Events
Girl With Lamb Unveiled
On Saturday 12th April 2014, the painting by Abel Hold, entitled “Girl with a Lamb” and dated 1842, was unveiled at Cawthorne Victoria Jubilee Museum. As Hold lived and worked in Cawthorne for over 40 year, the volunteers at the museum were delighted to receive it. Over the winter, when the museum is closed, they spent time creating a special spot to display it. It now has pride of place hanging in the reception area.
The work was donated thanks to the generosity of Tim and Bunny Midgley who live in Australia but have roots in the village and connections by marriage to the Holds. BAYD became aware of the painting when it came up for sale in America and were able to help Tim to import it into the United Kingdom by taking delivery in Barnsley. We were all very excited when an enormous packing case arrived. The Midgleys visited England soon after this and were delighted to see their painting.
Soon after the unveiling, BAYD were able to borrow the painting from the museum. Between June and August 2014, it was displayed as part of our Hidden Art of Barnsley Exhibition at the Cooper Gallery Barnsley. We were curious about the little girl who is the subject of the painting so we did some research. Looking at another painting by Abel Hold, we believe that the building and water in the background are of Rockley engine house and dam. This led us to believe that the child might be a member of the Clarke family of Silkstone or the Vernon Wentworths of Stainborough. More research required!
Dedication Of Nameboard At Milefield School
On Friday 6th March 2015, two members of Barnsley Art on Your Doorstep attended the dedication ceremony for the artwork used as a name board for Milefield School, Grimethorpe. It was created by the parents, grandparents and children at the school in sessions arranged by Barnsley Adult and Family Learning Service. The work was influenced by the mining heritage of the village and the paintings of miner Samson Gilbert Daykin.
Small awards were made to the children and their families before the ribbon was formally cut by ex-Grimethorpe miners. The work was unveiled to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike and dedicated to the miners of Grimethorpe.
This was followed by tea and cake and a chance to talk to the children and families about their involvement in the project. Their pride in their work and in the village itself were obvious.
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Dedication of a Plaque to Thomas Witlam Atkinson
Plaque in Cawthorne All Saints’ Church to commemorate work of Thomas Witlam Atkinson, organised by the family of the artist. On 12th July 2015, the family of Thomas Witlam Atkinson dedicated a plaque in All Saints’ church Cawthorne to commemorate the work of the artist. Atkinson was also an architect, author and explorer in Siberia and Mongolia. He brought back many evocative paintings created on his 7 years of travels. However he started life very differently, as a stone mason in Cawthorne village and designed the tomb of Walter Spencer Stanhope in All Saints’ Church.
The event coincides with a visit of a descendant of Atkinson, travelling from Hawaii. Atkinson’s son Alatau settled there in 1868 and became a prominent citizen. He was an educationist and newspaper editor who was instrumental in the annexation of Hawaii as the 50th state of the USA.
We Have Published Our Book
Finally after years of research we have published our book The Hidden Artists of Barnsley. It has been a long and interesting journey since we began the work in 2010. There have been frustrations and exciting discoveries along the way, and we have enjoyed the generosity of the artists’ families in sharing their information. There were tales of tragedy, adventure and triumphing against the odds.
The book was to be published at the end of the Hidden Art project so we had to choose a publisher to help us do this. We were lucky to find Jeremy Mills Publishing of Lindley, Huddersfield who specialise in the printing of art books. They have guided us through the process. Choosing a publisher led to a rush of work to finalise all the chapters to be included and to select suitable images to illustrate the book. Finally we were able to submit them to our publisher.
They provided proof reading and the design of the book and a proof for us to check. Time was getting short and as we were burning the midnight oil, we realised what a skilled job proof reading is. It was a delight to see our book begin to take shape. Hopefully between us, by careful checking, we have eliminated any errors that we may have made.
Our book will be available at Barnsley Library and the Experience Barnsley Discovery Centre (formerly Barnsley Archives and a valuable source of information) as well as the Cooper Gallery where our exhibition was held.
Arty Party
At the end of the project in April 2015, Barnsley Art on Your Doorstep held an Arty Party at which we presented printed copies of our book to our partners and to families who had been involved in the schools’ initiatives undertaken by the Adult and Family Learning Service. This was an opportunity to thank those who had worked with us and to celebrate the work of families and children in completing artwork inspired by the 28 artists. This work is described in the chapter called Work Inspired by the Artists on page 301 of the book.
An example of the art work in the style of the hidden artists undertaken by families involved with Heather Garth Primary School with the Adult and Family Learning Service.
This was displayed in St Mary’s Church and reflected the artwork of Barker Fairley.