Welcome to Class, Covid & Cumbria, featuring Grayson Perry, Rosie Galloway-Smith, Joseph Hardman, Juliet Klottrup and MEND, on display at Blackwell- the Arts & Crafts house from 22 October – 27 February 2022.

We reflect on the historic events of the past two years in Cumbria. In partnership with the Currell Collection, Class, Covid & Cumbria delves into the realities of life during lockdown. 

Through a series of displays, commissions and community work, the exhibition highlights personal stories of the pandemic from across the county.

The Importance of Place

The places we are from and the areas in which we live often play an important role in shaping who we become. 

Inspired by Grayson Perry’s intricate tapestry, The Annunciation of the Virgin Deal, on loan from the Currell Collection, this display looks at the impact that place and social class have on our lives. 

GRAYSON PERRY (b.1960) The Annunciation of the Virgin Deal, 2012. Wool, cotton, acrylic, polyester and silk tapestry. On loan from the Currell Collection Copyright the Artist, courtesy of Victoria Miro Gallery.

The Annunciation of the Virgin Deal, 2012, is part of a series of six tapestries that tells a story of class, taste, aspiration and identity and is kindly on loan from the Currell Collection. 

Curator Video

Curator, Naomi Garriff, offers an in-depth look at Grayson Perry tapestry, The Annunciation of the Virgin Deal, 2012.

Through the Lens

The coronavirus lockdowns and the restrictions that accompanied them had a significant impact on people’s lives, affecting everything from our daily routines and working arrangements, to socialising with friends and family. Some of these changes were incredibly difficult. Fear for our own health and that of our loved ones, mixed with financial worries, weighed heavy on many people’s minds. Whilst the slowed pace of living and the ability to focus on oneself brought about unexpected positives for some.

Through a series of images by renowned local photographer Joseph Hardman and award winning young Cumbrian photographer Juliet Klottrup, this display explores personal stories of the pandemic in Cumbria.

Joseph Hardman

Born in Radcliffe, near Manchester in 1893, Joseph Hardman was a prolific photographer who captured Lakeland life in the early-twentieth century. Hardman moved to Kendal in 1911 and quickly formed a fascination with the area and its traditions. He joined the local Photographic Society and began travelling across the breadth of Westmorland, taking photographs of the people and places he encountered along the way.

His work captured a county in the midst of great change as post-war modernisation began to sweep the region. Once thriving farming communities and their traditions were slowly dying out and South Cumbria began to turn towards tourism-led industries.

Despite the images in this display being taken almost a century ago, Hardman’s portraits and landscapes still resonate today as the county experiences new changes brought about by the pandemic.

Juliet Klottrup

Cumbrian born Juliet Klottrup is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and producer whose candid images capture both the joy and the isolation of growing up in the rural north. Following in the footsteps of Joseph Hardman before her, Klottrup’s work is an important documentation of Cumbria’s living heritage.

Video interview with Juliet Klottrup

Julia Klottrup talks to us about her photographic work showcased in the Autumn 2021 exhibition – Class, Covid & Cumbria. She shares more about the content of each piece and the stories of those captured in her portraits.

Amy Boud

Song for Beltane

Music video
2021

Song for Beltane is a new lake district folk song, written and composed by Singer/Songwriter Amy Boud and commissioned for the Mudwood Club’s Beltane celebration as part of the MEND project. The Mud Wood Club was set up in the summer of 2020 by local farmer, home educator and environmental activist Meg Johnson, as a space for children to experience farm and forest life. The song tells the story of the flora and fauna of Cumbria in spring and the tradition of lighting fires for Beltane, the Celtic fertility festival.

Find out more about Amy Boud on our MEND Micro-Commissions page or visit her website, Playful Nature.

This project was made possible thanks to The Granada Foundation.

Supported by