The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He w ...

and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of all the arts', denying the distinction between fine and applied art. It opposed the professionalisation of architecture – which was promoted by the Royal Institute of British Architects at this time – in the belief that this would inhibit design. In his 1998 book, ''Introduction to Victorian Style'', University of Brighton's David Crowley stated the guild was "the conscientious core of the Arts and Crafts Movement".

History

The guild was not the first organisation to promote the unity of the arts. Two organisations, the Fifteen and St George's Art Society had existed previously, and the guild's founders came from the St George's Art Society. They were five young architects from Norman Shaw's office: W. R. Lethaby, Edward Prior, Ernest Newton, Mervyn Macartney and Gerald C. Horsley, plus metal worker W. A. S. Benson, designer Heywood Sumner, painter C. H. H. Macartney, sculptors Hamo Thornycroft and

Edward Onslow Ford Edward Onslow Ford (27 July 1852—23 December 1901) was an English sculptor. Much of Ford's early success came with portrait heads or busts. These were considered extremely refined, showing his subjects at their best and led to him receiving a ...

, and the architect John Belcher. The motive for the guild's creation was the summer exhibition in 1883 at the Royal Academy of Arts, where the "mother of arts" were snubbed to two side walls in one gallery. Edward Prior wrote in November 1883, Others were soon invited to join, including Fifteen members Lewis Foreman Day,

George Blackall Simonds George Blackall Simonds (6 October 1843 – 16 December 1929) was an English sculptor and director of H & G Simonds Brewery in Reading in the English county of Berkshire. Biography George was the second son of George Simonds Senior of Readi ...

and

J. D. Sedding John Dando Sedding (13 April 1838 – 7 April 1891) was an English church architect, working on new buildings and repair work, with an interest in a "crafted Gothic" style. He was an influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, many of wh ...

, as well as architects Somers Clarke,

John Thomas Micklethwaite John Thomas Micklethwaite (3 May 1843 – 28 October 1906) was an English architect and archaeologist. He had a long association with Westminster Abbey, and was noted for his criticisms of the current practices of church restoration. Biography He w ...

, W. C. Marshall, Basil Champneys; painters

Herbert Gustave Schmalz Herbert Gustave Schmalz, known as Herbert Carmichael after 1918 (1 June 1856, Newcastle – 24 November 1935, London) was an English painter. Life Schmalz was born in England to the German Consul, Gustave Schmalz, and his English wife, Margare ...

, Alfred Parsons,

John McLure Hamilton John McLure Hamilton (January 31, 1853William R. Symonds and etcher

Theodore Blake Wirgman Theodore Blake Wirgman (29 April 1848 – 16 January 1925) was a British painter and etcher who moved to London, studied at the Royal Academy Schools, became a painter of history and genre subjects, and worked as a portrait artist for ''The ...

. The first meeting took place on 18 January 1884 at

Charing Cross Hotel Charing Cross railway station (also known as London Charing Cross) is a central London railway terminus between the Strand and Hungerford Bridge in the City of Westminster. It is the terminus of the South Eastern Main Line to Dover via Ashf ...

with Belcher as chair, and after some debate agreed they would invite others "for promoting greater intercourse among the Arts". Several names were proposed, including Guild of Art by Benson, Guild of Associated Arts, Guild of Art Workers, The Art Workers and the Society of Art Workers. Prior combined the name ideas and put forward the Art Workers' Guild and wrote the Guilds prospectus. The name and prospectus was agreed and the guild was formally created on 11 March and by its first formal annual meeting on 5 December 1884 it had grown to 56 members. The guild was based on the medieval trade guilds, with members called Brothers and its head called Master. Its first master was the sculptor, George Blackall Simonds. In 1885, Walter Crane reiterated the guild's worries to the Fabian Society, The guild organised talks, lectures, demonstrations and meetings to bring unity of the arts to its members including guest speakers such as Lucien Pissarro in 1891. Sir Edwin Lutyens was first invited as a guest in 1892 and recalled: but he joined later and admired the freedom to argue passionately and: By 1895 the guild had 195 members and included such luminaries as

and

Thomas Graham Jackson Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, 1st Baronet (21 December 1835 – 7 November 1924) was one of the most distinguished British architects of his generation. He is best remembered for his work at Oxford, including the Oxford Military College at Cowl ...

