The Beauty of the Earth: the Art of May and William Morris. Lecture to be given by Dr. Suzanne Fagence Cooper.

• Region: West Midlands
• Type: Talk
• Cost: Free

The lecture takes place at The Birmingham and Midland Institute, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham. B3 3BS at 1PM.

The designs created by William Morris and his daughter May abound with greenery and growing things. Orchards, hedgerows, kitchen gardens and wild woods all provided inspiration for their art and lectures.

Throughout their lives, they looked for ways to connect domestic spaces with their gardens, as they constructed beautiful patterns from honeysuckle, apple blossom and roses. Their creativity was bound up with a recognition of the fragility of the natural world. In his lecture ’Art and the Beauty of the Earth”, William Morris urged his audience to take responsibility for protecting their environment. He believed that artists should lead the way as activists and advocates for Nature.

This talk accompanies a new exhibition curated by Suzanne Fagence Cooper for 2025-26 in Wincester.

Dr. Suzanne Fagence Cooper is a writer, broadcaster and curator with expertise in 19th and 20th century British art and culture. She spent 12 years at the V&A Museum, researching the Victorian collection, and is in demand as historical consultant for TV and film. She is an invited lecturer for the Arts Society and Cunard voyages. Suzanne was Research Cuator for ‘Ruskin, Turner and the Storm Cloud ‘ (York Art Gallery, 2019). She has written ‘The Model Wife: Effie Gray, Ruskin & Millais’ and ‘To See Clearly: Why Ruskin Matters’. Her latest book is ‘At Home with Jane and William Morris’.

Tickets are available to book on: pre-raphaelitesociety.org Click on Events for access to book tickets or contact our Events Secretary, Chimaine Ross at eventsprsoc@gmail.com