Out of the Box (16th Feb – 3rd Nov 2019) is a new exhibition which combines displays drawn from Carisbrooke Castle Museum’s extensive collection of historic artefacts, with contemporary artistic responses created by QuayCrafts, an Island-based group of artist makers who work in a wide range of media including textiles, ceramics, print and photography.
The museum’s collection, acquired over the last 120 years, includes applied art, fine art, photography, social history, science and technology, archaeology and archives, and covers local history topics from prehistory to the present day. Now totalling over 34,000 objects, only a small number can be displayed in the museum at any one time.
The Out of the Box project started when QuayCrafts were invited to discover some of these objects which were packed away in boxes in the museum store, but which have the potential to provide fascinating insights to the history of the Isle of Wight. The artists selected objects and stories from the museum’s collection and the Castle’s history to inspire their work.
The resulting pieces are shown alongside new displays drawn from the museum’s historic collection, including objects that reveal the way Island people of the past lived their lives, how they worked and spent their leisure time: from working on the land, in industry and on the sea and the shore, to games and pastimes. Curator Dr Rachel Tait explains: “It’s been fantastic to work with the QuayCrafts group, their creative work has offered us new ways of looking at these fascinating historic artefacts and the stories they tell about the Island’s history.”
QuayCrafts are an artist-led group aiming to challenge the boundaries of contemporary craft practice. Living and working on the Isle of Wight they set themselves a wide variety of projects leading to exhibitions both on the Island and the mainland. QuayCrafts members work in a wide range of media including textiles and stitch, ceramics, print, glass and photography. The artists are:
Mandy Bangerter Textile artist and illustrator
Zoë Barker Photographer
Minette Dogilewski Printmaker
Mary Flynn Mixed media artist
Chris Lines Painter and textile artist
Margaret Moore Printmaker
Diana Parsons Textile artist
Sally Woodford Ceramics sculptor