Harlow Sculpture Town and the Gibberd Gallery
This year saw the re-naming of the town of Harlow in the county of Essex, to ‘Harlow Sculpture Town’, after a proposal made by the Harlow Art Trust. The new title is being used on council and other tourist publications to promote the significant national importance of the town’s large collection of public sculpture.
Unbelievably, the sculpture collection housed in and around Harlow, is not well known, and the town’s name change will hopefully raise local people’s awareness of the unique cultural heritage.
History
Harlow, was one of the eleven post-war ‘new towns’ built in England in 1947 to ease overcrowding in London. It was seen as a modern place to work, attracting a group of creative pioneers including Sir Frederick Gibberd, Harlow’s master town planner. Over the next few years, as the town was being built and beginning to take shape, Gibberd established the Harlow Art Trust.
The Trust was born so that Gibberd could carry out his vision of using art to accentuate the town’s design by acquiring and commissioning contemporary sculpture. It was in fact Gibberd who pioneered the practice of placing sculpture in the natural environment.
This voluntary body was extremely successful acquiring works by up-and-coming sculptors and promoting them by providing a permanent, public exhibition space.
By the 1970’s it had amassed a collection comprising sculptures by many of the country’s leading artists, including Barbara Hepworth, Elizabeth Frink, F.E. McWilliam, and Lynn Chadwick. However it was the sculpture of Henry Moore, in particular, (the trusts first commissioned piece) entitled ‘Harlow Family Group’, for which Harlow would become best known.
Moore chose to depict a family group, which seemed particularly appropriate at the time as Harlow had a large population of young families. The piece looks out from the foyer of the town’s Civic Centre onto the Water Gardens where Elisabeth Frink’s ‘Boar’ and Rodin’s ‘Eve’ both stand. The reason Moore was approached in this undertaking was that he was not only one of the country’s leading contemporary artists, but he lived only eight miles from Harlow in Much Hadham and had shown a keen interest in the development of the town.
If you decide to take a trip to this charming town, to view this wide range of extraordinary sculptures placed in the natural environment, don’t forget to stop by the Gibberd Gallery located in the Civic Centre.
The gallery permanently houses Sir Frederick Gibberd’s collection of 20th century British watercolours and drawings. This charming collection contains pieces by many of Britain’s most influential artists of the period. It is also currently celebrating Harlow’s permanent sculpture collection with an exhibition of the work of woodcarver Robert Koenig from 1 August until 26 September 2009. The Gallery is open weekdays and Saturday mornings.
The Gibberd Garden designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd himself is located just outside the Civic Centre where more than 80 sculptures incorporated into the design and it is recognised as one of the most important gardens of the 20th century.
Open Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays from 14:00 – 18:00, April to September www.the/gibberdgarden.co.uk
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The wonderful thing about Harlow is how it supports the visual arts in a number of different ways…
CREATIVE SPACE
Creative Space is an artists’ cooperative. They specialise in community based arts projects including working with schools.
HARLOW DECORATIVE AND FINE ART SOCIETY
The society offers 10 high quality lecture meetings on subjects relating to the Fine Arts. It also arranges day visits, short holidays and study days. NADFAS offers opportunity for members to undertake voluntary work for Heritage Volunteers. They meet in the evening on the second Thursday of every month. Non-memebers are welcome but must pay a visitors fee.
For more information, contact: Mrs. Betty Bethell on 01279 442447 or info@stjohnsarc.org.uk
HARLOW PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
Meets every Thursday and is a thriving local club welcomes newcomers of all abilities. Interests cover digital and print work, black & white, color and slides. All ages welcome.
For more information contact: Malcolm Tinn – malcolm@tinn.me.uk
HARLOW SOCIETY OF ART
Meets Tuesday evenings with activties open to all ages over 14 years old. There are painting evenings, demonstrations and lectures.
For more information contact June Collis and Ray Giles at gilray@ntlworld.com
