Birds, Beasts and Beyond

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by Bryony Harrison (subscribe)

Freelance writer and poet from London; if you would like to read my poetry, please check out my book, 'Poems on the Page', available from goo.gl/Ta4oAX.

Event: 05/02/2013 - 31/08/2013

Pottery & Ceramics Exhibition

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Once upon a time (or more specifically, 1873) four brothers set up a pottery studio in Fulham. Wallace, Walter, Charles, and Edwin Martin all shared a love for making ceramic, and they are considered to be responsible for the transition between Victorian ceramics to modern studio pottery. They are most well known for their bird sculptures, but they also decorated bowls and vessels with depictions of sea creatures from the deep.

An upcoming exhibition at the Cuming Museum will trace the brothers' progress as artists and reveal their extraordinary imaginations and eccentric personalities. They experimented with their own kilns, glazes, patterns and forms to create unique and individual designs. The work on display that was crafted by the Martin brothers and include Wally Birds, and is put alongside ceramics by other potters from the period, such as Evelyn and William de Morgan, John Ruskin and Walter Crane.

Some 'Martinware' is unusual and humorous, making for an entertaining experience for the whole family. The exhibit will open from the 5th of February until the 31st of August. Events associated with the exhibit include:

Tuesday 19th February, 2.30pm-4pm
Birds, Beasts and Beyond: Clay Creations

Craft some clay with Judith Lunn.

Thursday 21st February, 2.30pm - 4pm
Leaping Lizards, Flying Fish and Dancing Dragons

Storytelling with Olivia Armstrong.

Thursday 21st February, 6pm - 8pm
The Martin Brothers: Art, Imagination and The Collectors

Lecture by Dr Christopher Jordan, previous Keeper of the Southwark Art Collection

Thursday 14th March, 6pm - 8pm
Dark Roots and Lost Souls: The Secret World of The Martin Brothers, A Family Whose Dreams Turned to Stone

Storytelling with Olivia Armstrong.

Thursday 11th April, 2.30pm - 4pm
Birds, Beasts and Beyond: Clay Creations

Craft some clay with Judith Lunn.

Thursday 18th April, 6pm - 8pm
Meeting Their Makers: Encounters With South London's Early Ceramicists and Stoneware Manufacturers

Lecture by Colin Fenn, Friends of West Norwood Cemetery.

Saturday 27th April, 2pm
Exhibition Tour

A walk round the exhibition with Collections Officer Anna Harnden.

Thursday 16th May, 6pm - 8pm
Museums at Night: Dreaming in Clay, Baptized by Flame - The Marvellous Melancholy of the Martin Brothers

Storytelling with Olivia Armstrong.

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