. At that year's annual general meeting, the elected Master Heywood Sumner declared to the members: This comment was confirmed in 1900 when the government recruited guild members Thomas Graham Jackson, William Blake Richmond, Edward Onslow Ford, and Walter Crane to the Council for Advice on Art, and they reorganised the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It ...

in line with Art Workers' Guild ideals. Under Graham Jacksons' time as Master, the Guildsmen were looking at the purpose of the guild. Many, including Morris wanted the guild to be a more active force and put forward a Councillor to the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...

to advise on the protection of historical buildings and advocate craftsmanship. However Graham Jackson was against politics and declared the guild should not be: Graham Jackson decided training the next generation of artists was more important and created the Art Student Guild, which would go onto become the Junior Guild. The Junior Guild was not a great success and by 1928 was confirmed by members that it had outlived its purpose. However, Masters H. M. Fletcher and Basil Oliver had come through the junior guild. In 1902, on retiring from the Master's position, George Frampton stressed that only properly qualified candidates should be elected to the guild, and in 1905 the membership election system was amended. By this time the membership had grown to 235. Frampton had also recommended that the guild set up a benevolent fund for hard up members, which became known as the Guild Chest. However Frampton caused controversy in 1915, calling for Karl Krall, a German-born member, to have his membership revoked due to his nationality during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The guild voted by a one vote majority to allow Krall to keep his membership, so Frampton resigned. Krall was so upset by the debates that led to the vote that he also resigned and asked that he never be contacted by the guild again. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the guild's income dropped considerably, however they remained solvent under the "zealous guardianship of the funds" of honorary treasurer Laurence Arthur Turner. In 1945, the War Memorial Advisory Committee asked the guild for its ideas on war memorials, to which the guild responded by deploring mass produced war memorials and advising on well designed carved inscriptions on the walls of the church cut by individual craftsmen. The Art Workers Guild gave rise to many offshoots, including the Birmingham, Liverpool, the Northern Art Workers' Guild in Manchester, the Edinburgh Art Workers' Guild and the Junior Art Workers' Guild but the biggest was the

Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society The Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society was formed in London in 1887 to promote the exhibition of decorative arts alongside fine arts. The Society's exhibitions were held annually at the New Gallery (London), New Gallery from 1888 to 1890, and roug ...

. There was even a guild set up in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. The guild began as a male-only organisation, leading

May Morris Mary "May" Morris (25 March 1862 – 17 October 1938) was an English artisan, embroidery designer, jeweller, socialist, and editor. She was the younger daughter of the Pre-Raphaelite artist and designer William Morris and his wife and artists' ...

to start the Women’s Guild of Arts in 1907 as an alternative for women. In 1914 the women's guild was allowed to use the meeting hall at Queens Square, but they were not allowed to have their roll call on the walls. There was great discussion between members about letting in women with Hamilton T. Smith writing to Arthur Llewellyn Smith in 1958 stated: In the 1959 Annual Report, it stated that it was "discussed at length but not put to the vote, it being felt that so revolutionary a proposal needed further careful discussion". Further discussions occurred over the next few years, and in 1962 past master Brian Thomas asked: It was not until 1964 that the brothers, at a special meeting, agreed to admit women to the guild. The first women to join was the wood engraver Joan Hassall who became the first female Master in 1972. In 1949, the members of the Junior Art Workers' Guild were invited to join the guild after their organisation closed down. In 1985, a centenary exhibition was held at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. In a review of the exhibition by Colin Amery in ''

The Burlington Magazine ''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation si ...

'', Amery stated that the exhibition showed "the current Guildsmen work did not have the weight and quality to carry hope of a new spring".

The guild's home

The guild held its meetings initially in rented space. Between 1884 and 1888, it used the Century Club's rooms at 6 Pall Mall Place in Pall Mall, London, from 1888 to 1894 it used

Barnard's Inn Barnard's Inn is a former Inn of Chancery in Holborn, London. It is now the home of Gresham College, an institution of higher learning established in 1597 that hosts public lectures. History Barnard's Inn dates back at least to the mid-thi ...

