Exhibitions
The Wonder of Birds
Currently under development - curator for The Wonder of Birds (2026) an exhibition which will be based and take flight around the next collaboration of artist Jackie Morris & writer Robert Macfarlane (Hamish Hamilton/Penguin).
Previously devised and curated the exhibitions which accompanied their award-winning books The Lost Words (at Compton Verney & subsequent tour) and The Lost Spells (at The Sill, in Northumberland’s National Park).
The Glass Heart
Art, Industry & Collaboration (27 January - 21 April 2024)
Curator for an exploration of glass at Two Temple Place which reframed glass making over the last 170 years bringing together works from major UK public collections alongside contemporary work. The exhibition sought to challenge preconceptions about the material’s form and function, uniting glass sculpture with stained glass and highlighting the collaborative nature of its making and the stories that it contains. Unforgiving, fragile and strong - it showcased glass as an experimental art form, an endangered traditional skill as well as its role in the UK’s historic glass industry.
Lenders included the V&A, National Glass Centre Sunderland, Glass Museum Stourbridge, Stained Glass Museum Ely, Leicester Museum & Art Gallery and the William Morris Gallery. Contemporary work by Anthony Amoako-Attah, Monster Chetwynd, Chris Day, James Devereux, Ryan Gander, Peter Layton, Pinkie Maclure, Jim Maskrey, Anne Vibeke Mou, Ayako Tani, Sophie Thomas & Louis Thompson, Emma Woffenden.
The Glass Heart gained over 46,000 visitors in 3 months plus school and adult groups.
Reviews included Radio 4’s Start the Week - Made out of Glass, The Financial Times, Crafts, Studio International:
https://www.ft.com/content/60914e31-e274-41b7-b3f6-05871a54f4eb
https://twotempleplace.org/exhibitions/the-glass-heart/
Images: copyright Two Temple Place & Richard Eaton
An Apple Gathering
An Apple Gathering was held at the National Trust’s Croft Castle (22 April - 5 November 2023) the exhibition celebrated the cultural significance of the apple and Herefordshire’s important apple-growing history. From knowledge, freedom, immortality and peace to temptation, decay and corruption, the apple’s stories were brought to life through art, music, sculpture, literature and horticulture.
Curated programme of engagement across the site which included sculpture throughout the building, an outdoor exhibition in the walled garden orchard and a newly commissioned soundscape for Apples & People entitled The Orchard Year produced by Andy Bell of Hudson Records which included folk musicians, spoken word and accoustic sounds.
Article written for Apollo:
https://www.apollo-magazine.com/history-art-eight-apples/
Image: Barnaby Barford, This Earth of Majesty, This Seat of Mars, 2019. Copyright the artist.
A Variety of Cultures
Curated exhibition at the Museum of Cider (27 October 2023 - 28 January 2024) explores the revealing global journey of the apple across cultures with a newly commissioned World Apple Map at its core. It showcases for the first time the complete set of historical replica apples which are in the collection of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Contemporary work by Billy Apple, Becka Beebie, Alec Finlay, Ben Homer, Anne Rook, Charlie Staunton, Mangzi Tian, Alison Turnbull, Nai Zacharia.
Image: The Apple World Map by Helen Cann commissioned by and licensed to the Museum of Cider, Brightspace Foundation and The National Trust Copyright © Helen Cann 2020
Past Exhibitions including…
The Lost Spells
Opened July 2022 at The Sill, Northumberland National Park. Based on the book of the same name, this exhibition combined original artwork by Jackie Morris & Spells by Robert Macfarlane as well as featuring a mixable glossary of nature sounds.
Image: courtesy of Jackie Morris
A Tea Journey
This exhibition navigated tea’s cultural journey from its origins in Asia to its adoption as Britain’s national drink. It explored new social and performative rituals and a wealth of ceramic traditions including work by Robin Best, Phoebe Cummings, Ian McIntyre, Bruce Nuske, Selina Nwulu, Clare Partington, Hetain Patel, Julian Stair & Bouke de Vries.
Financial Times review:
https://www.ft.com/content/09b5ea0e-a166-11e9-a282-2df48f366f7d
Image: copyright Compton Verney & Jamie Woodley Photography
The Marvellous Mechanical Museum
Exploring the history of automata and contemporary sculptural replications of life forms with artists including Ting Tong Chang, Jane Edden, Tim Lewis, Paul Spooner, Stuart Patience & Harrison Pearce.
Observer review by Laura Cumming:
Image: Harrison Pearce Defence Cascade 2018. Copyright the artist, Compton Verney & Jamie Woodley photography.
The Arts & Crafts House: Then & Now
Exploring the ethos and enduring appeal of the Arts & Crafts house this exhibition also invited Landscape & Garden Designer Dan Pearson to create a unique commission in the grounds of Compton Verney inspired by legendary designer William Morris’ Trellis wallpaper design. The exhibition also featured work by Timorous Beasties, Sebastian Cox, Rosa Nguyen, Rapture & Wright & Andrew Wicks.
Image: courtesy Dan Pearson Studio & Compton Verney.
The Lost Words
Project curation of the exhibition based on the award-winning book The Lost Words with Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris in association with Penguin Books.
Image: The Lost Words in association with Penguin Books, Copyright Compton Verney & Jamie Woodley Photography.
The Fabric of Myth
From Ariadne’s thread to Louise Bourgeois’ fabric creations, this exhibition explored myths associated with textiles and their process of being made including Delaine Le Bas, Alice Kettle, Henry Moore, William Morris, Elaine Reichek, Bispo Do Rosario, Judith Scott, Mary Queen of Scots & Shane Waltener.
AS Byatt Guardian review: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/jun/21/saturdayreviewsfeatres.guardianreview9