibited in the walls of this museum, where he lived, worked and printed his masterpieces. I feel very privileged, lucky and grateful to be a student at the Macbeth Centre.”
Her classmate Ruben Agocs’ gorgeous stained glass piece, Kayak Swimmer, is also being displayed. Ruben beamed at his art hung on the walls: “Oh I’m very proud to be exhibited here”.
He’s also taking children’s illustration and pottery at the Macbeth Centre. His pottery won a prize at this year’s Arts & Crafts Exhibition.
Also being displayed is Gill Haynes’ oil on canvas painting, The Jaunty Angle, featuring a man wearing a bent hat. “I’m delighted! It feels like a real endorsement, and I think it’ll encourage us all to go and try that little bit harder,” she joked. “There’s such an amazing range of diverse work here. It shows just how varied the talents in the borough are.”
Plan your visit
You can check out the exhibition every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, 2pm to 5pm, until Sunday 29 October. Tickets £3.50.
The display is at the Coach House and basement of Kelmscott House, 26 Upper Mall, Hammersmith W6 9TA – home of the William Morris Society, established in 1955.
The society is dedicated to preserving his legacy and ideas of William Morris (1834-1896) who was an artist, designer, craftsman, writer and environmentalist. Morris dramatically changed the fashions and ideologies of the Victorian era, and he lived at Kelmscott House in Hammersmith from 1878 until his death in 1896.
