Open studio session 1 April 2014

Inspirational work and ideas

Visitors to the local studies library at Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies on 1 April might have been surprised by the sight of a group of textile artists busily going about their creative activities in the library.

This was the second Open Studio event to be held as part of the Threads of Time project. With the exhibition of work only a couple of months away, the pressure is on to complete items in time.

Inspired by…

Eight members of the project group were working on their pieces and available to talk to visitors about what had inspired them. The works in progress included a silk paper bowl inspired by the story of the Wittewronge family’s flight from Ghent; a fabric book inspired by the life of Sir John Wittewronge; two items inspired by a set of alchemical writings in the collection; a stumpwork hanging inspired by the  tragic tale of Ruth Osborne, an old woman accused of witchcraft and a mirror frame inspired by the life of George clifford, an Elizabethan courtier and privateer.

A real window on our past

Visitors to the open studio were amazed by the range of work and how project members had been inspired by the archive collections. Some of their comments are below:

‘So very interesting to look at and hear about the inspiration these clever craftspeople have got from the documents – also found them so exciting – a real window on our past’

‘A fantastic window into our history’

‘So happy I popped in. A fantastic project with some inspired work.’

‘A really interesting way of interpreting the collection and some breathtaking work produced.’

Find out more

Read more about what has inspired members of the project and how they are progressing by following their project blogs on this website.

Exhibition in June

You can see all the works produced by the group at the exhibition at HALS 11-28 June during normal opening hours.

The exhibition will have a display of documents which have inspired the group. You can find out more about the Wittewronge family collection in the HALS catalogue.

This page was added on 02/04/2014.

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