Here's the list of events since 2002.
2024
February: “Jane Morris, the Pre-Raphaelite Muse”. Lecture on the wife of
2023
William Morris by John Hawks, Founder of Merton Abby Mills (UK), Director of Wandle Heritage
Limited and curator of the Merton Prior Chapter House and Museum.
March: Birthday Party for William Morris’s 190th Birthday and Lecture “Where is
our William Morris? Morrissian Ideals Internationally”, by Antonia Behan, Assistant Professor of
Design History & Material Cultures in a Global World at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.
Held at Enoch Turner School House in Toronto. Organized by WMSC Board members. Unveiling of the cake with Morris' Persian pattern by Lera Kotsyuba!
April: Zoom lecture “Bill Reid [1920-1998] : His Life and Legacy”. By Aliya Boubard,
Curator at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in Vancouver, British Columbia.
May: Zoom lecture “Introducing Greene & Greene”, brother architects influenced by
Morris-inspired Arts & Crafts tradition, and designers of Gamble House. By Jennifer Trotoux,
Director of Collections; Interpretation at Gamble House in Pasadena, California, USA.
June: “Morris Influences at Queen’s Park”. Guided tour for WMSC members and
friends by WMSC member Aisling Joe, Education Officer at the Ontario Legislative Assembly.
September: AGM and lecture by Tim Morawetz on Art Deco in Canada, at the Textile Museum of Canada and on Zoom.
October: WMSC members trip to St. Catherine's, Ontario.
2023
January: Zoom lecture "Morris at Merton", a lecture from the UK by John Hawks. The “Merton Abbey works” because this had once been the historic site of a major priory - which would certainly have appealed to the passionate medievalist in Morris, though more important to him was the water quality of the River Wandle which flows through Merton, a chalk stream ideal for his traditional processes.
February: Guided tour of the "The Sister Arts: Fashioning the Victorian Luxury Book" exhibition at the library. The exhibition explores the ways that luxury book manufacture came to provide roles for women in the book arts, initiating a sisterhood of illustrators, illuminators, engravers, designers, compositors, and even publishers.
March: 189th Birthday Lecture: “Gardening with silk and gold thread” botanical imagery in the work of the art embroidery designer May Morris, a Zoom lecture by Dr. Lynn Hulse. Unveiling of the cake with May Morris' Melsetter pattern by Lera Kotsyuba!
April: "The Beauty, Politics, and Practicalities of Plants: William Morris and the Garden", a Zoom lecture by Dr. Sarah Leonard, highlighting the importance of the garden to William Morris’s utopian vision and everyday life.
May: A full-day WMSC field trip to Hamilton to check out Radical Stitch, an exhibit of contemporary Indigenous beading at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, with a tour of the exhibit. Also a visit the Royal Botanical Gardens.
September: AGM and Lecture: Unbuilt Architectural Visions by Mark Osbaldeston.
October: WMSC trip to Orillia. A visit the OMAH (Orillia Museum of Art and History) and tour the Arts & Crafts-designed Stephen Leacock House and its grounds on the shores of Lake Couchiching.
November: "The Life & Work of J.H. Dearle", a Zoom lecture by Mallory Horrill. This talk examined Dearle’s extraordinary 54-year career at Morris & Co, his relationship with Morris and the contribution he made to the development of the English interior in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
December: The WMSC holiday dinner party was held on Dec. 5, 2023 at the Faculty Club, at the University of Toronto.
2022
2021
January: Two-part virtual lecture series by Dr. John Wolforth, Prof. Emeritus, McGill. The lectures focus on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the youthful ambitions of its founders (Part I: Perspectives on Pre-Raphaelite Art), and Part II: The Later Pre-Raphaelites, looking at the later years of the movement.
March: Celebrating William Morris’s 188th Birthday with an illustrated online lecture on the history and design of six Arts and Crafts gardens in the UK by WMSC board member Ksenija Klinger, with a virtual cake unveiling of the 'Flora' design!
April: Virtual lecture on pigment sourcing and making paints with Anong Migwans Beam, who in 2018 founded Beam Paints, makers of plastic free paints and watercolours inspired by her culture and pigment gathering of her youth.
