St Albans Museums seeks students and teachers from the St Albans School of Art
St Albans Museums and UH Arts are collecting memories of the St Albans School of Art, which was based in St Albans for over a century.
Last year St Albans Museums were delighted to acquire a painting by Maurice Field titled Students at St Albans School of Art 1957. Inspired by the acquisition, St Albans Museums are working with UH Arts to research the School and are looking to add associated memories and objects to their collection.
The School first opened on Victoria Street in 1890 in a building that is now part of the Maltings development. In 1973 it moved to a new building on the Hatfield Road, before merging with Hatfield Polytechnic and becoming the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Creative Art.
During its time in St Albans tutors at the School included sculptor John Mills, painters Arnold Van Praag and Roger Leworthy, printmaker John Brunsden, Bill Pletts in graphic design, and textile designer Angela Dean.
St Albans Museums are asking anyone who has a memory, photograph or object associated with the School to share this with the Museum. These memories will provide the starting point for further research, oral history recordings and potential additions to the museum collections.
Please email museum@stalbans.org.uk to share your story in 400 words.
Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Heritage and Public Realm, said:
The St Albans School of Art played a huge role in the life of St Albans for over one hundred years and still does through shared exhibitions with UH Arts. This is a chance for St Albans Museums to record memories and stories before they are lost.
Picture: Students at St Albans School of Art 1957 by Maurice Field.
For further press information, images and interview requests, please contact:
Sarah Keeling, Curator of Collections: Post-Medieval to Contemporary
Email: sarah.keeling@stalbans.gov.uk
Councillor Contact:
Cllr. Anthony Rowlands, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Heritage and Public Realm, St Albans City and District Council.
Email: cllr.a.rowlands@stalbans.gov.uk; Tel: 07761 232064.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Submission guidelines and further details available online: https://www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/st-albans-school-art
St Albans Museum + Gallery is the newest addition to the portfolio of museums and heritage sites run by St Albans City and District Council's museums service. For more information about Verulamium Museum, the Hypocaust, the Clock Tower, Sopwell Ruins, or the field archaeology unit and associated excavations, please visit www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk or call 01727 864511.
- St Albans Museum + Gallery is free to visit and open 7 days a week, 10am-5pm.
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About St Albans Museum + Gallery
St Albans Museum + Gallery is the newest addition to the collection of cultural heritage sites managed by St Albans Museums. It joins Verulamium Museum, the Hypocaust, the medieval Clock Tower, Sopwell Ruins and the thousands of objects in the City’s collection in being cared for and shared with the world. Set to be a world-class centre for arts and culture at the heart of one of Britain’s most historic cities, St Albans Museum + Gallery is free to all visitors. It showcases over 2,000 years of priceless heritage and hosts cutting-edge art exhibitions, sharing local, national and world treasures with all. National touring exhibitions from top UK museums will also be available for visitors to enjoy for a small entry fee. For more information, visit www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk
About UH Arts, University of Hertfordshire
UH Arts offers a vibrant arts and cultural programme for the University of Hertfordshire’s campus and local communities, working cross-arts with artists and performers. With a programme of exhibitions, performances, residencies and engagement projects, UH Arts delivers innovative arts and culture with associated research; offering space for artists and performers to experiment, and audiences to engage and co-produce. Working in collaboration with St Albans Museum + Gallery, and other key partners, UH Arts presents off-campus exhibitions and events, displaying works from around the world in new contexts. For more information, visit www.uharts.co.uk
About the University of Hertfordshire:
The University of Hertfordshire is a vibrant, inclusive, campus-based institution with a vision to be internationally renowned as the UK's leading business-facing university. It is innovative and enterprising and challenges individuals and organisations to excel. All courses are underpinned by industry insight and powerful research ensuring our student community of over 24,600 graduates are equipped with the skills and attributes for successful professional lives. The University has excellent progression rates to employment – 96.5% of students are in employment or further study six months after graduating* - and its teaching expertise has recently been awarded the top gold ranking in the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2018. It is one of the top 150 universities in the world under 50 years old, according to the Times Higher Education 150 under 50 rankings 2018. For more information visit: www.herts.ac.uk