The Museum as Muse

About eight months ago I was asked by the curator of the Gallery at the Ryedale Folk Museum if I would like to exhibit there in October 2013.  I was thrilled, and after discussing details it was decided to make the focus of the exhibition The Harrison Collection.

The Harrison Collection is  recently acquired by the Ryedale Folk Museum from two local brothers, who, from an early age, collected.  The objects are made up mostly of domestic items spanning some 500 years, from thimbles and children’s toys, to large farming implements.

It is an utterly fascinating group of objects, newly housed in a restored cart shed at the museum.  So I set about exploring and learning about the pieces.

On my first sweep around the exhibits, a few took my eye in particular.  One was a pipe lighter – which was made up of a magnifying orb cradled in a beautifully fashioned metal holder.  It brought back memories of burning paper and fire-making with a magnifying glass as a child, amazed by the concentration of sunlight and the power it had.  Another was a wooden carved lemon squeezer, which was just so well crafted and beautifully made – it made me want to use it, or at the very least hold it.

I began to realise that I would need many visits to take it all in, and that there was inspiration there for a life-time of carving sculpture!

More posts to follow about my progress with the collection and preparation for the exhibition.