May: Virtual film screening of "Not Just a Park: A History of Toronto Island" by Michael Kainer, which features a rich store of archival images, including many drawn from the holdings of the Toronto Public Library's Special Collections.
June: Our first in-person event in quite some time, the Guild Park and Garden Tour!
September: AGM, followed by an illustrated lecture over Zoom by Lawrence Kreisman, on The Arts & Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest.
October: "Kate Elizabeth Bunce and Women's Engagement with Arts & Crafts", a lecture by WMSC Member Azadeh Monzavi. Although her paintings have been discussed in publications focusing on Pre-Raphaelite art and the Arts and Crafts movement, Bunce’s work invites renewed attention for its unique character which bridges stylistic elements of these movements and Aestheticism.
November: Zoom lecture "Designing Preservation: Waterways in the Works and Patterns of William Morris" lecture by Professor Elysia French. Through an exploration of his designs, in which he employs the Thames River as a tool of ecological commentary, it will become clear how Morris’s concerns for environmental preservation, freedom, and justice were embedded within his art.
December: The WMSC holiday dinner party was held on Dec. 20, 2022 at the Faculty Club, at the University of Toronto.
January: The first of our WMSC Emerging Scholars Series lectures, "The Fullness of Life: William Blake, William Morris, and the British New Left" By John P. Murphy, University of San Diego
February: Zoom lecture "Louis C. Tiffany: A Fascination with Glass" By Rosalind Pepall, Curator of Decorative Arts, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
March: Celebrating William Morris’s 187 th Birthday with Poetry and Virtual Cake. with Poetry reading by Gianna, and a short run through of Morris-themed cakes from 2002-present from the cake team (Gianna Wichelow with Laura Bright & Lera Kotsyuba)! Unveiling of the "Briar Rose" pattern cake!
May: Zoom lecture "The Mirror of Everyday Life: Morris’s Book Collecting and the Kelmscott Press"
By Yuri Cowan, Professor Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of
Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway.
June: Zoom lecture "London Churches: After the Fire and After the Blitz" By Carl Benn, History Professor Ryerson University, and former Curator Toronto Museum and Heritage Services.
October: Zoom lecture "Young Poland: The Polish Arts and Crafts Movement", an illustrated lecture by Julia Griffin.
November: An online lecture on The Dragon and the Smith: William Morris, JRR Tolkien and the Legend of Sigurd the Volsung, presented by Dr. Dustin Geeraert.
December: Zoom Holiday Party and cocktail hour, celebrating 40 years of the WMSC!
2020
2019
January: A tour of the MacDonald Block artworks before the building closes for several years for a major renovation project!
February: A talk by Alison Syme, Associate Professor of Modern Art at the University of Toronto. A talk on Pressed Flowers, Burne-Jones, and the Romaunt of the Rose, from visuals traditions to popular culture.
March: Our annual symposium was themed this year on Arts & Crafts Furniture! Insightful and enlightening talks were given by speakers Max Donnelly, Brad Christakos, Peter Fleming, and Leigh Dotey. The symposium finished with a Morris Birthday celebration, celebrating his 185th, with a cake in the "Seaweed" pattern!
May: Tour of Eden Smith's Arts and Crafts Church: St Thomas Anglican in Toronto! Beautiful open-timber roof, gothic revival details, and it boasts the "most beautiful interior in Canada". Featuring stained glass by the Bromsgrove Guild.
Members also attended a historic "Afternoon Tea" at Montgomery Inn celebrating Queen Victoria's 200th birthday.
September: AGM, and a talk on African textiles by Barbara McCann. She spoke about her travels throughout Africa, the rural villages she visited across the continent to collect hand spun, hand dyed, and hand woven textiles.
October: Dr. Rachel Gotlieb gave a talk on pottery and its significance in Victorian painting.
November: Guild Park and Gardens lecture by John Mason, about a 1932 Guild and Scarborough property inspired by Arts and Crafts.
December: Our annual Yuletide dinner was held at the Faculty Club at UofT, filled with friends, delicious food, and unexpected gifts!
2018
January: Group Tour of "Diligence and Elegance: The Nature of Japanese Textiles" at the Textile Museum of Canada, with over 50 textiles and garments from the museum’s collection of 19th and 20th century artifacts made in Japan for both everyday and occasional use. Luxurious silk and gold fabrics produced in Kyoto’s professional weaving workshops are juxtaposed with domestic indigo-dyed cotton, plant-fibre cloth, and silk kimonos crafted in an astonishing spectrum of time-honoured techniques.
