A new art exhibition will feature specially commissioned works alongside the Japanese prints which inspired them.
The Travelling Stories display will run from May 27 until December 5 at Tullie House, Carlisle.
It will feature pieces by Prism Studio Arts Group members Jonathan Harkins and Harvey Tye, alongside works by Japanese print maker, Toshi Yoshida.
Jonathan and Harvey were commissioned by Tullie House in 2021 to create artistic responses to Yoshida’s works acquired from the Derbyshire Schools Library Service, which closed in 2018.
Their commissions were produced during a period of lockdown in 2021, with the Prism Arts team able to digitally facilitate and meet with the artists via Zoom. Both Jonathan and Harvey had previously worked with Tullie, helping curate the Cultures Collide project in 2019.
Once completed, their responses joined the prints to become part of the permanent collection at Tullie.
Jonathan said: “I know this art project is good and will enrich both mine and Harv’s future. As I said before, ‘Art is milk for the eyes and honey for the Soul.’”
Harvey said: “I found out about new facts and cultures, finding different designs for buildings, having fun and doing my artwork. And it has given me something to focus on during lockdown.”
Melanie Gardner, fine and decorative arts curator at Tullie House, added: “It has been a real pleasure to work with Prism Arts on this project. Harvey and Jonathan’s commissioned artworks are the first works by Prism artists to enter the Tullie House collection and we are really excited to be exhibiting them for the first time.”
Their work was initially exhibited digitally as part of the wider Travelling Stories project, run by Buxton Museum with the help of the Esmeé Fairbairn Collections Fund.
It set out to find new homes for the Derbyshire Schools Library Service collection, which had been built up since the 1930s, and work with other museums and artists to deliver creative responses to items from the collection.
This will be the first time Jonathan and Harvey’s works will be on display physically alongside the prints that inspired them.
The display can be found in Old Tullie House’s library and entry is included with cost of general admission. Tullie House says although the library is open to the public it may be closed on certain days if it is hired out. Therefore it is best to contact Tullie House ahead of your visit to check.
