Stories of Change: Hope, Faith and Love
Carefully selected works, providing unique moments of healing and contemplation.
Listen to a special podcast here
The nationally-renowned Methodist Modern Art Collection of more than 50 works will go on show in churches across Coventry this autumn as an Art Trail, entitled Stories of Change: Hope, Faith and Love, as part of the city’s celebration as UK City of Culture. The art trail itself will display 35 works, 11 of which will be at Coventry Central Hall.
The Collection includes works by artists such as Graham Sutherland, Elisabeth Frink, Edward Burra, William Roberts, Patrick Heron, F N Souza and Jyoti Sahi.
While the Church of England’s post-war response to church re-building and artistic commissioning is well known and epitomised by Coventry Cathedral, the Methodist Church’s engagement with developments in twentieth-century British religious art is less well known. The story of the Methodist Modern Art Collection will be celebrated appropriately in Coventry this autumn. And, it is hoped that the carefully selected works will provide a unique moment of healing and contemplation, speaking to people in differing ways, as the nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Art Trail marks the relaunch of the Collection after a two year conservation and re-framing project to preserve the works and ensure they will be able to be displayed for many years to come.
The Methodist Modern Art Collection Art Trail ‘Stories of Change: Hope, Faith and Love’ will be available to view on selected days from Saturday 4 September to Sunday 3 October 2021.
The Art Trail will start at Coventry Cathedral and Coventry Methodist Central Hall in the city centre. Then visitors will be encouraged to follow the trail beyond the city into churches in Earlsdon, Balsall Common and Fillongley, which are part of the Coventry and Nuneaton Methodist Circuit.
Download the promotional flyer
Download the promotional poster
Download the art trail leaflet
Download an introduction - by Chair of the Methodist Modern Art Collection, Prof. Ann Sumner
#HopeFaithLove
Coventry and Nuneaton Circuit Facebook event
Coventry and Nuneaton Circuit Facebook group
Church opening times
Fridays and Saturdays 11am-4pm
Sundays 1pm-4pm
Other times by arrangement and for special events
Cathedral opening times
10 am – 4pm Monday to Saturday
12 noon – 3 pm Sunday
Please check the Cathedral website in case there are services or other events that may result in temporary closures during these times
Art Trail Map
This art trail map is not to scale. For an accurate map go to: covnunmethodist.org.uk
Dates for your diary
LAUNCH EVENT
Friday 3 September
Starting at Coventry Cathedral then moving to Coventry Central Hall
5pm Coventry Cathedral Evensong
6.30pm Coventry Central Hall
In attendance will be the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference, Revd Sonia Hicks and Mrs Barbara Easton.
List of churches' programme of activities as part of the Coventry City of Culture 2021 (listed in order of the Art Trail itself)
Tuesday 28 September
Lunchtime In Conversation with John Neilson and Chair of the Methodist Modern Art Collection, Professor Ann Sumner, on John’s recent publication The Inscriptions of Ralph Beyer.
Professor Ann Sumner Chair of the Methodist Modern Art Collection talks to author and lettercarver John Neilson about his recently published book The Inscriptions of Ralph Beyer. The discussions will focus in particular on the Son of Man Tablet of the Word at Coventry Cathedral, for which the Methodist Modern Art Collection owns a preparatory drawing currently on loan to the Cathedral as part of the City of Culture, Stories of Change: Hope, Faith, Love Art Trail. Beyer came to Britain as a refugee aged 16 from Nazi Germany and Neilson’s book outlines his career and contextualises his major commission to create the large scale Tablets of the Word in Coventry Cathedral. Booking essential. Opportunity for acquiring signed books by the author afterwards the Cathedral Bookshop.
For more information please visit the Coventry Cathedral website and/or their Facebook event.
2. Coventry Central Hall
Artist in residence
Wednesday 29 September
Hope, Faith and Love – the Story of the Methodist Modern Art Collection in the context of Post War British Religious Painting - A LECTURE
Join us as Professor Ann Sumner, Chair Methodist Modern Art Collection Management Committee, holds a lecture as part of the Stories of Change: Hope, Faith and Love Art Trail.
Wednesday 29 September
7-8pm
3. Earlsdon
Children’s Craft Sessions inspired by the paintings
Saturday 11th 10.30am-12noon
Sunday 19th 2-4pm
Saturday 25th 10.30am- 12noon
Sunday 3rd 2-4 pm
4. Balsall Common Methodist ChurchSaturday 4th September
11am-4pm
An interactive art event with a spiritual bias, called Sea of Troubles, based on the Maggi Hambling.
Saturday 11th September
10am-4pm
A full day hands-on creative textile session responding to the art works primarily aimed at the Solihull Creative Textiles group, but open to the public by advance booking, with a small charge made to cover the cost of materials.
Sunday 12th September
1-4pm
A dementia friendly activity.
Saturday 25th September
11.15am-12n and 2.15-3pm
Two family-oriented poetry workshops entitled Take One Word.
Sunday 26th September
2-3.30pm
In the Picture: a workshop on ekphrastic poetry.
Saturday 2nd October
11am-4pm
An art workshop entitled Answering Back.
5. St Mary and All Saints Church, Fillongley
Estelle Robinson PASTELS Fri 3rd Sat 4th & Sun 5th Sept
As an Artist, I am inspired by colour, expression, good light or anything that catches my eye with the challenge being to create the perfect tones and shadows, I love contrast.
Art is a hobby for me and a mile away from my day job but it is a significant hobby. In the early days pencil was my medium of choice but I now paint mostly in pastel. It was the discovery of textured pastel papers that was a revelation, for me they turn pastels into a versatile and forgiving medium that affords bright and vibrant colours. Using both sticks and pencils, I can build up in layers to achieve a sharp and detailed finished piece.
Jayne Good WET on WET OILS Fri 10th Sat 11th & Sun 12th Sept
Jayne Good is a certified Bob Ross Instructor and has been demonstrating and teaching this fascinating technique for 18 years. Jayne primarily holds Joy of Painting workshops at her garden studio in Leicestershire but also travels across the country spreading the word of Bob Ross who said that anyone can paint this wet on wet oil technique. www.paintingwithjayne.co.uk
Deborah Wood ACRYLICS & COLOURED PENCILS Fri 17th Sat 18th & Sun 19th Sept
Having taught Art for forty years in secondary school I developed a passion for working in Acrylics and Coloured Pencils. Sometime I combine the two mediums to achieve greater details. I enjoy doing studies of animals seascapes and landscapes as well as flowers and some commissions. I usually spend between 4 and 10 hours on each piece and once finished I scan in the original and sell cards and prints. After building up a collection of works I started to sell the original art work.
Julie Hyde WATERCLOURS Fri 24th Sat 25th & Sun 27th Sept
Local Artist Julie Hyde will be showing some of her own work and demonstrating watercolour painting. Julie is the founder of Centre of England Arts and has been running weekly classes in watercolours and drawing for many years. She has had a lifelong passion for art and loves to show people how they can achieve their own masterpieces. Julie says “Watercolours are the most difficult and frustrating media to use but if you learn to just go with it, you can create the most beautiful paintings”.
Fri 1st Sat 2nd & Sun 3rd October
To be confirmed
Any questions please email publishing@methodistchurch.org.uk
#HopeFaithLove
***This page will be updated regularly so please return soon for the full art trail programme***.