The William Morris Society of Canada exists to foster knowledge about the life and work of William Morris (1834-1896), the 19th-century English artist, writer, and craftsman. The Society attracts a mixed group of people interested in Morris as a visionary socialist, designer, poet, printer, ecologist, and preservationist. Morris's prodigious energy and enthusiasm are reflected in his numerous activities; he founded the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in 1877, organized the Kelmscott Press in 1891, and ran a successful and extraordinarily influential design firm in London from 1861 until his death.
Morris battled passionately against dehumanization in Victorian society. An exponent and practitioner of traditional crafts and tireless agitator for socialist causes, he stressed the necessity of work for life, not for merely making a living. Morris's thoughts on the need for good design in all areas of life and the role of the arts and their relationship to politics, remains as challenging and relevant today as they were a century ago.
Based in Toronto, the William Morris Society of Canada has a national
membership. Founded in 1981, the Canadian Society is associated with
the William Morris Society of Britain, which was formed in 1955.
Programmes
reflect the range of Morris's interests and examine his continuing
influence on 20th-century thought and practice. These include scholarly
lectures and conferences, walking tours, visits to exhibitions and
collections, and out-of-town trips.
All members receive advance notice of the Society's upcoming events. Canadian members have the option to subscribe to the British society journal (published twice yearly), thereby enjoying
an international network of Morris information and contacts.
"A word or two about the art I have tried to forward... I have
tried to produce goods which should be genuine as far as their mere
substances are concerned, and should have on that account the primary
beauty in them which belongs to naturally treated natural substances;
have tried for, for instance, to make woolen substances as woolen as
possible, cotton as cottony as possible, and so on; have used only the
dyes which are natural and simple, because they produce beauty almost
without the intervention of art..." (William Morris, letter to Emma Lazarus, 21 April 1884; quoted in "A Day in Surrey with William Morris," Century Magazine 32 [July 1886]: 397)
"There is an enormous mass of labour which is just merely wasted;
many thousands of men and women making nothing with terrible and inhuman
toil which deadens the soul and shortens mere animal life itself." (William Morris, "Art and Socialism," 23 January 1884; quoted in A.L. Morton, ed. , Political Writings of William Morris [London: Lawrence and Wishart, 1984], p. 113)
Richard Bishop
Dale Moore
Patrick Brown
Lera Kotsyuba
Board Members
Susan Pekilis
President
Richard Bishop
Event Committee
Dale Moore
Treasurer
Patrick Brown
Secretary
Elaine Parks
Programs
Paula Wilson
Programs
Website and Social Media, Interrim Treasurer
