Pics from the Foundling Museum

The Museum, Thomas Coram, Foundling Archive Pics

The Foundling Museum and beyond

Hi Gals,
Just to let you know I went to the Foundling Museum today.  Started by Thomas Coram and supported by Hogarth and Handel, it was a hospital, fostering resource, and school for those children who would otherwise be abandoned often by poor single mothers with no means of support.  It was extremely sad and quite heart breaking, especially to hear the experiences of the children who suffered harsh regimes and discipline with little love or comfort in their lives.  Their stories in the Foundling Voices exhibition are very moving.  I have some contacts for the Archive and Education Dept, but I feel that the history has been well trodden with lots of arts responses, and as is right, a lot of the best work has been done by the children and adults who experienced the institution first hand.  Interestingly, Grayson Perry was their Foundation artist for a year.  Historically of course it was also a resource for training domestic servants, and fodder for the armed services and artisan apprenticeships.  Standards of care did not really become more humane until after the 2nd world war.  I understand that all their archives are looked after by the London Metropolitan Archive, probably the same one Kate mentioned.  A Philanthropic enterprise with some difficult/ambivalent outcomes!
Don't forget to look at the Horniman Museum website before we meet tomorrow, lots of collections and 100 favourite objects.  See you at 2pm.  Coral

At last the pics from the BGMC 'Doll Face' artwork!

An example of an artwork based on stored/archived materials in a museum.  Coral

The Horniman Museum

Hi Gals,
Went to the Horniman Museum today to ask about their archives, and got some info on who to contact and how.  They have an archivist, store, library, exhibitions section, all sorts.  Said like most museums, only 30 percent of artefacts on view at any time.  Can request access to specific materials if we know what we are looking for (?)  Got some historical info on Horniman, tea importer and obsessive art and anthropological collector. Collection originally shown in his home.  Also interesting that the architect who designed the actual museum, also designed the Whitechapel Gallery and the Bishopsgate Institute, all in the Arts and Crafts style.  I am interested in the aspect of Victorian Philanthropy and their desire to educate the poor and illiterate, and those rarer people like William Morris who wanted to increase real opportunity and equality for the working class.

Pics from art work, BGMC

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Greetings from The Collective

Hi Gals,

Have made a blog, I think, that I hope we can use for the group.  It is called The Collective, for want of a better inspirational title!  If anyone has a better idea, then you are welcome to change it. The way to get into the blog is via:  groupwork-profprac.blogspot.com  Hope that works and I will send it on to you.  I am happy that we are going to somehow comment on how Professional Practice can work for us, and to use the ideas of working both collectively and in a political context.  Kate, please write something to elaborate on the original idea, good to get it down in words and let things evolve.  In the absence of any other visual stimulus, I am going to give you an image of the Barbie dolls that I added to the Venice Biennale collage in Reception, as this is an instance of responding to a larger group experience by making some collaborative work.  Coral