The 9th of May saw Bradford Museums & Galleries hosting The Artists Folio as a site of inquiry – The Symposium linked to the exhibition at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery.
Professor Paul Coldwell, University of the Arts, London writes:
We, the Symposium for the Artists Folio, took an unexpected turn when to our horror, the electricity was down and the museum in blackout.
A strange calm pervaded and so instead of panic, we all de-camped to the unlikely setting of the bowls club pavilion and with a combination of good will and ingenuity, the event went ahead.
Nadine Loach shared her experience of working on the Hockney printmaking exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, while Anna Wilkinson spoke about the development of the Northern Print Biennial, its aspirations and success and how it was shaped to represent artists work beyond the individual singular print.
Gill Smith, a student from the MA Printmaking course at Camberwell College of Art spoke passionately about her love of Art Deco Pochoir prints and brought examples for us to view.
Perhaps most memorable was Sonia Boyce, who as part of her presentation burst into song, offering a beautiful rendition of “It hurts so much”, a lyric that she had used in some of her wallpaper pieces.
While the bowls players came and went, the symposium ended with a good debate, joined by all the speakers. As a lovely ending to the day, the presenters were then able to see the exhibition in the Gallery.
