Our Creative Kids sessions are monthly craft activity workshops for children aged 2 to 5 and their carers.
Taking inspiration from all things Morris, we will be making our own festive wreaths to spread cheer and good will!
As this can be a messy session, please wear or bring old clothes. Aprons are available. The session is best suited for children 2 to 5 years old.
All sessions include a tour of the Gallery, the craft activity, singing and snack time.
These are FREE sessions but donations in support of our public programme are always welcomed and can also be made via the Eventbrite booking page if you are attending either session.
Booking information:
Morning Session: 10am – 11.30am – Advance booking on Eventbrite. Please book tickets for all attendees.
Afternoon Session: 1pm – 2.30pm – Drop in with limited capacity. Please arrive on time and sign up at the front desk.
Image: Birds in a Holly Tree wallpaper (1890s), Edward Voysey
Our Creative Kids sessions are monthly craft activity workshops for children aged 2 to 5 and their carers.
Stained glass was a popular feature in Victorian times, when it was often used to personalise people’s homes. At our November Creative Kids sessions we’ll be looking at the beautiful stained-glass creations in our collection before making colourful windows to decorate your home with.
As this can be a messy session, please wear or bring old clothes. Aprons are available. The session is best suited for children 2 to 5 years old.
All sessions include a tour of the Gallery, the craft activity, singing and snack time.
These are FREE sessions but donations in support of our public programme are always welcomed and can also be made via the Eventbrite booking page if you are attending either session.
Booking information:
Morning Session: 10am – 11.30am – Advance booking on Eventbrite. Please book tickets for all attendees.
Afternoon Session: 1pm – 2.30pm – Drop in with limited capacity. Please arrive on time and sign up at the front desk.
Image: Detail from Minstrel with Cymbals (1880s), designed by William Morris
Our Creative Kids sessions are monthly craft activity workshops for children aged 2 to 5 and their carers.
Music, instruments, and music makers are a recurring theme in the work of Frank Brangwyn. Explore the Brangwyn galleries and be inspired to make your own musical instrument.
As this can be a messy session, please wear or bring old clothes. Aprons are available. The session is best suited for children 2 to 5 years old.
All sessions include a tour of the Gallery, the craft activity, singing and snack time.
These are FREE sessions but donations in support of our public programme are always welcomed and can also be made via the Eventbrite booking page if you are attending either session.
Booking information:
Morning Session: 10am – 11.30am – Advance booking on Eventbrite. Please book tickets for all attendees.
Afternoon Session: 1pm – 2.30pm – Drop in with limited capacity. Please arrive on time and sign up at the front desk.
Image: Group Listening to Musicians, Frank Brangwyn c.1902
Our Creative Kids sessions are monthly craft activity workshops for children aged 2 to 5 and their carers.
Discover the stories behind some of William Morris’s best loved patterns at our Creative Kids sessions for September.
William Morris loved to tell stories and the animals in his designs often came from ancient myths, classic children’s tales or the things that happened in his everyday life. At these sessions we’ll be making animal masks inspired by Morris’s patterns, telling stories and singing songs.
As this can be a messy session, please wear or bring old clothes. Aprons are available. The session is best suited for children 2 to 5 years old.
All sessions include a tour of the Gallery, the craft activity, singing and snack time.
These are FREE sessions but donations in support of our public programme are always welcomed and can also be made via the Eventbrite booking page if you are attending either session.
Booking information:
Morning Session: 10am – 11.30am – Advance booking on Eventbrite. Please book tickets for all attendees.
Afternoon Session: 1pm – 2.30pm – Drop in with limited capacity. Please arrive on time and sign up at the front desk.
You will be guided on a journey of imagining and designing an outfit to express yourself, exploring the textures and movement of fabrics and the way in which they are created. You will then take part in a dance and movement experience to embody your design on the catwalk! This is an activity for any age to enjoy and express through design and dance.
