Announcing This Year's Symposium

Things are warming up at last in Toronto, and last Saturday was particularly special with our society's annual celebration of Morris's birthday (his 183rd!).

Dr. Sheila Latham gave a engrossing and entertaining illustrated presentation to a larger-than-usual audience. The subject was Morris in Oxford, and this was followed (left) by a toast given by Sheila, and birthday cake.

We're still working on other events for the year, but in the meantime, our annual symposium has been announced and it's a special one, co-hosted with The Guild of St. George:

“The hand, the head, and the heart”: Ruskin, Morris, and Craftsmanship Today

Claude T. Bissell Building
Room 205
University of Toronto, St. George Campus
June 3, 2017
10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

This one-day event is jointly hosted by The Guild of St. George and the William Morris Society of Canada. The symposium will focus on the influence of John Ruskin and William Morris on craftsmanship, both in their own time and on those who continue to honour that legacy in their work today. The day will feature scholars and artists from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

For more details, visit our Future Events tab at the top of this page.

Lots to See and Do

We've just updated our Of Interest page (see tab above) to direct you to Morris and Morris-related events coming up around the world.

Please let us know if there's something we've missed!

Flaming June
Frederic Leighton, 1895 ©Museo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.

Fall for Morris!

We have it on good authority that fall is not far off, and in keeping with the shortening days and lengthening nights, the WMSC has got a great line up over three evenings.

Check out our FUTURE EVENTS tab above to find out more.

Our Annual General Meeting takes place on Tuesday, September 20 at the Textile Museum of Canada. The short meeting will be followed by an illustrated lecture, "1881: A Year in Morris" presented by John Wichelow. Last year John presented a similar lecture on 1876. It was a very successful format and that's why we're repeating it. Morris has many highly productive and interesting years in his busy, brilliant life.

Over the weekend of October 15/16 we are running the Collingwood Heritage Tour, another in our series of highly popular weekend excursions, this time to the southern shore of Georgian Bay, where we will explore the area’s history and architecture! As in previous fall excursions, transport will be by luxury coach, and the costs include all meals and overnight accommodation at the Cranberry Resort. These will be two fun, packed days with visits to galleries, musuems, craft studios and a number of architectural treasures from grand homes to a log cabin and even a jail!

On Tuesday, November 1, join us for an illustrated lecture by Professor William Whitla, titled "The Life and Work of William Morris." This is a great way to introduce newbies to the wonderful Morris, so please share this information widely! This lecture is jointly sponsored by the Toronto Reference Library and takes place in the Elizabeth Beeton Auditorium.


Image: Portrait of William Morris by George Frederic Watts

Symposium: Morris and the Natural World

On the weekend of June 25/26, the William Morris Society of Canada enjoyed a gorgeous Toronto weekend, full of nature and Morris.

The Saturday comprised a full-day symposium on the topic, Morris and the Natural World. The speakers and their subjects were as follows:

Designing a new world: Arts and Crafts communities in the Cotswold countryside
Mary Greensted, curator, lecturer and writer
(United Kingdom)

Designing with Flora and Fauna: Morris’s Top 20
Sheila Latham, author, librarian, visual artist
(Canada)

Morris’s Garden at Red House
Sarah Rutherford, writer, garden historian and horticulturist
(United Kingdom)

Natural Heritage Preservation: a Canadian Example
Jim Hill, Superintendent of Heritage, Niagara Parks Commission
(Canada)

The Beauty and Romance of Arts and Crafts Gardens
Sarah Rutherford (see above)

The audience of 80 enjoyed the lectures and lunch at University College, on the U of T campus.

On the Sunday, there was a tour and tea in one of Wychwood Park's most beautiful Arts and Crafts homes. And Toronto didn't disappoint: it had been a beautiful June, unusually warm and sunny and the city was looking beautiful, and Wychwood Park especially so.

Don't forget to keep checking our Future Events page (see tab at the top) to see what else we are getting up to this year!


Photo by Ann Gagné

Events into the Summer Just Announced!

Please visit our Future Events page (tab at the top of this page) for great new events from April into June.

These include a lecture by Dr. Ann Gagne, entitled Ruskin’s Guild: Craft, Nature, and the Influence on Morris, which takes place next  Monday, April 18, at 7:30 in Room 179 of University College.

