An Arts and Crafts house in the Lake District is marking 25 years of contemporary collecting with a new exhibition.
Blackwell, located in Bowness, is hosting the exhibition Useful/Beautiful from May 1 to August 29, this year as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations.
The exhibition explores the role of craft from the 20th century to today through ceramics, furniture and textiles.
Naomi Gariff, programme curator and the exhibition’s curator, said: “While the arts and crafts movement is often seen as a movement of the past, its spirit is alive in the craftspeople of today.
“The movement cared deeply about producing art and objects that enhanced people’s lives, which were in the words of William Morris, ‘useful’ and ‘beautiful’.
“The exhibition showcases the legacy of this ethos on contemporary craft.
“It also celebrates Blackwell’s nationally significant contemporary craft collection, which has recently expanded through the generous support of Art Fund’s Sir Nicholas Goodison Award.”
The exhibition brings together works from Blackwell’s contemporary craft collection alongside recent acquisitions.
It features pieces by internationally acclaimed makers such as Magdalene Odundo, Edmund de Waal, Elizabeth Fritsch and Richard Slee.
Emerging talent is also represented, including work by Mac Collins, William Plumptre and Annabel Hood.
The exhibition title references William Morris’s quote: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
Recent additions to the collection, supported by the Art Fund’s Sir Nicholas Goodison Award for Collecting Contemporary Craft (awarded to Naomi Gariff in 2023), are also on display.
Other featured makers include Bondil Manz, Alison Britton, Walter Keeler, Takeshi Yasuda, Jacqui Poncelet, Martha Wiles and Michael Rue.
Gareth Neal and Kevin Gauld’s collaborative project and Frances Priest’s White Drawing Room Collection are also included.
Visitors can view the exhibition throughout the house, where the contemporary works are displayed alongside Blackwell’s historic arts and crafts interiors, designed by architect MH Baillie Scott.
Useful/Beautiful forms part of Blackwell’s wider 125th anniversary programme, with additional exhibitions and events planned for the year, including M H Baillie Scott: Architect and Designer, which opens later this year.
Entry to the exhibition is included with house admission.
Visitors also have access to the house’s grounds overlooking Windermere and can join daily guided tours exploring the building’s history and design.