“We can express ourselves and our identity through the way in which we dress, the fabric we favour, the parts of us we decide to cover, those parts we show and the way it settles and falls on our skin. The colours we choose can give a clue or extension of how we feel. Fashion is a form of powerful self-expression, of making a statement without a sound, yet its presence creates a vibration, permitting the power of the movement and colour of the cloth to tell a story and create an energy around us.” Nandita Shankardass
Works in Progress
Design drawings from the William Morris Gallery collection
Design drawings from the Gallery’s collection, featuring examples of Morris’s pioneering approach to design, alongside work by colleagues including Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Works in Progress is an exhibition of design drawings taken from the Gallery’s collection. Featuring objects that are not usually on display—some of which have never been seen by the public before—the exhibition focusses on the process of design from work on paper to finished object.
Morris created over 600 designs for textiles, ceramics, wallpaper, books, and stained glass. The exhibition features examples of Morris’s pioneering approach to design, centred on layers of flat, abstracted pattern, alongside work by his colleagues including Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Better known as painters, design drawings by Burne-Jones and Rossetti raise questions about the line between so-called ‘fine’ art and the craft skills that Morris championed.
The exhibition shows how design drawings are instrumental in the process of making a wide range of objects. Designs will be shown alongside the products they were used to create, charting the transition from 2D drawing to 3D object.
The title Works in Progress is a reference to the idea that design is a continual process of change and improvement. The exhibition itself will also be a collaborative work in progress, with the objects on display changing to include work chosen by members of our community.
Priya Sundram and Nia Thandapani explore Morris’s connections with South Asia.
Exploring and problematising Morris’s connections with South Asia, this exhibition features new work by former artists in residence Priya Sundram and Nia Thandapani. Sundram and Thandapani have designed a new pattern based on Morris’s designs which is being made by traditional block printers in India and used to create a domestic-style space within the Gallery, where visitors can explore alternative resources around Morris and South Asia in various community languages. The exhibition will also feature interventions throughout the permanent galleries by artists with links to South Asia.
Featuring work by:
Vasundhara Sellamuthu
Shahed Saleem
Shehzil Malik
Studio Carrom
Kangan Arora
Rathna Ramanathan
Sofia Niazi and Aleesha Nandhra
Tiipoi
A display of wallpaper patterns designed by looked after children and care leavers.
A display of wallpaper patterns designed by young people in the care of Waltham Forest in collaboration with Waltham Forest Virtual School and artist Angela Groundwater. Through workshops at the William Morris Gallery and via Zoom during lockdown, the young people made patterns using drawing and objects that are significant to them, creating designs that commemorate the stories of their lives. The design process was captured in a short film which will be shown in the exhibition.
Sacred Stories is a display celebrating young people’s lives and the unique paths they walk. It is a reminder that their —and our— sacred stories are everywhere.
Photography exhibition showcasing Black makers and craftspeople, capturing traditional sectors of UK heritage crafts alongside areas of cultural heritage.
The Black Artisans is a new photography exhibition by Jo Sealy that showcases Black makers and craftspeople, capturing traditional sectors of UK heritage crafts alongside areas of cultural heritage.
The 27 images feature disciplines that include ceramics, wood, brass instruments, stone, steel pan and calabash to name a few. There is also a series of recorded artisan talks where you can hear how each artisan selected their craft and how their experiences have shaped the type and style of their work. A selection of the featured display pieces will also be available to view throughout the exhibition.
The Black Artisans is funded by a Waltham Forest Council, Make It Happen grant, is supported by the Heritage Crafts Association and furniture maker, eco designer and broadcast presenter Jay Blades MBE.
Britain’s first major exhibition on Young Poland—the extraordinary cultural response to Poland’s non-existence at the turn of the 20th century—and the first in the world to position it as an Arts & Crafts movement, revealing striking parallels with the work of William Morris and John Ruskin.
Young Poland: An Arts and Crafts Movement (1890 – 1918) is the first major exhibition to explore the decorative arts and architecture of Young Poland (Młoda Polska), an extraordinary cultural movement that flourished in response to Poland’s invasion and occupation by foreign powers.
Originating in Kraków and the nearby village of Zakopane at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, Young Poland sought inspiration in local folk traditions, wildlife and craftsmanship while collapsing the distinction between the fine and applied arts. Developing themes explored in a critically acclaimed book by its curators (Lund Humphries, 2020), the exhibition is the first in the world to position Young Poland as an Arts & Crafts movement, revealing strong stylistic and philosophical affinities with the work of William Morris and John Ruskin.
