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Hot Springs: Celebrating 160 Years of Art and Design Teaching in Bath

Events will take place across Bath this October to celebrate 160 years of art and design teaching in the city.

‘Hot Springs of Art and Design’ (Friday 13 October to Monday 16 October 2017) will recognise the ongoing influence and partnership of the Bath School of Art and Design and the city of Bath from the 1850s to the present day.

The celebration has been organised by the Bath & North East Somerset Council-run Victoria Art Gallery, Bath Spa University and alumni of the Bath Art Secondary School.

Jon Benington, Manager of the Victoria Art Gallery, said: “The Gallery has enjoyed close connections with the excellent Bath School of Art and Design going back over more than a century. This exciting weekend of events for all ages celebrates the amazing legacy of art teaching in the city while also looking forward to a very bright future.”

Dr Graham McLaren, Head of Research at Bath School of Art and Design, said: “The histories of Bath School of Art and Design and the City of Bath are inseparable. It was concerned citizens of the City who brought the School into being, agitating for its establishment and putting their hands in their pockets to fund it.

“The School can thank the City for supporting its continued existence through financial strife and even the total destruction of its buildings and equipment by enemy bombing in 1942. In return we hope that the City is proud of the amazing array of art and design talent that the School has produced over the years, adding so much richness and diversity to the culture of Bath and beyond.”

Events over the long weekend will include:

Howard Hodgkin, India on Paper

Victoria Art Gallery

Saturday 14 October to Sunday 7 January

For more than 60 years Howard Hodgkin, one of the foremost artists of our time, nurtured positive relations with Bath and the Victoria Art Gallery. This exhibition highlights those connections whilst exploring his love affair with India. The show features several works created while Hodgkin taught at Bath Academy of Art (1955-66), where he had also studied.

Meet the Inventor of Plasticine

Victoria Art Gallery

Saturday 14 October, 11.30am-4pm

3D modelling in Plasticine with Bath’s very own William Harbutt, headmaster of Bath School of Art in the 1890s. Learn how his invention became a world phenomenon. Free drop-in event.

Symposium: The impact of art education in Bath and beyond, and preview of ‘A History of Bath School of Art and Design, 1854 to the present day’ by Dr Graham McLaren

Bath Spa University, Corsham Court

Saturday 14 October, 1pm-4.30pm

To book a place for the above event visit www.bathspalive.com. An exhibition of works from the University Art Collection will be on display at the Court from 10am-1pm. Note that parking is not available for this event at Corsham Court or Church Square.

House of Imagination Activities

Gardener’s Lodge, Holburne Museum

Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 October, 10am-5pm

5x5x5=creativity will run a pop-up House of Imagination, a studio space for children and young people to make art alongside professional artists.

Future Forward: An exhibition

Walcot Chapel

Open daily 10am-5pm

Bath School of Art and Design today, including plans for the Grade II-listed former Herman Miller furniture factory at Locksbrook Road.

The Bath Art Secondary School

St Michael’s Church, Broad Street

Open daily 10am-5pm (Sunday 1pm-5pm)

Find out about Bath’s unique post-war art secondary school with archival items and artworks capturing its history and output.

Walking Tour – Bath School of Art and Design and the City

Sunday 15 October

A walking tour of Bath covering sites related to Bath School of Art and Design from the 1850s to the present day. Tour led by Dr Graham McLaren and students of Bath School of Art and Design. For further information and to reserve a place visit www.bathspalive.com.

Walking Tour – Painting the Town

Monday 16 October, 2.30pm-4pm

A free walk led by Victoria Barwell exploring the houses, picture rooms and favourite views of some of Bath’s most famous artists, from Thomas Gainsborough to Walter Sickert. Assemble opposite the entrance to the Victoria Art Gallery, overlooking the weir. The walk finishes at the Assembly Rooms.