Envisioning Utopia: British Art and Socialist Politics, 1870-1900

A Walter Crane Study Day at the Whitworth Art Gallery, University of
Manchester

Friday, 5 December, 17:30 keynote address followed by reception.
Saturday, 6 December, registration begins at 11:00; programme begins
11:30.

The Whitworth Art Gallery at the University of Manchester will open a
new display on August 16, 2008 entitled "'Art and Labour's Cause is
One:' Walter Crane and Manchester, 1880-1915." Crane was one of the
most important, versatile, and radical artists of the nineteenth
century, and this exhibition explores the central role played by
Manchester in Crane's fusion of art, labour, and politics.

On December 5 and 6, 2008, the Whitworth Art Gallery at the University
of Manchester will host a conference, "Envisioning Utopia: British Art
and Socialist Politics, 1870-1900," to examine the dynamic between the
urban and the pastoral in utopian visions of a socialist future and
explore the role of visual art in formulating and articulating these
political ideals. Keynote address Friday at 5:30 by Professor Tim
Barringer (History of Art, Yale University). Speakers include Dr.
Matthew Beaumont (English, UCL), Dr. Jo Briggs (Yale Center for
British Art), Professor Michael Hatt (History of Art, Warwick), Dr.
Ruth Livesey (The Victorian Centre, Royal Holloway, University of
London), Sarah Turner (Courtauld Institute), and Dr. Anna Vaninskaya
(King's College, Cambridge University Victorian Studies Group).
Registration fee £20, concessions £10. Registration includes
reception on Friday and refreshments and lunch on Saturday. For more
information, email waltercranearchivegmail.com. This event is
supported by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.