From furniture to Christmas decorations, intricate textiles to delicate paper cuttings, this landmark survey spans five galleries and brings together over 150 works, most of which have never travelled outside of Poland. Young Poland: An Arts and Crafts Movement (1890 – 1918) examines the ideas that propelled the movement and introduces the artists, designers and craftspeople whose decorative schemes and objects came to define it.
Artists featured in the exhibition include Józef Czajkowski, Zdzisław Gedliczka, Wojciech Jastrzębowski, Karol Kłosowski, Józefa Kogut, Bonawentura Lenart, Jacek Malczewski, Jan Matejko, Józef Mehoffer, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, Henryk Uziembło, Stanisław Wyspiański and Stanisław Witkiewicz.
Exhibition organised in partnership with the National Museum in Kraków and the Polish Cultural Institute, London. Co-financed by the Polish Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sport within the framework of the Inspiring Culture Programme.
Image: Karol Kłosowski, At Bobbin Lacemaking (Legend), undated. Private collection. By descent from the artist
A landmark retrospective of one of the UK’s most innovative textile artists and the first designer of Caribbean descent to achieve international recognition.
Althea McNish: Colour is Mine is a landmark retrospective of one of the UK’s most innovative textile artists and the first designer of Caribbean descent to achieve international recognition.
Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, McNish (1924-2020) moved to the UK in 1950, completing a postgraduate textiles degree at the Royal College of Art before rising to prominence as a Black female designer. On graduating, McNish began designing bestselling furnishing and fashion fabrics for iconic firms including Liberty, Dior, Heal’s and Hull Traders, for whom she created one of her most famous patterns, Golden Harvest, in 1959. As her career progressed, McNish took on major interior design projects and mural commissions around the world, as well as creating wallpapers for leading companies.
McNish’s painterly designs incorporated natural botanical forms from Britain and the Caribbean, using a riotous colour palette that overturned the staid rules of mid-century British textile design. Her technical mastery gave her the freedom to create ever more complex prints. “Whenever printers told me it couldn’t be done, I would show them how to do it,” she said. “Before long, the impossible became possible.”
Drawing on extensive new research and her personal archive, Colour is Mine explores McNish’s extraordinary career, her transformative impact on mid-century design and her enduring influence today. Althea McNish: Colour is Mine is curated by the William Morris Gallery and Rose Sinclair, Lecturer in Design Education at Goldsmiths, University of London and is part of a three-year research, exhibition and archiving project generously supported by the Society of Antiquaries through its Janet Arnold Textile award.
Althea McNish: Colour is Mine is sponsored by Liberty Fabrics, who will also be reissuing a capsule collection of Althea McNish’s original fabric designs in Spring 2022 to coincide with the exhibition, available to purchase at Liberty in store and online.
Part of the BBC Art That Made Us Festival for Spring 2022.
Fierce And Fearless: Witty Wise Women and Wondrous Tales
Joy Gregory
EXHIBITION
Friday 14 October 2022 - Wednesday 22 February 2023
Contemporary artist Joy Gregory’s installation exploring international myths and legends.
To coincide with the exhibition The Legend of King Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite Love Story, William Morris Gallery commissioned London-based contemporary artist Joy Gregory to create an installation exploring international myths and legends.
In response to King Arthur’s male-dominated round table of knights, Joy Gregory’s textile installation explores the role of women in folklore, myths and legends. The printed and embroidered textile forms a tent illustrated with stories where women are fierce protagonists.
A British photographer of Jamaican heritage, Gregory’s practice is concerned with social and political issues that reference cultural differences, language endangerment and overlooked histories. Her work encourages interaction, you are invited to read a book, share a story with others or engage with the illustrations.
Note: This temporarily installation will remain in place after the King Arthur exhibition closes in January (end date to be confirmed).
Image: Installation photography by Nicola Tree for William Morris Gallery
The Legend of King Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite Love Story explores the legend of King Arthur within the Victorian imagination, presenting national myths and legends through the eyes of Pre-Raphaelite artists.
