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The Gerrard Chronicles 2002 |
Avis' Art SceneAvis has continued to sell prints through her agent, Hannah Swann in Muswell Hill and there are plans to create a cafe in Hannah’s shop with Avis’s Carnival of Venice show from Saturday 14th December at Arch Trading, 1, The Viaduct, St James' Lane, Muswell Hill. Last year we mentioned that Avis was the librarian of the Artists Union in the seventies. This group of artists set up a national union which lasted for ten years but was eventually killed by Thatcherism about the time Avis married Ken. She kept all the minutes, national and regional newsletters (there were six regions), records of five national conferences which alternated between a region and London, information about artists’ organisations abroad, many countries, like Holland and Canada treating artists much better than here, and papers from meetings on subjects like copyright. A curator friend recommended Avis offer these to the Tate archive and they were delighted with them. This coincided with a new multi-million pound archive being built for British art records at Tate Britain. As a reward Avis has been made a donor which means free entry for life to paying exhibitions at all four Tates for her and one other (although Ken also joined as a Friend as he thinks they need the funds). She and Ken went to a grand party to open the archive on April 23rd. Avis is in touch with some of the former members of the union through the internet.
AVIS AT THE TATEAvis has been working as a volunteer in the Tate Archive on Thursdays, sorting through the priceless collection of exhibition invitations that Nick Serota has received. This is not a 'nice little job for the ladies'. She needed good references to get it & Chris Smith (ex-Culture Secretary) & Prof. Conrad Atkinson of Davis University, California & the Courtauld, once a prominent 60s lefty artist & member of the Artists Union committee, obliged. |
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Jason's Art SceneJason played in the grim ‘Boy gets Girl’ by Rebecca Gilman at the Royal Court & the hilarious ‘Bedroom Farce’ by Alan Aycbourn which we saw with Avis’ cousins from Derby at Guildford & again in Town. We saw him in the leading rôle of David Garrick in 'A Laughing Matter' (it was, too) & twinned with Goldsmith's 'She Stoops to Conquer' at the charming Bury St. Edmunds theatre, a National Theatre production on a warm-up tour. The set was brilliant as well. After the play, the director, Max Stafford Clark & Playwright, April de Angelis answered the questions of a largely young audience. It starts at the National on December 7th. |
Ken's Art SceneSo many distractions this year! Ken worked fitfully on ‘Victory for Truth’, a 52 minute piece illustrating a struggle between tonal & atonal elements & designed to show that the former are not possible these days. This was much fun to write, despite the slow progress, except for the second movement, which is a kind of elegy for the three one-time colleagues who were in the World Trade Center at the wrong time. CDs available on request. |
SADLERS WELLS' ARTS CLUBTrips to Wilton’s Music Hall, Dennis Severs’ house at 18 Folgate Street (must see experience) & many talks. We took part in a Theatre Workshop & Avis joined the Dance Group, at 67, one of the younger members. Super-beauty Renée Sinclair (right) threw a party for her 94th birthday. |
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OTHER ARTS ACTIVITIESEleven operas: Spontini’s ‘La Vestale’ badly cut at the ENO. They redeemed themselves with a brilliant ‘Lulu’ & as Covent Garden did ‘Wozzeck’, also very well, we saw both Berg operas in one year. Weber's 'Euryanthe' at the Proms. Martyn Jacques' 'Shockheaded Peter', also enjoyed by the grandsons. The entertaining ‘Embalmer’ by Giorgio Battistelli at the Almeida, Chabrier's 'L'Etoile' brilliantly done at the Guildhall School, 'Tosca' at the ENO & the three operas at Edinburgh on this link. Theatre: the grim ‘Gagarin Way’ by Gregory Burke at the Arts, Neil La Bute’s ‘The Distance from Here’, the last at the Almeida at King’s Cross, ‘Benefactors’ by Michael Frayn at the Albery, Nicholas Wright’s disappointing ‘Vincent in Brixton’ at Wyndhams, Sophie Faucher’s ‘La Casa Azul’ brilliant about Frida Kahlo at the Lyric, ‘The Daughter in Law’ by D H Lawrence at the Young Vic, excellently done, ‘Mrs Warren’s Profession’ by GBS at the Strand, Brenda Blethyn very good in the title role & a whole day marathon of Tom Stoppard’s ‘The Coast of Utopia’, three plays that work together about Russian revolutionaries. We've missed out a few. What with several art shows, PVs & concerts, you need to be fit to retire. |
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Contact: Ken Baldry or Avis Saltsman, 17 Gerrard Road, Islington, London N1 8AY +44(0)20 7359 6294 or e-mail him or her This page's URL: http://www.art-science.com/Xmas2002/artscene.html
Last revised 1/12/2002Copyright: Art & Science Ltd 2002 All rights reserved but print it off if you want to.