Then in May we are having the walk that had to postponed several times last summer due to heavy rain over many weekends. Former WMSC president John Wichelow will lead us around St. James' Cemetary, on Saturday May 7, starting at 2 p.m. Both April and May events will end up in a local pub for Morris-inspired fellowship and conversation.

On Sunday, June 25, a day-long symposium, Morris and the Natural World, will coincide happily with the a beautiful time of year in Toronto. There may even be a visit to a special Toronto garden!

Please visit our Future Events page for all the details and more as they come in.

Image: Trees in a lane, perhaps at Ambleside (1847) by John Ruskin (1819-1900)

Happy 182nd Birthday William!

Last Saturday, a group of about 70 members came together at University College to celebrate the 182nd birthday of William Morris. Potter and porcelain artist Joseph Panacci talked very engagingly and enthusiastically about his career, collaborations, influences, Morris, and his passion for wood-fired pottery, assisted by his lovely daughter April, who operated the gorgeous slide show.

Joseph had brought some of his wares which was a good thing, as after the lecture, most of us were salivating to see his pieces in the flesh, as it were. Sales were brisk and then Joseph gave a lovely birthday toast in honour of Morris and the cakes (three this year!) were cut.

The birthday cakes were built by the society cake team of Laura, James and Gianna. They were inspired by the "Faith, Hope and Charity" stained glass windows designed by Edward Burne-Jones and built by Morris & Co. for Christ Church Cathedral Oxford, although this same design has appeared in other churches too. The cakes were three layers of devil's food chocolate cake, sandwiched with frosting, covered in chocolate fondant, with the centres removed to house battery-operated lighting. You can see a video of the cakes, which shows the lighting quite effectively, on our Facebook page.

Of Interest

Keep up to date with what's happening of interest to admirers of William Morris by following our Of Interest page (see tab above). There's a lot happening around the world, in Japan, the U.K., U.S. and here in Canada.

And if we've missed something, please let us know!

Left: Photo of May Morris

Happy New Year!

All of us here at the William Morris Society of Canada wish all our members and readers a joyful, health-filled year, full of discovery, beauty, craft, and Morris-inspired fellowship and inspiration!

Check out our Future Events page (see tab above) for some great events that are being finalized. These include a private visit to Canada's Textile Museum, a stained-glass tour, a full-day symposium, a spring-time walk, more lectures, more pub visits and a Morris birthday celebration (with cake!).

Stay tuned and please follow us on our social media outlets (see the right-hand column for handy links).

Fall into Morris

Toronto has been experiencing a beautiful fall, and a busload of WMSC members enjoyed the colours and flavours of Elgin and Norfolk counties here in Ontario during a weekend visit to craft studios and places of architectural interest. You can enjoy member Lera Kotsyuba's wonderful photo gallery here on our Facebook page.

The two remaining events for the year are a much-anticipated talk by wonderful William Whitla at the Toronto Reference Library, on Morris's utopian News from Nowhere, and the annual holiday dinner, of which members will have received information in their latest mailling. Get all the details on our future events here.

Speaking of members... it’s time to renew your WMSC membership for 2016 and enjoy all the activities planned for the year, including a stained-glass tour, the annual birthday celebration (including cake!) and a special one-day symposium. Memberships run from January to December of each year.

Not yet a member? Join us here! Remember, members get priority booking for trips and other events that require registration and have limited numbers.

Photos by Lera Kotsyuba

A Year in Morris: What a Man!

Last week was the occasion of our Annual General Meeting, hosted at the Textile Museum of Canada. The finances were presented, changes in membership fees were discussed, and the current board was re-elected, with the welcome new addition of Dr. Ann Gagné. After a pause for refreshments, past-President John Wichelow gave a lecture titled 1876: A Year in  Morris. This focus on just one year in William Morris's life gave a clear idea of his prodigious output, his personal drive, his devotion to his family, his playfulness and idealogy. With lots of illustrations and excerpts from Morris letters, this felt like a particularly personal profile, and we hope to repeat this structure in years to come. There are quite a few amazing years to cover!

Announcing Yet Another Excellent Fall Excursion

During the last few years, the WMSC has made a tradition of a short Fall excursion to some lovely part of Ontario, which is always particularly beautiful at that time of year.

