People’s Art coming soon to Sunderland's National Glass Centre

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An exhibition of People’s Art opens at the National Glass Centre on Saturday, June 29 and runs to Sunday, December 1.

Clockwise from top left: Punch and Judy (Victorian cast-iron doorstops), Zac Weinberg, Julia Griffiths and Red and White Quilt with Sawtooth Border, late 1800s.Clockwise from top left: Punch and Judy (Victorian cast-iron doorstops), Zac Weinberg, Julia Griffiths and Red and White Quilt with Sawtooth Border, late 1800s.
Clockwise from top left: Punch and Judy (Victorian cast-iron doorstops), Zac Weinberg, Julia Griffiths and Red and White Quilt with Sawtooth Border, late 1800s. | Sunderland Echo

It celebrates art created by unnamed artists for use in everyday life. Objects referred to as Popular Art or Folk Art existed outside art galleries, in homes and workplaces, often serving a purpose first and were beautiful in addition to being functional.

For the exhibition, National Glass Centre has commissioned five contemporary artists, including American-born and Sunderland-based glass artist Zac Weinberg. Small dessert wine glasses led to Zac researching Victorian customs around toasting, to the practice of duelling, to more recent developments in glassmaking.

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Zac has created two glass pieces for People’s Art, Peacemakers and Amphibian.

Other commissioned artists are Ingrid Murphy, Liaqat Rasul, Julia Griffiths and Francisca Onumah. All are well-known and respected in their own fields of work and all have different artistic disciplines.

Seb Trend, exhibitions officer at National Glass Centre, explained: “The objects reflect our economic and social history on an industrial, social and domestic level and they are often remarkably well made which is evidenced by their survival during decades of constant use.

“Despite the historic and aesthetic significance of these objects we rarely ask, ‘Who was the artist?’ or consider their importance within the history of art and design. The name of the exhibition is inspired by Emmanuel Cooper's book People’s Art: Working Class Art from 1750 to the Present Day (1991).

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“People’s Art aims to elevate the profile of popular art - we’ve commissioned five contemporary artists to respond to selected objects from the Folk Art and Popular Art collections at Compton Verney in Warwickshire, and from a private collection in Wales.

“The newly commissioned works are shown alongside the loans, encouraging the viewer to think about the principles we apply when considering the value of art.

To mark the opening of the exhibition, National Glass Centre will host a People’s Art: Family Weekend, on Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30.

The event is free and will be suitable for all ages.It includes a range of heritage crafts including rug making, weaving and puppet craft.

For more information, go to www.nationalglasscentre.com.

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