Envisioning Utopia: British Art and Socialist Politics, 1870-1900
A Walter Crane Study Day at the Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester
Friday, 5 December, 17:30 keynote address followed by reception.
Saturday, 6 December, registration begins at 11:00; programme begins 11:30.
The Whitworth Art Gallery at the University of Manchester will open a new display on August 16, 2008 entitled "'Art and Labour's Cause is One:' Walter Crane and Manchester, 1880-1915." Crane was one of the most important, versatile, and radical artists of the nineteenth century, and this exhibition explores the central role played by Manchester in Crane's fusion of art, labour, and politics.
On December 5 and 6, 2008, the Whitworth will host a related conference, "Envisioning Utopia: British Art and Socialist Politics, 1870-1900." This conference will examine the dynamic between the urban and the pastoral in utopian visions of a socialist future and explore the role of visual art in formulating and articulating these political ideals.
Keynote address Friday at 5:30 by Professor Tim Barringer (History of Art, Yale University). Speakers include Dr. Matthew Beaumont (English, UCL), Dr. Jo Briggs (Yale Center for British Art), Professor Michael Hatt (History of Art, Warwick), Dr. Ruth Livesey (The Victorian Centre, Royal Holloway, University of London), Sarah Turner (Courtauld Institute), and Dr. Anna Vaninskaya (King's College, Cambridge University Victorian Studies Group).
Registration fee £20, concessions £10. Registration includes reception on Friday and refreshments and lunch on Saturday. For more information, email [mailto]waltercranearchive@gmail.com[/mailto].
This event is supported by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.
Morna O'Neill
Mellon Assistant Professor
History of Art Department
Vanderbilt University