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its ro ...

and then between 1894 to 1914 they used Clifford's Inn. In 1914, the lease on Clifford's Inn was to end and the organisation was looking for a new home. The Central School of Art and Design was offered as temporary accommodation by

, with negotiations being held by F. V. Burridge, the college's principal.Overview: Central School of Arts and Crafts
Oxford Reference. Accessed July 2013. The Art Worker's Guild

However, the architects Arnold Dunbar Smith and Cecil Claude Brewer had an office in the front of the early Georgian house at 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury and, when they heard that the freehold was for sale, encouraged the guild to buy it. The back part of the building was reconstructed as a meeting hall, designed by Francis William Troup and inaugurated on 22 April 1914. At the opening, Master

Harold Speed Harold Speed (11 February 1872 – 20 March 1957) was an English painter in oil and watercolour of portraits, figures and historical subjects. He also wrote instructional books for artists that remain in print. Born in London, the son of Edwar ...

said to his fellow Brothers that he knew they would miss, but encouraged them to enjoy The hall was furnished with rush-seated chairs made in Herefordshire by

Philip Clissett Philip Clissett (born 8 January 1817, Birtsmorton, Worcestershire, England; died 17 January 1913, Bosbury, Herefordshire) was a Victorian country chairmaker who influenced and inspired the English Arts and Crafts Movement through various arc ...

and his grandsons between 1888 and 1914, and afterwards copied by Ernest Gimson and his successors. The Master sits in a seat designed by Lethaby and a table by Benson. The names of all members up to the year 2000 are painted on a frieze around the walls of the Hall. The list of names now continues in the front room known as the ‘Master’s Room’. In 2017 the building was modernised under the direction of Simon Hurst, the honorary architect of the guild. The building contains portraits of every Master since 1884. The guild rents space to the

British Society of Master Glass Painters The British Society of Master Glass Painters (BSMGP), was found in 1921, it is British trade association for the art and craft of stained glass. It promotes the trade of glass painting and staining in Britain. BSMGP activities include: lectures, ...

at Queen Square. The top two floors are rented as an apartment to designers Ben Pentreath and Charlie McCormick.

Recent history and notable members

The guild is today a society of artists, craftsmen and designers with a common interest in the interaction, development and distribution of creative skills. Its 350 members work at the highest levels of excellence in their professions, representing over 60 creative disciplines. Their main charitable aim is to support the visual arts and crafts in any way that may be beneficial to the community. The guild continues to programme lectures and workshops for its members to promote the exchange of knowledge among art workers of all disciplines. Current notable members include artist

Chila Kumari Burman Chila Kumari Singh Burman (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਚਿਲਾ ਕੁਮਾਰੀ ਬਰਮਨ) is a British artist, celebrated for her radical feminist practice, which examines representation, gender and cultural identity. She works across ...

, Jane Cox, a Fellow of the

Craft Potters Association The Craft Potters Association (CPA) is an association of potters formed in 1958 in London. It has two wholly owned operating companies: Craftsmen Potters Trading Company Ltd and Ceramic Review Publishing Ltd. It owns a shop and gallery, the Con ...

and Chair of the Outreach Committee of the Art Workers Guild (who run projects across various institutions such as the V&A,

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Watts Gallery Watts Gallery – Artists' Village is an art gallery in the village of Compton, near Guildford in Surrey. It is dedicated to the work of the Victorian-era painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts. The gallery has been Grade II* listed on th ...

and Imperial College London) and Fleur Oates, a lacemaker and embroiderer who is the artist in residence at Imperial College's vascular surgery department. The guild was visited by Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall in 2015 as part of the

London Craft Week London Craft Week takes up residence in the capital early each May. This annual event showcases the very best international and British creativity and craftsmanship through a ‘beyond luxury’ journey-of-discovery. The curated programme brings ...

. In 2018, the guild staged the exhibition Salon des Refusés, 30 pieces of work by RIBA’s Traditional Architecture Group that had been rejected by the Royal Academy's Piers Gough architecture room.

Past Masters of the guild

References

External links