Day Course: Barbara Hepworth The Artist in Society
Friday 30 June 2023, 11.00am to 3.00pm
£50/£45 Concessions
Join us to explore key themes arising from the Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life exhibition in an inclusive, supportive and friendly environment.
Over three Fridays in June, each course will consist of tutor presentations, which will provide key background information and structure, alongside group discussion and debate.
The day courses are modular and can stand alone, but feel free to book on to as many as you like.
Each day will include a short introductory intro to Hepworth’s work and free access to the Barbara Hepworth: Art & Life exhibition to discuss selected works highlighted in situ.
Session 3: The Artist in Society
'.. she [Hepworth] became an early environmentalist, a socialist and anti-nuclear campaigner, and this commitment and her art practice were indivisible from each other and as organic to her as breathing.’
- Ali Smith
Hepworth held the passionate belief that artists had a moral role to play in society. In this session we will explore the drawings she made in the operating theatres of hospitals, which express the commitment and harmony that exists between a group of people working together with a common purpose, and can be viewed as a metaphor for a social paradigm.
We will also study a selection of her commissions for public sculpture in the post-war period, such as Contrapuntal Forms, an Arts Council commission for the 1951 Festival of Britain on London's South Bank, and the ways in which these addressed her utopian desire as an artist to improve society.
Also considered will be her commission Single Form, 1961 – 64, for the UN Headquarters in New York, inspired by her close friendship with Dag Hammerskjöld and their mutual commitment to nuclear disarmament.
Other day courses in this series include Fundamental Forms and Maternity, Music and Movement.
Each course will take place in our dedicated learning space Studio 3. Attendee numbers will be restricted to 15 people. There will be around an hour break for lunch.
About the course facilitator
Jill Denman, MA, PGCE, studied Modern Languages at the University of Durham and History of Art at the Courtauld Institute. She is an experienced freelance tutor who has delivered History of Art courses for a wide range of institutions, including Towner Eastbourne, Hastings Contemporary and the University of Kent.
Accessibility
We have a budget available to make this event as accessible as possible – this can include interpretation services or other access needs we can meet to enable you to participate.
If you require access arrangements, please email programme@townereastbourne.org.uk two weeks before the event date so that we can book a service if needed.
Studio space
○ Studio 3 is on the first floor, and can be accessed by our large lift.
○ The space has limited natural light, but is not dark.
○ The space is not scent-free.
○ The galleries and café are busiest between 11.00am and 2.00pm.
○ Seating is available and is not fixed, so can be switched out if needed.
○ Ear plugs, ear defenders, magnifying glasses, and wheelchairs are available.
○ Toilets and baby changing facilities are located right outside Studio 3. A gender-neutral, wheelchair-accessible bathroom can be found on the ground floor.