This year we're heading to Port Stanley, for our Elgin and Norfolk Craft and Heritage Tour. This will take place the weekend of October 17 and 18. Visit our Future Events tab above to get all the details, including a registration form.

WMSC members will have received the opportunity to book early, but now registration is open to all and there are some spots left!

News From Nowhere - Discussion and Picnic

In celebration of the 125th anniversary of the publication of William Morris's News From Nowhere, a small but potent group of WMSC members attended our book discussion and picnic on Saturday, August 22.

The location was Hanlan's Point, of the Toronto Islands, a 10-minute ferry ride from downtown.

Professor William Whitla gave us a great introduction and led the discussion. For those of you who missed this, Bill will be giving a lecture this November on the same subject. Watch your inbox/mailbox for details!

The weather was perfect, the conversation was fascinating and the company was excellent. There has been a request to do something similar next summer, so if you have any suggestions as to what to read, let us know!

Change of Date!

Please note that the News from Nowhere Discussion and Picnic will now take place on Saturday, August 22. The rain date is now Sunday, August 30. Please RSVP for details. See Future Events for all the information.

Looking Forward

Our St. James Cemetary Walk was postponed for the FOURTH time due to rain! What a summer! So, we're giving up and finding an alternative date in the fall. Fall in Ontario is usually dry and sunny. Fingers crossed!

Thanks to all who came out to Michelle Weinroth's excellent talk on Morris's radicalism, and who joined us at the pub afterwards.

The  next event is the News from Nowhere Book Discussion and Picnic. Led by the erudite and charming Bill Whitla, this is in honour of the 125th anniversary of the publication of William Morris's utopian vision. Click on our Future Events tab for all the details.

Have a great summer... and keep dry!

The Monsoon Summer, AKA a bit of a Weather Whinge

It's stopped raining for five minutes! As I type, I look out the window and see a strange blue canopy overhead - what can it mean? Okay, enough sarcasm from me.

Our St. James Cemetary walk was postponed for the THIRD Sunday due to rain and thunderstorms. It's been rescheduled for this coming Sunday, June 21. IF this Sunday gets rained out, we'll find a new date in the fall to have the walk, hoping that Toronto hasn't been washed away in its entirety by then.

Join us tomorrow night for Michelle Weinrot's talk on William Morris's Radicalism! All the details are in our Future Events page (see tab below our header), including how to RSVP if you wish to join us at the pub afterwards. Well, you don't HAVE to RSVP, but I'm booking a table for those that do. Those that don't can just show up and hang out at the bar!

Rescheduled St. James Cemetary Walk

We have a date for our rescheduled St. James Cemetary Walk: Sunday, June 14 (rain date is Sunday, June 21).

As you might recall, both date options in May were rained out! Today, as I look out the window, it's raining again! Well, at least everything will look lush and green.

Check out the details and more for our future events right here.

Remembering Last March

... because it feels like March!

Ann Gagné, one of our WMSC members, has written a lovely blog post on the Journal of Victorian Culture blog, reviewing our Morris birthday talk and celebration... check it out here!

Staying Dry

Well, it's a droopy Sunday in Toronto. It's May 31st and the weather has dipped below 10 degrees Celsius and it's raining, so we had to postpone our guided walk of St. James Cemetary. Boo! Not to worry, because we're going to find an alternative date.

In the meantime, the website has been updated with events to take us into the fall. Check our Future Events tab (under our masthead) to see what we're getting up to: a talk on Morris and radicalism, a book discussion and picnic inspired by News From Nowhere, and our AGM coupled with a look at a year in Morris's life: 1876.

We hope you'll join us and that, in the meantime, things warm up and you have a splendid start to your summer!

Left: Hanlan's Point, the location of our picnic in August, when things will have hopefully warmed up in Toronto!

Here's a tip to Keeping Warm - Start Making Summer Plans!

Well, that's one good tip anyway. And speaking of making summer plans, under our "OF INTEREST" button above, we list exhibitions and other items of Morris-related interest that are happening here and around the world.

Keep checking back or follow/like us on Facebook to get all the news that will help you plan your travels, and if you hear of anything we haven't got listed, please leave a comment or e-mail us!