Yesterday I came across a charming thread on Twitter of people posting pix of their very little ones in museums and art galleries taking no notice of Ye Art and Artefactz, but totally absorbed by things like the bottoms of the display cabinets, the gratings for the underfloor heating, the tiles, etc etc, or just the potential of the floors for ( Read more... )

Currently on at Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham: Celebrating Sculptress Anne Seymour Damer 17 October 2021 - 3 January 2022.
Damer was the god-daughter and heiress of Horace Walpole, who left her the house remodelled by him him in 'queer gothic' style. During her life, Anne Damer challenged gender roles not only in relation to her artistic ( Read more... )

Will the 'culture warriors' start woezering about the National Trust (you know, that evil 'woke' institution the National Trust) doing this? Bat on a non-slip roof: National Trust adapts manor for nocturnal residents: Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk gives tiles a special coating to stop bats slipping off as part of £6m roofing project: The trust on ( Read more... )

Apparently - I think this may have been reported before? 'Albanian Sworn Virgins' are a dying breed: With More Freedom, Young Women in Albania Shun Tradition. One also rather hopes that it is not just that they can go to the big city and get jobs outside the pressures of a patriarchal family system, but that it no longer pertains that the area is ( Read more... )

I’m Bridget Christie, a comedian, but I don’t just see comedy. Last weekend I went to a spellbinding exhibition of British folk art called Ritual Britain, set perfectly in London’s atmospheric Crypt Gallery in the bowels of St Pancras New Church in London.
And one might feel a leeeetle boggled at all this rather pagan remnant stuff in the crypt of ( Read more... )

UK libraries and museums unite to save ‘astonishing’ lost library from private buyers - wouldn't it be nice, though, if the people who can afford to buy up this sort of thing would do so to give them to publicly available collections?
And, talking of fun things found in public collections, this is an amazing Twitter thread about an astonishing find ( Read more... )

Oy, oo are you calling common? Stop using 'Common Wombat': The name Common Wombat was given anecdotally to this one, of three sub-species of wombats, found in Australia - referring to the Bare Nosed Wombat.
....
It is clear that the Common Wombat is not so common anymore. we should not be using this word to describe them, as it gives the impression ( Read more... )

Are we surprised at this? are we? His fair lady: how George Bernard Shaw’s wife played a vital role in his masterworks. Charlotte’s influence has been downplayed, says a new book on how women are written out of history.
Oh gee, I see, when I go and look at the blurb for the forthcoming book that this relates to, that I had a very minor interaction ( Read more... )

National Portrait Gallery to feature more women in its collection: Curators will increase representation of female artists and sitters and seek overlooked stories: yay, I guess? Having been to various exhibitions there on particular groups of women (e.g the Bluestocking circle) and particular artists (Cindy Sherman) either being or making art. A ( Read more... )

First lines of first posts in each month (excluding birthday greetings):
What I read Finished Dreams Before the Start of Time, v good.
Am rather tempted by this exhibition Unbound: Visionary Women Collecting Textiles, 25th January 2020 - 19th April 2020 (and did get to it, yay)
Bread made during week: brown oatmeal (strong white and wholemeal flour ( Read more... )