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>From: Seren Langley <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Seren Langley <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Please help Museum in Crisis >Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2007 16:31:23 +0100 > >THREAT TO THE WILLIAM MORRIS GALLERY > >The William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, London, is the only public >museum in the world devoted to William Morris's life, work and >influence, and has internationally important collections reflecting the >enormous range of his activities. Morris's original designs and >textiles, wallpapers, furniture, stained glass, tiles, fine printing and >book arts, are shown alongside works by Edward Burne-Jones, Dante >Gabriel Rossetti, Philip Webb, May Morris, and many others. The museum >also has applied arts by Morris's followers in the Arts & Crafts >movement, as well as paintings and drawings by the Pre-Raphaelites and >by Sir Frank Brangwyn, who generously gifted his own significant >collections to form the nucleus of the Gallery. > >For the over 50 years since the museum was opened by Clement Attlee, >many thousands of people - locals and visitors and researchers from >every corner of the world - have made the pilgrimage to Walthamstow to >visit for free this museum in Morris's boyhood home, a beautiful >Georgian house set in a Victorian park. > >In January 2007 Waltham Forest Council proposed cutbacks to severely >limit the opening hours of the William Morris Gallery and also of the >local Vestry House Museum & Archives and to terminate the contracts of >all staff as part of a drastic restructuring - who learned about the >threats to their jobs and museums in the local newspaper. The >internationally renowned Curator of the William Morris Gallery has >worked tirelessly for thirty years to build up the collections, to hold >inspiring exhibitions, to educate visitors and to assist researchers. >Now, the so-called consultation period is over and many fear this will >be the beginning of the end of this unique museum - and damaging to >William Morris's legacy. > >The Friends of the William Morris Gallery are asking for your help. >Please visit http://www.keepourmuseumsopen.org.uk/ where there is A LINK >TO AN ONLINE PETITION. > >10,000 names are needed by the end of this month. Every single name and >comment helps! Please tell your contacts. > >See also Jonathan Glancey's piece in today's Guardian: >http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/design/story/0,,2058882,00.html > >Time is of the essence and we are very concerned that this will be yet >another cultural disaster in the UK, and another loss of precious >historical resources for students and researchers. > >Thank you for your support. As Morris said: FELLOWSHIP IS LIFE **************************************** Iain EF Flett MA MPhil DP&AA RMSA FSAScot Palaeographer, Archivist & Records Manager 5 Provost Road, Tayport, Fife, Scotland DD6 9JE +44 (0)1382 552218 <[log in to unmask]> Traidcraft - fighting poverty through trade http://www.traidcraft.co.uk ************************ "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it" George Santayana ************************************ _________________________________________________________________ MSN Hotmail is evolving - check out the new Windows Live Hotmail http://get.live.com/betas/mail_betas