Chester Visual Arts announce first annual Lecture series

Chester Visual Arts have announced the launch of their annual Lecture Series titled Radical Times, Radical Change. This year’s theme is the response of the cultural sector to a world turned upside down and will cover four key topics: V&A costume exhibitions and the changing role of costume design; the impact of the pandemic on contemporary photographic practice; inclusion and programming contemporary responses to historic collections; and the impact of the pandemic on curation in at the National Gallery.

Chester Visual Arts is a registered charity established in 2016 with the long term goal of establishing a permanent public art gallery in the city. The group have previously presented international art exhibitions to various locations around the city and now work alongside Cheshire West and Chester Council to support the region’s larger heritage and visual arts strategy.

Each talk from the lecture series will be hosted by Dr Catherine Pütz, who has over 20 years’ experience working in senior management roles within the UK’s top museums and will feature internationally renowned curators as the guest speakers. Dr Pütz will run an informative Q&A session with each guest speaker and will also take questions from the audience, providing a truly special and unique experience.

Dr Pütz comments “I am thrilled to be a part of the first ever Lecture Series with CVA. After such challenging times, with ongoing personal impacts on us as individuals, and profound changes to our arts and heritage sector, now is the moment to take stock of the value of culture today and how our perceptions are shifting. Let’s come together to share our responses and learnings and see how we can help the recovery of our cities and our sector.’

The guest speakers are all experts and specialists in their fields and have worked in world renowned museums including The Victoria & Albert Museum, National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. Chester Visual Arts is excited to bring this series to Chester and each talk will be at a different venue around the city.

Ian Short, Chester Visual Arts Chairman says: ‘This is the first of our Lecture Series where we look forward to an annual programme of talks, with different speakers and subjects. It is a privilege to be working with these guest speakers and to have the opportunity to learn more from both our specialists and our board member Dr Cathy Pütz. At Chester Visual Arts, we continue to break boundaries and highlight the importance of art and culture’s vital role in helping Chester’s recovery, not just for the tourism sector and visitor footfall, but for the individual, including residents and organisations.”

The Lecture Series, ‘Radical Times, Radical Change’ will be held on the following dates:

• 31st March, Chester Racecourse, Leverhulme Stand. Guest Speaker: Keith Lodwick Title: Triumph Of Design: Costume For Stage & Screen . Join curator and writer Keith Lodwick who will be speaking about V&A costume exhibitions, changing views of costume design, and unsung female costume designers in Hollywood and the UK. Book Now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/275665040557

• 21st April, Chester Racecourse, County Stand. Guest Speaker: Colin Wiggins Title – Back to the Future: Shaking up historic painting. Join curator & lecturer Colin who will speak on the topic of inclusion and programming contemporary responses to historic collections. Book Now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/275674308277

• 5th May, Grosvenor Museum. Guest Speaker: Susanna Brown Title: Close to Home: Fine Art Photography During the Pandemic Join curator and writer Susanna Brown to discuss how contemporary photographers around the world adapted to create meaningful new work when travel was curtailed. Book Now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/275679734507

• 12th May – The University of Chester. Guest Speaker: Christine Riding Curating in a Crisis: Covid 19 and the National Gallery. Join Curator Christine Riding who will speak on the impact of the pandemic on curation in the National Gallery. Book Now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/275683616117

To purchase tickets for all 4 events https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/chester-visual-arts-25582912539