The Legend of King Arthur: A Pre-Raphaelite Love Story explores the legend of King Arthur within the Victorian imagination, presenting national myths and legends through the eyes of Pre-Raphaelite artists.
King Arthur is a central figure in English folklore, a fictional 5th century ruler who led his famous knights in various battles and quests. The Arthurian stories are told through numerous works by various authors from the 9th century onwards. The telling and retelling of the legend culminated in the English author Thomas Malory writing down the stories in a single work in 1485, Le Morte d’Arthur.
The Arthurian legends fell out of interest at the end of the Middle Ages but were rediscovered in the early 19th Century, initially by poets such as Walter Scott and Alfred Tennyson. William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones read these poems obsessively whilst at Oxford University and drew from them – and the myths that inspired them – for artistic projects throughout their careers.
This exhibition tells the Arthurian stories as presented by Malory, through the work of Pre-Raphaelite artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Arthur Hughes, John William Waterhouse and William Morris alongside lesser known female Pre-Raphaelite artists Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale and Elizabeth Siddal. The show will introduce audiences to the Arthurian legend within the context of reawakened interest in medievalism in Victorian England.
Curated by Natalie Rigby, Falmouth Art Gallery and Ainsley Vinall, William Morris Gallery, this is the exhibition’s first stop on a nationwide tour of locations associated with King Arthur. Following its debut at the William Morris Gallery, the exhibition will tour to Tullie House, Carlisle in February 2023 before finishing its run at Falmouth Art Gallery in Cornwall in June 2023. This exhibition was made possible with Art Fund support and is also kindly supported by Visit Cornwall, Visit England and Cornwall Museums Partnership.
To coincide with the exhibition, the William Morris Gallery has commissioned London-based contemporary artist Joy Gregory to create an installation exploring international myths and legends. Visit the installation upstairs in our Story Lounge. Read more
Image: The Arming and Departure of the Knights Tapestry, Morris & Co., (1891-4)
An all-day arts and music festival showcasing South Asian culture, arts and creativity.
Dialled In are back in Waltham Forest this Summer for Dialled In: The Park in Lloyd Park and William Morris Gallery.
Festival performers include drummer, composer and producer Sarathy Korwar, power-house singer-songwriter and Sarangi player Amrit Kaur, Tamil artist PRVNA whose infectious blends have already become renowned, rising singer-songwriter sister duo Qazi & Qazi, as well as a slew of secret special guests.
Look forward to workshops and activities including intimate poetry from Mehfil, a botanical walk with Misery and jewellery-making with Anisha Parma, all interlinked with our latest exhibition Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender. We’ll also be running festival activities at the Gallery, along with free tours of the exhibition.
DJs during the day include producer and DJ Ahadadream, Club Kali co-founder DJ Ritu, Bahrain duo party starters Dar Disku, Pakistan-based DJ Lyla, sister duo Sanasesh & Rishy Malik, Representation co-founder Yasser, Pakistani-Egyptian musician and writer Aisha Mirza and British-Tamil producer, selector and curator GoldTooth back-to-back with My Panda Shall Fly. Plus special guests on the mic.
Performances will take place across two stages in Lloyd Park with activities in the Park and in William Morris Gallery. The festival welcomes visitors of all ages and aims to bring together the local community.
Activities include:
Slogan T-Shirt Making – Inspired by Ashish Gupta’s notable slogan t-shirt designs, design and create your own slogan t-shirt. Bring an existing plain t-shirt to upcycle – basic t-shirts can be provided if you’re not able to bring one. Bookable from Tues 18 July for ticketholders.
Easy Embellishments Pop-Up – Find the beauty in your existing accessories and garments as we elevate the everyday through upcycling, embellishment, and adornment. Please bring an accessory, piece of clothing, or other item you wish to work with. Bookable from Tues 18 July for ticketholders.
Collective Collage Making – With magazines, paper, cutouts, stickers, pens and more, unleash your creativity and share your vision onto a collective collage board throughout the day. The collective collage will act as a living document of the event, as well as a legacy piece which will be displayed digitally after the event. Drop in throughout the day.