February:
1. An exciting talk by Trevor Lloyd about science fiction and time travel in the works of William Morris and HG Wells! Discussion centred around the writing of utopias, and the turn in the literary canon in writing dystopias.
2. A members-only tour of an Arts and Crafts home in Toronto. The property has been the home of renowned stained glass artist Sarah Hall. The house was built by a builder who worked for Eden Smith and who had built two homes to the east. While designing this house for his sister, the builder was inspired by the Eden Smith style of arts and crafts.
March:
In their illustrated talk, Sheila and David Latham told stories about the 25 original works of Pre-Raphaelite art they have happened upon and acquired for their collection over the years. "A Whimsical Pre-Raphaelite Collection" was followed by cake in the 'Artichoke' pattern.
April:
Megan Arnott, U. of Western Michigan, provided an illustrated lecture exploring the history, literature and contemporary images of the Norse visitors in Canada. A joint lecture with the Arts and Letters Club to prepare for our Newfoundland tour!
July/August:
Newfoundland Tour!
October:
1. Lecture by Adrian Gamble; presented jointly with The Arts and Letters Club on Eden Smith. This presentation covered the life and times of Eden Smith, with a focus upon his work, cultural connections, and the evolution of his style throughout the course of his long career.
2. Lecture at the ROM with master block carver Kondra Gangadhar, dye expert Jagada Rajappa, and researcher Rajarshi Sengupta as they explore the local knowledge structures that underlie the arts of carving woodblocks, dyeing with natural sources, and weaving complex silk himroo cloth in the Deccan.
3. Inspired by the true story of Viking swords in the ROM's collections, historian Douglas Hunter offers up a real-life museum detective story. In 1936, long before the discovery of the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, the ROM made a sensational acquisition: the contents of a Viking grave that prospector Eddy Dodd said he had found on his mining claim east of Lake Nipigon. In 1956 the discovery was exposed as an unquestionable hoax, tarnishing the reputation of the museum director, Charles Trick Currelly, who had acquired the relics and insisted on their authenticity.
November:
An illustrated lecture by Clifford Goldfarb about Arthur Conan Doyle, the Toronto connection, and the arts and crafts movement.
December:
WMSC Holiday party! At the stunning Wedgewood room at the UofT Faculty club!
2017
January: "Sheila Hicks: Material Voices" tour at the Textile Museum of Canada
February: Stained Glass Windows and Casavant Frères Organ: Visit to Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, led by Corey Keeble
March: Birthday Celebration in honour of William Morris's 183rd birthday, featuring lecture, "Morris in Oxford" by Dr. Sheila Latham, followed by toast and cake.
April: Lecture by Andrew Pruss, "Eden Smith and Three Carnegie Libraries".
This illustrated talk by architect Andrew Pruss presents the circumstances surrounding the construction of these libraries and Eden Smith’s background, career and work on the projects. It also examined the fabric of these buildings and their evolution since construction.
June: Symposium: "The hand, the head, and the heart": Ruskin, Morris, and Craftsmanship Today
September: "1886: A Year in the Life of William Morris" Lecture by John Wichelow. Countless journeys throughout the British Isles to spread the socialist cause from street corners, his translation of The Odyssey, Home Rule for Ireland, running the business at Merton, discussing the Adoration of the Magi tapestry, working on A Dream of John Ball, appearances in court, precious time with his family, and volumes of correspondence with his numerous friends.
October: 3-Day Bus Tour of East Aurora and Buffalo, NY.
Staying two nights at the beautiful Roycroft Inn. Visiting Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Arts & Crafts exhibition at Burchfield-Penney Gallery, Knox Farm. Plus other Buffalo area historical & architectural sights!
November: "Newfoundland Art and Craft in the 20th Century" by Colleen Lynch
By the end of the 19th century, Newfoundland and Labrador craftspeople were well aware of European, American, and Canadian social and aesthetic movements. Traditional indigenous handwork, the Moravian Mission, Eaton's catalogue, the Grenfell Mission, NONIA, the Jubilee Guilds, all contributed design and manufacturing innovations. Traces of all these influences, plus the post-WWII craft revival, are evident in the province's handwork to this day.
