Programmed to coincide with the gallery exhibition Beauty of the Earth: The Art of May, Jane & William Morris, this day aims to explore lines of thought and practice relevant to social, political, artistic and environmental matters, deriving both from the Morris family and those who have or will engage with them.
Utilising the figure of the Named/Nameless, or unseen labour, a recurring motif in the writings and workings of Morris, as a focal point of discussion, together we will assess the real ramifications of his visions. Join artists, activists, doctoral students and researchers at this specialist study day set to enliven a truly poignant and radical British artistic legacy.
With talks from leading figures working in relation to legacies of Pre-Raphaelitism and the Morris family, this will be an excellent opportunity to engage with the workings of the latest artistic and research-based practices revolving around the Morris family and their wider circle.
Twenty-minute papers will also be delivered in response to a callout for papers from a range of fields of enquiry. See here for more details on the callout.
Guest speakers include Dr Suzanne Fagence Cooper, artist Freddie Yauner, Frieda Gormley (House of Hackney), David Mabb, Eileen White, Dr Louise Hardiman, Dr Serena Trowbridge, Dr Dion Dobrzynski, Margje Bijl, Dr Tori McLean and more to be announced.
All are welcome to attend.
9:30-17:00
Tickets to the exhibition Beauty of the Earth: The Art of May, Jane and William Morris will be available at a reduced rate on the day.
Supported by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
Please read the Agenda here: Morris Study Day agenda and speakers.pdf
Speakers:
Dr. Suzanne Fagence Cooper: writer, broadcaster and curator with expertise in 19th and 20th century British art and culture. She spent 12 years at the V&A Museum researching the Victorian collections, and is in demand as historical consultant for TV and film. She is an invited lecturer for the Arts Society and Cunard voyages. Suzanne is curator of The Arc current exhibition, Beauty of the Earth: The Art of May, Jane and William Morris.
Freddie Yauner: artist whose work explores how the human drive for continual growth has impacted people and the planet. He brings people into the unfamiliar, sometimes implicating himself or going to ridiculous lengths to shift viewers’ perspectives. Freddie is both serious and funny, trying to make complex ideas or issues simple to digest. He has exhibited internationally and his work is part of several permanent collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
David Mabb: artist and curator. David has exhibited internationally and held the Abbey Fellowship in Painting at the British School at Rome. He curated the exhibition, William Morris: “ministering to the swinish luxury of the rich” at the Whitworth Art Gallery in 2004. He was Reader in Art and Programme Co-director MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths, University of London until 2025.
Eileen White: visual artist based in Winchester with a background in print and textiles. She completed an MA in Print, at the Royal College of Art in 2023, where she was awarded the ‘Hyundai Award for Excellence in Sustainability and Creative Practice’. Eileen’s recent solo exhibition at City Space at The Arc, which coincided with the opening of the Morris exhibition, showcased her dedication to handmade, slow, repetitive, labour-intensive and uncalibrated processes.
Dr. Louise Hardiman: independent art historian and currently Visiting Fellow at Kingston University. Her research focuses on Russia and Ukraine, and especially the work of women artists and cultural mediators; her PhD at the University of Cambridge (2013) examined the Arts and Crafts movement in Russia and its British connections. Her most recent book is the edited volume Courtly Gifts and Cultural Diplomacy: Art, Material Culture and BritishRussian Relations (2023).
Margje Bijl: Dutch artist whose long-standing project, Reflections on Jane Morris, explores the discovery of her likeness to the infamous model and the influence this has since had on her creative endeavors. Margje had a solo exhibition at Gallery KunstSuper, William Morris Gallery and Gallery Pulchri where she was nominated for a prize.
Dr. Serena Trowbridge: Professor of Pre-Raphaelite Studies at Birmingham City University, Chair of the Pre-Raphaelite Society and a Trustee of The William Morris Society. Forthcoming books include Forgotten Women Pre-Raphaelites (University of Delaware Press, 2026) and Remarkable Women: An Anthology of Pre-Raphaelite Women’s Writing (Routledge, 2027).
Dr. Tori McLean: multidisciplinary artist, based in Winchester, working across print, painting, sculpture, mixed media and installation. Her practice explores where value and worth lie. She is a graduate of the MA Print programme at the Royal College of Art and a recipient of the Travers Smith Art Programme 2025/6.The Visual Artists Association recently honoured her as part of the VAA Art100 International. Her works are held internationally in private and public collections. Tori is an elected member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen (formerly the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society est. 1887).
Dr. Dion Dobrzynski: scholar of literature and the environmental humanities whose work examines the intersections of ecology and imaginative writing from the 19th century to the present. His forthcoming book, Forest Ecology and Fantasy Fiction: Morris,Tolkien, Le Guin(Bloomsbury, 2026), situates William Morris at the roots of an ecological tradition in fantasy literature that continues to shape environmental thought.
