UK artists and designers create new work to protect Ideas Worth Fighting For
For one week only (17 – 23 October), the People’s History Museum will be hosting an exhibition like no other. Ideas Worth Fighting For will bring together the work of twelve of the country’s leading artists and designers for an exhibition of new work featuring prints, paintings, installations, banners and more.
Each of the contributing artists has created work especially for the exhibition; or donated a piece, that provides a unique and personal view of something that they believe in and feel strongly about. Rob Ryan, whose beautiful paper-cuts and screen-prints adorn walls across the country, has donated a poster entitled Let People Live that portrays the issue of unaffordable housing.
Speaking of Let People Live, Rob Ryan says, “You can’t blame people for buying their council house or for trying to get the most that they can for rent, especially if they see that everyone else is doing it, why should I miss out. But government legislation should cap it at an affordable level so that we can get back from this ridiculous housing situation we are now in. My picture is just one voice speaking directly to who make the rules that I think they should limit this nonsense.”
Among the other artists on display, Mark Beaumont’s The Radical Totem focuses on the pioneers who have changed and shaped history. This is a vast installation piece that tells its story through visual clue, A Bird’s Eye View of a Suffrage March by Mary Branson depicts the banners of the numerous societies, arranged, mixed up and spilling into each other and Claudia Clare whose work references the Staffordshire plates of 1836 and 1840 that celebrated the American fifth amendment – the right of assembly and free expression.
Ideas Worth Fighting For is part of a programme called Join the Radicals; this is one of a number of ways that the People’s History Museum has been working to retain its national profile as the UK’s museum of democracy. The idea for the exhibition came from Radicals supporter and patron of the museum, Laura Harper, who has helped to curate the exhibition.
Laura became involved with the People’s History Museum two years ago when funding cuts threatened the museum’s future. Laura believes “the museum is one of the most important museums in the country as it charts the battle for the ballot and recognises the people to whom we owe a great historic debt. Of course, life must be lived looking forwards, but it can only be understood in a historical context which is why our museums, and particularly the People’s History Museum, are so important.”
Laura is a partner at law firm Shoosmiths LLP, and heads the Intellectual Property (IP) team in Manchester. Of Ideas Worth Fighting For, she says, “After becoming a patron I wanted to do something more to help. My job with businesses and professionals in the creative industries means that I work with some of the country’s leading artists and designers. I have been fortunate to meet some incredible artists during my career who I was able to approach to help with the idea of this event. The response was overwhelming and the result is this incredible exhibition.”
The exhibition is free to visit and will be at the People’s History Museum between 17 – 23 October where it takes place in the Engine Hall.