Community Clothes Swap – Come with something old, leave with something new! A clothes swap to breathe new life and love to your preloved clothing. Bring an item to exchange for another. It’s free, sustainable, and helps the community. Drop in throughout the day.
Artwork by Mumbai-based designer and artist Shweta.
This event is supported by London Borough of Waltham Forest.
Celebrate Waltham Forest Pride on Saturday 29 July with a special Family Day at William Morris Gallery.
Join us for Rainbow Storytime with the colourful and creative Belle, who’ll be telling stories that highlight the beauty of difference and inclusivity. We welcome LBGTQIA+ families, friends, and allies.
Drop in for free storytelling sessions at 2.40pm, 3.10pm, 3.40pm and 4.10pm. While you listen to the stories, we have a Pride flag colouring-in activity to enjoy. Numbers are limited for each of the storytelling sessions so please arrive in plenty of time – sign up sheets for each session will be available at our front desk on the day.
We offer a break-out sensory space for any children requiring some time away from the activities. Whilst you’re at the Gallery, pick up a Family Trail for ‘Ashish: Fall in Love & Be More Tender’ and complete it to win your prize! You can also take part in Waltham Forest Pride celebrations all day, just down the road at Waltham Forest Town Hall.
Join us for an ‘In Conversation’ with Ashish and Avani Thakkar followed by an exclusive private view of the exhibition.
Join us for an In Conversation with Ashish and Avani Thakkar. Together they’ll be taking a deep dive into Ashish’s expansive career and how his penchant for juxtaposition and contradictions led him to create such colourfully mischievous collections in response to the social fabric of our world.
The talk will be followed by a private view of the exhibition Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender.
Please ‘pay what you can’ for your ticket. Our suggested donation is £7.50 in person or £5 online.
6pm – Doors open
6.30 – 7.30pm – Talk followed by Q&A
7.30 – 8.30pm – Private view
8.30pm – End
The event will be live captioned. Please note that the live streaming has been cancelled. A recording of the talk will be uploaded to our YouTube channel following the event.
Ashish Gupta is a celebrated voice in international fashion. He has won the prestigious NEWGEN award three times and has been included in major exhibitions and presentations at The Victoria & Albert Museum, London and The Metropolitan Museum, New York. Ashish’s designs have been worn by global icons including Beyonce, Debbie Harry, Hunter Schafer, Rihanna, Charli XCX and Taylor Swift.
Avani Thakkar is a fashion and culture writer with words in Vogue, ELLE, Dazed, i-D, gal-dem, W, Nylon, The Observer, InStyle and other publications.
Our Creative Kids sessions are monthly craft activity workshops for children aged 2 to 5 and their carers.
At our July sessions we’ll be thinking about William Morris’s love of the outdoors. So we’ll take a tour around the William Morris Garden in a ‘spot the flower activity’ and make paper plate flowers inspired by nature.
As this can be a messy session, please wear or bring old clothes. Aprons are available. The session is best suited for children 2 to 5 years old. Two sessions available, booking is essential.
All sessions include a tour of the gallery, the craft activity, singing and snack time. There are two 1hour and 30min sessions to choose from, at 10am and 1pm. Please register for one session only to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate. If you are unable to attend please cancel your booking so that another child can take your place. In the event of cancellations, a number of walk-in slots will be available on the day.
We have a space for buggy parking and our baby changing facilities have spare nappies, wipes, clothes and a few other items you might need.
There is a sensory area for under 2s or for those who need a calmer space, families are also welcome to use this space if they need to step away from the main session.
Please be aware that children must be accompanied by their adult at all times, and please ensure there is at least one guardian per 3 children attending.
Our Creative Kids sessions are monthly craft activity workshops for children aged 2 to 5 and their carers.
In our June sessions we will be inspired by the Gallery’s current exhibition, Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender. Make a cape and transform your everyday clothes!
As this can be a messy session, please wear or bring old clothes. Aprons are available. The session is best suited for children 2 to 5 years old. Two sessions available, booking is essential.
All sessions include a tour of the gallery, the craft activity, singing and snack time. There are two 1hour and 30min sessions to choose from, at 10am and 1pm. Please register for one session only to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate. If you are unable to attend please cancel your booking so that another child can take your place. In the event of cancellations, a number of walk-in slots will be available on the day.
