The Swindon Museum and Art Gallery will host three new exhibitions and a series of art lectures this year.
As part of its Art on Tour programme, exhibitions will be installed at the Steam Museum, the Civic Offices and the Highworth Museum featuring over 50 paintings, prints and ceramics from Swindon’s collection of modern and contemporary art.
First, Steam will host The Art of Industry exhibition from January 19, celebrating the city’s railway heritage with works by nationally acclaimed artists, including Swindonian Ken White.
A celebration of color in municipal offices from January 31 will look at how color is used in the paintings and ceramics in the collection, with modern approaches to exploring color through paint and the technical skills needed to get the right ceramic glaze. This accompanies the updated special exhibition, Highlights from the Swindon Collection, which was installed in 2019.
At the Highworth Museum from February 15, Local Legacies presents workshop ceramics from the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery. The selected pieces have local roots and provide links to broader narratives of 20th century and contemporary ceramics. This celebration of Wiltshire-based creators is organized in conjunction with the Highworth Historical Society and includes works by Katherine Pleydell-Bouverie, Ivan Martin and Jo Taylor.
Katie Ackrill, Swindon Borough Council’s Art on Tour Engagement Manager, said: “Art on Tour is about sharing Swindon’s art collection more widely across the city. It’s wonderful to be able to exhibit such a variety of works, some of which are on display for the first time since entering the museum’s collection.
“Working closely with our partner sites has given us the opportunity to draw different narratives within the collection. We look forward to continuing this work with our partners as we approach 2022.”
Councilor Robert Jandy, Swindon Borough Council Cabinet Member for Culture, said: “Art on Tour is a fantastic way to showcase our superb art collection to different audiences across the borough.
“Having three exhibitions in three separate venues is a great start to the new year and I would encourage anyone interested in art who hasn’t had the chance to visit Swindon Museum and Art Gallery to see for themselves some of the great pieces we have in our collection.
A free program of Lunchtime Talks will accompany the exhibits. Visit www.swindonmuseumandartgallery.org.uk/artontour
STEAM is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Municipal offices are open Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Highworth Museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.