Art as Change in Victorian Britain 

Mondays, 9 November –  

Monday 7 December (5 weeks) 

11am – 12.15pm | £50 for five lectures | Friends £45 for five lectures 

Single lecture £12 |  

Friends single lecture £10.80 

Online - Via Zoom 

With the onset of the mid 19th century, certain Victorian artists saw their role as social reformers, documenting the human toll of poverty, disease, crime and inequality believing deeply in the power of visual culture and literature to solve social divides. In this online course that accompanies our exhibition Art & Action: Making Change in Victorian Britain, discover the artists, artworks and events that introduced a new socially conscious approach to art, from exhibitions in the slums to new craft industries and art of the suffrage movement. See our website for full course details and schedule.  

Monday 9 November   

Victorian Art and Social Movements   

Dr Chloe Ward   

Monday 16 November   

Ruskin, Morris, Ashbee: Social Responsibility and the Arts and Crafts Movement  

Hilary Underwood   

Monday 23 November  

‘Art for All’?: G F Watts in Whitechapel  

Abbie Latham   

Monday 30 November  

Mary Watts and Women’s Rights   

Dr Lucy Ella Rose   

Monday 7 December   

Art of the Suffrage Movement  

Dr Chloe Ward   

Wednesday 2 December 

6 - 7.00pm | £10 | Friends £9 

Online – Via Zoom 

For more than twenty years, artist  

Dr Chila Kumari Singh Burman has been at the forefront of socially engaged practice with her powerful images exploring cultural identity, gender, representation and class. In this conversation, Burman will be joined by eminent art historian Professor Lynda Nead to discuss the roots of her practice and ideas of personal and political agency in her works for the public realm. 

Art, Action & Poverty  

Wednesday 20 January 2021 

6 – 7.30pm | £10 | Friends £9  

Online – Via Zoom 

Just as G F Watts documented the plight of the poor, poverty and social injustice remain a pressing issue for both contemporary artists and activists. In this talk, former Deputy Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Abigail Scott Paul, in conversation with internationally renowned photographer, Jillian Edelstein, to discuss the responsibility of artists and philanthropic organisations in highlighting the stories and experiences of those living in poverty today. 

Art, Action & Design 

February 17 2021 | 6 – 7 pm  

£10 | Friends £9 

Online - Via Zoom 

Taking the Arts & Crafts principle of collective design and collaboration, what potential do design teams today have in tackling the biggest challenges we face such as climate change, wealth inequality and racial injustice? Learn more about the powerful potential of collective design from the team behind the UK non-profit Shift, CEO Nick Stanhope and Innovation Director Tayo Medupin, as they share their radically different approaches to tackling inequalities through collective ways of working and design. 

International Women’s Day: Art, Action & Craft 

Monday 8 March 2021 | 6 - 7.30pm | £10 | Friends £9 | Online – Via Zoom  

Pioneering artists like Mary Watts used their creative output to address issues of social cohesion, gender equality and political change. This International Women’s Day, celebrate the role of craft in activism. Sarah Corbett will weave together her practical experience of her ‘gentle protest’ craftivism with the history of craft as a tool for change. 

Art & Action: Bronze Arts Award  

Thursdays: 7, 14, 21, 28 January,  

4, 11 February 2021 | 4 - 5.30 pm 

£60, including all materials and Arts Award entry costs | Friends £54 | Online, via zoom  

In this new six week creative course you can achieve a Bronze Arts Award qualification. Explore the art and artists of Art & Action, take part in creative artist-led activities and learn new skills, before sharing and celebrating your achievements with peers.