December: The annual William Morris Holiday Dinner!
2016
January: Tour of the Textile Museum of Canada and the exhibition, "Home Economics: 150 Years of Canadian Hooked Rugs"
February: "A Typeface for Canada" - the Work of Carl Dair, Design Pioneer, presentation by Rod McDonald and Stan Bevington and tour to exhibit at Massey College
March: Birthday Celebration in honour of William Morris's 182nd birthday, featuring lecture by potter Joseph Panacci and toast with cake.
April: Lecture by Dr. Ann Gagné: "Ruskin’s Guild: Craft, Nature, and the Influence on Morris"
May: St. James Cemetery Walk, led by John Wichelow
June: WMSC Symposium: William Morris and the Natural World
September: Annual General Meeting and Lecture: 1881: A Year in the Life of William Morris
October: Collingwood Heritage Tour
November: Lecture: The Life and Work of William Morris, presented by Professor William Whitla at the Toronto Reference Library
December: Holiday dinner for members at Le Papillon restaurant
2015
January: From One End of the Earth to the Other: William Morris in Iceland and Australia
Presentations by special guests Martin Stott (William Morris Society UK) and Robert Reason (Art Gallery of South Australia)
February: Women, Art & Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise at the Gardiner Museum
March: Morris’s 181st Birthday Lecture, Architectural Preservation in Upper Canada: a case study with Brian Blackstock and Don McLean, followed by celebration with cake
April: Craft Ontario / Craft in Ontario: A talk presented by Janna Hiemstra, curator of the Craft Ontario Gallery, with Leopold Kowolik, Editor in Chief of Studio magazine
June: William Morris's Radicalism: A talk presented by Michelle Weinroth
August: News From Nowhere Book Discussion and Picnic on Hanlan's Point, led by Professor William Whitla
September: AGM and 1876: A Year in Morris, presented by John Wichelow
October: Elgin and Norfolk Craft and Heritage Weekend Tour
November: Celebrating 125 Years of William Morris's News From Nowhere. A lecture by William Whitla presented with the Toronto Reference Library
December: Holiday Dinner at The Hot House
2014
January: The Clay Room, a hands-on event
February: Photography and Pre-Raphaelitism. Illustrated lecture by Diane Waggoner from the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
March: Symposium and Birthday Celebration: Morris and History: historical transformations in William Morris's poetry, prose and design.
May: 1. Elaine Waisglass photography exhibit "The Beauty of Life" and garden party
2. Architectural Tour of University College, led by Sharon Vattay
September: Annual General Meeting and Lecture: The Art of the Book by Reg Beatty
October: Fall Excursion to Prince Edward County
November: Arts and Letters Club Reception and Lecture by Glass Artist Stuart Reid
December: Yuletide Dinner
2013
January: Lecture: In the Wake of John Ruskin, from William Morris to Northrop Frye
February: Private Viewing of Illustrations and Letters by Beatrix Potter, and Tea
March 2013: William Morris Birthday Presentation and Party
April 2013: Utopian and Dystopian Literature
May/June: Arts and Crafts Tour to Southern England
September: Annual General Meeting, Board Election, WMSC British Tour Revisited
October: WMSC/Toronto Public Library Joint Lecture: The Yellow Book, 1890s Print Culture and the Digital Vision
November: Excursion to Ottawa
December: Yuletide Dinner
2012
January: Tapestries, Persian Ornament and William Morris
February: William de Morgan: Modern or Anti-Modern?
March: Building with Nature: Inspiration for the Arts and Crafts Home, A New Chronology
April: Through Mind and Hand to Health
May: Celestial Radiance: Stained Glass in the Church of the Transfiguration
June: A Year in My Arts and Crafts Garden
September: Annual General Meeting and Lecture
October: Excursion to Hamilton: Royal Botanical Gardens and Arts & Crafts Architecture
November: Crisis at Christmas: Morris, Dickens and the Victorian Hero
December: Yuletide Dinner
2011
February: Lecture: Upper Canada's First Parliament Buildings
March: Symposium: Beautiful and Sustainable: 19th to 21st Century Visions of a Garden City
April: Lecture: Otto Wagner: Leading Light of the Vienna Secession
May: Lecture: Artists, Architects, Artisans: Canadian Art 1890 to 1918
June: Day Trip to Durham
September: Annual General Meeting and Lecture
October: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
November: Trip to Buffalo and Roycroft, East Aurora, NY
December: Yuletide Dinner
2010
January: Architecture Lecture and Tour of Massey College, University of Toronto
February: Pub Night!