We have a space for buggy parking and our baby changing facilities have spare nappies, wipes, clothes and a few other items you might need.
There is a sensory area for under 2s or for those who need a calmer space, families are also welcome to use this space if they need to step away from the main session.
Please be aware that children must be accompanied by their adult at all times, and please ensure there is at least one guardian per 3 children attending.
You’re invited to a special Family Day in June, celebrating Ashish:Fall in Love and Be More Tender.
Inspired by Ashish Gupta’s use of recycled vintage fabrics and vintage patches to create collage garments for his SS2020 collection, we’re going to bring old clothing to life with colourful badges and patches. So come along and get creative – for families with children of all ages. Whilst you’re at the Gallery, complete the Ashish Family Trail and claim your prize!
This is a free, drop-in event. No booking necessary. We have a break out sensory space for children needing a break from activities (must be supervised by their grown-up).
Radical Landscapes is a major exhibition showing over a century of art inspired by the land.
Radical Landscapes is an exhibition that explores the natural world as a space for artistic inspiration, social connection, and political and cultural protest through the lens of William Morris, one of Britain’s earliest and most influential environmental thinkers. Organised in collaboration with Tate Liverpool, the exhibition displays work spanning two centuries and features more than 60 works by artists including JMW Turner, Claude Cahun, Hurvin Anderson, Derek Jarman, Jeremy Deller and Veronica Ryan.
Delving into ideas of freedom, exploitation and trespass, the exhibition reflects on how British landscapes have been read, accessed and used across social, class and racial lines, as well as the current global climate emergency, starting from Morris’ own relationship to and love for the land. Through the works on display and an expansive public programme, visitors are encouraged to engage with the Gallery’s surrounding borough of Waltham Forest, once a rural outpost and now an urban London borough, where Morris was born and which shaped his environmental and political views.
Organised in collaboration with local artists, campaigners, foodbanks and allotments, the public programme will run alongside the exhibition, and expand beyond the Gallery’s walls into the wetlands, forests and green spaces of Waltham Forest. The programme will invite participants to reassess their relationship with local landscapes and respond to the climate crisis. Read more about the programme.
Radical Landscapes is organised in collaboration with Tate Liverpool, where a first version of the exhibition was shown from 5 May to 4 September 2022.
The exhibition is curated by Darren Pih, Chief Curator and Artistic Director, Harewood House; Laura Bruni, Curator of Exhibitions, Henry Moore Foundation; Matthew Watts, Assistant Curator, Tate; Hadrian Garrard, Director, William Morris Gallery; and Rowan Bain, Principal Curator, William Morris Gallery.
Based on ideas of creative accessibility, our online sonic documentation is a way for people to access a sample of our wider programming online, for anyone who was not able to attend. Focused on themes of connection to nature, biodiversity, and the importance of learning through trying new things.
Created by Sarah Brundson & Eric King. With special thanks to: Jan Ackenhausen, Area Regeneration Project Manager for Waltham Forest Council, Michaela Davis and her cyanotype animation film ‘Great Sale Wood’, Kelly Frank and her Mindful Mapping art, OrganicLea and their ESOL courses, and Stories and Supper, our community residency group.
Radical Landscapes: Soundscape
Visitors to Radical Landscapes can experience an ambient soundscape recorded and produced by Eric King to accompany the News From Nowhere installation, which forms part of the exhibition.
The field recording was made at noon, on the summer solstice in 2023 at the nearest part of Epping Forest to Morris’s childhood home, Woodford Hall.
Hear the soundscape here:
Radical Landscapes playlist
A ramble through music and the British countryside to enjoy at home, at the Gallery or in the great outdoors. Curated by Eric King as part of the Radical Landscapes exhibition.
Celebrate the launch of Rezia Wahid’s new book dancing in the womb
The book foregrounds the making, the processes and the physicality of a woven artform.’Susie Campbell
Come and celebrate the launch of Rezia Wahid’s new book dancing in the womb, a colour hardback with stunning photographs by Paul Tucker and essays by the late Simon Olding, Catherine Harper and Hettie Judah. Rebecca Jacobs will host a conversation with Rezia, Paul Tucker and Sangeeta Banerjee, followed by a book signing and refreshments.
