This month we bring you updates from the Stained Glass Museum in Ely, the first in an occasional series on notable British institutions or organizations involved in stained glass.
Geoffrey Clarke Stained Glass Appeal
Fig. 1. Geoffrey Clarke, Fragment, 1956?, Glass, lead, 91.4 x 73 x 15.2cm.
The Stained Glass Museum is raising money to purchase four stained-glass panels by the significant twentieth-century British stained-glass artist Geoffrey Clarke (b. 1924). Geoffrey Clarke was one of the artists who worked on the pioneering modern glazing project at Coventry Cathedral in 1957–62, producing three of the nave windows. The acquisition of these panels by Clarke, a respected Royal Academician who represented Great Britain at the 1952 International Biennale Exhibition in Venice, would make fantastic additions to the Stained Glass Museum’s main gallery display.
The four stained-glass panels the museum hopes to purchase (three of which date to 1949, while the fourth, Fragment, is dated c.1956) reveal different influences, demonstrating how Clarke combined stained glass, mosaic and sculptural techniques to produce unique artworks. Purchase of these four panels would draw public attention to the significance of twentieth-century British stained glass and address the relationship the medium has with other artistic media, thus transforming perceptions of modern stained glass.
Fig. 2. Geoffrey Clarke, St Sebastian, 1949, Stained glass (leaded), 40.5 x 24.5 x 7.2cm.
The museum needs to raise at least £15,000 to buy these panels, and additional funds may also be needed for minor conservation work. The museum is applying to both The Art Fund and the V&A Purchase Grant Fund to assist with this purchase, but to ensure success of
these grant proposals, must not only contribute a proportion of the total cost but also demonstrate the commitment of the museum and its friends to the purchase. The deadline for funding applications is the beginning of September 2013, and the aim is to raise a minimum of £3,000 before then.
This appeal is therefore an urgent one. Please consider making a donation to this cause. We suggest a gift of £50 (or more if you can), but any gift, however small, will help to demonstrate the commitment of the museum and its supporters.
How to Donate
By cheque: please download the donation form from the Stained Glass Museum website and make cheques payable to ‘The Stained Glass Museum’. Cheques should be sent to The Stained Glass Museum, The South Triforium, Ely Cathedral, Ely, CB7 4DL.
By debit/credit card: please phone the Stained Glass Museum shop on 01353 660347.
In person: please fill out a donation form at the Stained Glass Museum.
For more information, contact Jasmine Allen (curator@stainedglassmuseum.com).
Forthcoming Events at the Stained Glass Museum
The Stained Glass Museum is running a busy schedule of events the over summer and into the autumn. Numbers are limited for some events, so book now!
SUMMER EVENTS
‘Inspiration & Illumination’: workshops and activity afternoons for families and children, held every Wednesday afternoon during the summer holidays, 2–4pm. Click here for the programme.
‘Tristan & Iseult, A Storytelling by Mark Steinhard’. The ancient love story of Tristan and Iseult first became popular in the twelfth century. In modern times, many people, from Wagner to Tom Waits, have been drawn to the story. Hear Mark Steinhardt’s retelling of this Celtic love-tangle, in front of the stained-glass window that inspired his version of the story at the Stained Glass Museum.
26 August, 7.30pm. Adults £5
AUTUMN EVENTS
Autumn Lecture 1, Friday 27 September, Dr Nicola Gordon Bowe, lecturer at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin: ‘Wilhelmina Geddes (1887–1955): “The greatest stained glass artist of our time”?’
St Peter’s Church, Broad Street, Ely, CB7 4AH. 7pm for 7.30pm start
Fig. 3. Detail from the St Wilfrid and St John Berchmans window, the Stained Glass Museum.
Talk on Harry Clarke, Saturday 28 September, Dr Nicola Gordon Bowe: ‘The St. Wilfrid and St. John Berchmans Window in the Wider Context of Harry Clarke’s Stained Glass’ [Fig. 3].
The Stained Glass Museum Gallery, The South Triforium, Ely Cathedral, CB7 4DL. 4pm. Numbers limited so book soon!
Please note. This talk has been rescheduled to this date. It will be a great opportunity to learn more about the window with the leading expert on Harry Clarke.
Autumn Lecture 2, Tuesday 22 October, Martin Crampin, research student, University of Wales: ‘Ancient & Modern: Stained Glass from Welsh Churches’.
St Peter’s Church, Broad Street, Ely, CB7 4AH. 7pm for 7.30pm start
Autumn Lecture 3, Tuesday 29 October, Marie Stumpff, Senior Conservator, Glasgow Museums: ‘Research and Conservation of stained glass at the Burrell Collection in Glasgow’.
St Peter’s Church, Broad Street, Ely, CB7 4AH. 7pm for 7.30pm start
Autumn Lecture 4, Friday 8 November, Kate Baden-Fuller, glass artist and author of Contemporary Stained Glass: ‘Contemporary Stained Glass – a selection from across the world’.
St Peter’s Church, Broad Street, Ely, CB7 4AH. 7pm for 7.30pm start
Tickets. Single events £7.50 (£6.50 for friends); series of four lectures £24 (£20 for friends); series of all five events (four lectures and afternoon talk) £30 (£25 for friends).
Tickets available from The Stained Glass Museum, The South Triforium, Ely Cathedral, Ely, Cambs, CB7 4DL. Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Stained Glass Museum’. Please send email address or enclose SAE for confirmation. For more information, phone 01353 660347, or email the Friends (friends@stainedglassmuseum.com).
Vote to See Stained Glass from the Stained Glass Museum on Billboards across the UK!
Fig. 4. The Virgin Annunciate, c.1340, Stained Glass Museum, Ely.
‘Art Everywhere’, a charitable art project, will transform tens of thousands of billboards into great British masterpieces this summer. In the running to be displayed at billboard size around the country is an image of a stained-glass panel held at the Stained Glass Museum, Ely. The fourteenth-century panel depicts the Virgin Annunicate and is from Hadzor, Worcestershire [Fig. 4]. This image was chosen by the Director of the Tate to be included in the top 100 British masterpieces, representing over 600 years of British art.
To vote for the image to appear on billboards and poster sites this summer, visit the Art Everywhere website.
