Wings of a Wire Bird - Sophie Gresswell
3 February - 9 June 2024
Sir William Harpur Gallery – Free Entry
The culmination of a yearlong project to explore interconnected heritage. Following a residency to reach roots on the island of Saint Helena for the first time, Sophie Gresswell shares experiences and encourages discussion on the global mix of heritage which defines ‘British’ identity.
The exhibition highlights connections between us, our migration through generations, the borderlessness of Britishness, and the people met along our journey. The work includes contributions by Bedford’s Odissi dancers from Ananda arts and the Caribbean Senior Citizens group from Queens Park, who worked with Sophie to explore and redefine objects and narratives present within The Higgins, Bedford collections. To find out more about Sophie's project, you can visit www.sophiegresswell.co.uk
Opens 17 February 2024
Wixamtree and Connections Galleries – Free Entry
This exciting exhibition will celebrate the work of Edward Bawden through the work of a new generation of artists.
The exhibition is curated by Edward’s good friend, illustrator and printmaker, Chris Brown. Chris has chosen twenty well-known artists working today to produce art works inspired by Bawden. This new collection will be shown alongside the works from The Higgins Bawden archive that have inspired them.
Chris has chosen a diverse range of artists and makers from different disciplines to make this exhibition an eclectic, fun loving celebration of Edward’s work.
More information about the exhibition can be found here.
Together for Bedford: An exhibition of Children’s Work from The Harpur Trust Art Competition
29 June – 8 September 2024
Sir William Harpur Gallery – Free Entry
An exciting exhibition of localchildren’s art work basedaround the theme of ‘TogetherFor Bedford’. Pupils aged 4 - 18years are invited to take part inthe competition which ties in with The Harpur Trust’s new plan inspired by the peopleof Bedford and its vision of the borough as a communitywhere everyone can thrive.
The exhibition explores whatdoes an ideal community look like? With students taking inspiration from what communities they belong to; fromwhere they live or go to school, to a sports team they area member of or their cultural identity. It celebrates whatcommunity in Bedford means to them and how they getinvolved or inspired.