Rezia Wahid MBE is a textile artist and designer based in Walthamstow. dancing in the womb is published by Hesterglock Press.
Our Creative Kids sessions are monthly craft activity workshops for children aged 2 to 5 and their carers.
In May, we’ll be doing a special craft activity inspired by May Morris’s extraordinary embroidery.
All sessions include a tour of the gallery, the craft activity, singing and snack time. Please register for one session only to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate. If you are unable to attend please cancel your booking so that another child can take your place. In the event of cancellations, a number of walk-in slots will be available on the day.
As this can be a messy session, please wear or bring old clothes. Aprons are available. We have a space for buggy parking and our baby changing facilities have spare nappies, wipes, clothes and a few other items you might need. There is a sensory area for under 2s or for those who need a calmer space, families are also welcome to use this space if they need to step away from the main session.
Please be aware that children must be accompanied by their adult at all times, and please ensure there is at least one guardian per 3 children attending.
Visit William Morris Gallery for a special curator-led tour of Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender.
Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender is the first major survey exhibition of fashion designer Ashish Gupta. It will showcase over 60 designs, offering an unprecedented overview of Ashish’s subversive and playful practice. The exhibition features a major new commission by the Mumbai-based photographer and film-maker Ashish Shah.
See the exhibition with one of our curators as your guide. A great opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the work and ideas behind Ashish’s creations.
Visit William Morris Gallery for a special curator-led tour of Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender.
Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender is the first major survey exhibition of fashion designer Ashish Gupta. It will showcase over 60 designs, offering an unprecedented overview of Ashish’s subversive and playful practice. The exhibition features a major new commission by the Mumbai-based photographer and film-maker Ashish Shah.
See the exhibition with one of our curators as your guide. A great opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the work and ideas behind Ashish’s creations.
Visit William Morris Gallery for a special curator-led tour of Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender.
Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender is the first major survey exhibition of fashion designer Ashish Gupta. It will showcase over 60 designs, offering an unprecedented overview of Ashish’s subversive and playful practice. The exhibition features a major new commission by the Mumbai-based photographer and film-maker Ashish Shah.
See the exhibition with one of our curators as your guide. A great opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the work and ideas behind Ashish’s creations.
Visit William Morris Gallery for a special curator-led tour of Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender.
Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender is the first major survey exhibition of fashion designer Ashish Gupta. It will showcase over 60 designs, offering an unprecedented overview of Ashish’s subversive and playful practice. The exhibition features a major new commission by the Mumbai-based photographer and film-maker Ashish Shah.
See the exhibition with one of our curators as your guide. A great opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the work and ideas behind Ashish’s creations.
William Morris Gallery presents Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender, the first major survey exhibition of fashion designer Ashish Gupta. The exhibition showcases over 60 designs, offering an unprecedented overview of Ashish’s subversive and playful practice.
Ashish’s first retrospective shines – British Vogue
Ashish’s new show is fashion serotonin – Dazed
A glittering testament to a fashion genius – The Conversation
A bright and healing balm for troubled times – Woo Magazine
Originally trained in fine art, he studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins, London, founding his eponymous label in 2001. Ashish has established a reputation for high-glamour outfits designed in his studio in East London and then hand-made by skilled artisans at his small workshop in Delhi.
Ashish’s practice includes a broad range of cultural and design references, embracing both American and European fashion histories and indigenous textile traditions from across the world. Ashish’s designs often challenge preconceptions of materials and techniques, interrogating the construction of cultural identities and the ways in which clothes send signals about their wearer.
In recent years Ashish’s work has engaged more explicitly with ideas around global exchange and the complex cultural relationships between India and Britain. In both the clothes themselves and how they are presented within his photographic campaigns and fashion presentations, key South Asian reference points are increasingly pronounced and celebrated. Ashish’s signature use of colour reflects his belief in the ability of clothing to bring joy to its wearers and create a space in which different identities become unashamedly, luminescently visible.
Ashish’s use of fashion as a site for social and political engagement will be highlighted through examples of some of the politicised slogans for which the designer is best known. These will include designs emblazoned with ‘MORE GLITTER LESS TWITTER’ devised in response to the election of President Trump 2016 and a new version of his celebrated ‘IMMIGRANT’ t-shirt.
Ashish is a pioneering voice within the creative industries for his long-term commitment to inclusion and equitable representation. The exhibition will also spotlight Ashish’s Autumn Winter 2017 collection ‘The Yellow Brick Road’. Inspired by The Wizard of Oz (1939), a film that holds an iconic place within Queer culture. The season drew on an interpretation of the film by the Indian-born writer Salman Rushdie which interprets the story as an exploration of migration and an individual’s ability to determine how they identify ‘home’.
Like William Morris, traditional handcraft skills and techniques are at the heart of Ashish’s design and the context of the William Morris Gallery allows Ashish’s work to be considered within a dialogue of artisanship, adornment and thoughtful production processes. Each individual sequin is hand sewn on an embroidery frame by highly skilled artisans at Ashish’s workshop in Delhi – a process which can take anywhere from a few days to over a week depending on the piece.
The exhibition will feature a major new commission by the Mumbai-based photographer and film-maker Ashish Shah (b. Dehradun, 1984). Working within a genre which has limited precedent other than the aesthetic conventions and expectations imported and emulated from European and American fashion documentation, Shah is part of an exciting generation of photographers creating a new language of image-making. Shot on location in India and London; Shah’s film and photography commission will explore the intricacy of global movement and the ways in which Ashish’s garments navigate the complex cultural relationships between India and the West. The new commission will also contextualise Ashish’s work from a decolonising perspective, offering a counterpoint to the Western gaze that dominates much fashion documentation and photography.
Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender is co-curated by Roisin Inglesby and Joe Scotland
Ashish Shah’s commission is supported by the Art Fund
The exhibition is kindly supported by the Lizzie & Jonathan Tisch Foundation
About Ashish
Ashish Gupta (b. Delhi, 1973) is a celebrated voice in international fashion. He has won the prestigious NEWGEN award three times and has been included in major exhibitions and presentations at The Victoria & Albert Museum, London and The Metropolitan Museum, New York. Ashish’s designs have been worn by global icons including Beyonce, Debbie Harry, Hunter Schafer, Rihanna, Charli XCX and Taylor Swift.
Image: Photographer and copyright Ashish Shah, 2022.
Fall in Love and Be More Tender, a film by Ashish Shah
(Please note: There is some swearing in this video)
Celebrates the work of Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956), one of the founders of William Morris Gallery.
Originally trained in William Morris’s workshop, Brangwyn quickly established an international reputation, with commissions for the Rockefeller Center, New York and the flagship Maison de l’Art Nouveau in Paris. Best known as a painter with an exceptional talent for colour, he later developed a strong interest in the decorative arts, creating designs for ceramics, furniture, carpets, interiors, and stained glass.
Brangwyn travelled widely, taking inspiration from the everyday scenes and working lives of the people he encountered. This display highlights paintings and etchings inspired both by the industrial landscape of London and his travels to Europe, Turkey and North Africa. It includes some of Brangwyn’s most popular paintings, including The Swans, back on display after several years in storage, and lesser-known examples that showcase his ability to produce atmospheric and beautiful images across a variety of different media.
Exhibition Highlights
Chain makers
Brangwyn, Frank, Sir (1867 - 1956)
The Demolition of the Post Office
Brangwyn, Frank, Sir (1867 - 1956)
The Swans
Brangwyn, Frank, Sir (1867 - 1956)
Portrait of Sir Frank Brangwyn
Lumsden, Ernest Stephen (1883 - 1948), Brangwyn, Frank, Sir (1867 - 1956)
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Chain makers (c.1920)
Brangwyn, Frank, Sir (1867 - 1956)
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The Demolition of the Post Office (1913)
Brangwyn, Frank, Sir (1867 - 1956)
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The Swans (c. 1921)
Brangwyn, Frank, Sir (1867 - 1956)
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Portrait of Sir Frank Brangwyn (1921)
Lumsden, Ernest Stephen (1883 - 1948), Brangwyn, Frank, Sir (1867 - 1956)