March: Morris Boston and Birthday Fete
April: Reading the Real Pre-Raphaelites
May: William Morris's Plant Imagery
June: Tour of the Craft Studio at Harbourfront Centre
October: U.S. Tour and International William Morris Conference
2009
January: Stickley Road Show Lecture
February: Midwest Architecture Revisited
March: The WMSC Symposium: The Art of the Book
April: Holman Hunt: "Branding" a Vision
May: Arts and Crafts Walking Tour of Indian Road and Environs
June: Craft Studio Bus Tour
October: Dundas and Hamilton Arts and Crafts Excursion
November: William Morris and Richard Wagner: Master Craftsmen at Cross Purposes
December: Yuletide Celebration
2008
January: Playing with Fire
February: 2007 Morris Tour Revisited
March: In Honour of Morris's Birthday
April: Inside Toronto: Urban Interiors, 1880s-1920s
May: A Visit to Wychwood Park
September: Annual General Meeting and Great Gardens and Homes in Wales
November: From Red House to Wychwood Park: Arts and Crafts Architecture in Britain and Canada
December: Yule Celebration
2007
January: Welcome to New Members: An Introduction to the Life and Work of William Morris
February: Sweetness and Light: How Aesthetic Architecture Came to Ontario
March: The WMSC Symposium: "In the Footsteps of William Morris"
April: "Voyages to 'Nowhere': the Politics of Pastoral and the Perils of the Utopian Form"
May: Arts and Crafts Gardens of California
June: Arts and Crafts Tour: Northern England and Scotland
July: Tour of Historic 1840 Tollkeeper's Cottage
September: Annual General Meeting
October: Exploring Historic Cemeteries
November: Ceramics Today
December: Yuletide Dinner
2006
January: Pub Night
February: WMSC Symposium on Historical Preservation
March: A party to celebrate Morris's 172nd birthday and the WMSC's 25th anniversary.
May: Morris and Medieval Material Culture
August: Shaw's Debt to Morris
November: Between Hell and England: Finding Ourselves in the Present Text
December: Yuletide Dinner
2005
January: A Tour of Carlhu Hall
February: Carpet Design
March: Arts and Crafts Gardens: True Inspiration
May: A Trip to Cranbrook and Kalamazoo
September: Annual General Meeting and Cranbrook / Kalamazoo Reunion
October: WMSC Trip to Major Arts and Crafts Exhibitions
November: Collecting Arts and Crafts Furniture and Preview of WMSC Trip to England
December: Yuletide Party
2004
February: Christina Rossetti's Notes on Genesis and Exodus
March: The Grange Spring Lecture: "The Greatest Pleasure I Have Ever Had"
May: Eden Smith in High Park and Beyond
June: 12-Day Trip to Normandy and Brittany
July: A Visit to the Toronto Islands
September: AGM and Trip to France Reunion. Also, WMSC at Word on the Street
October: Morris Panel at NAVSA Conference
November: Useful Work Versus Useless Toil
December: Yuletide Party
2003
February: Talk: William Morris's Revision of the Picturesque
March: The Grange Spring Lecture
April: Heritage Preservation in Toronto
May: WMSC Trip To New England and Upstate New York
September: Annual General Meeting and Textile Dyeing in Toronto. Also, WMSC at Word on the Street
October: Trip to Ottawa
November: Departures, Dying and Death in Pre-Raphaelite Paintings
December: Yuletide Party
2002
September: AGM & Arts and Crafts Houses in Toronto
October: Bus Trip to St. Catharines
November: A New Members' Evening: An Introduction to William Morris.
October: Online Zoom lecture "Unbuilt Toronto: Queen’s Park and the University of Toronto Campus"
By Mark Osbaldeston, Toronto Author and Architectural & planning historian.
November: A Zoom lecture on "David Parr House: An Extraordinary Cambridge House"
By Tamsin Wimhurst from Cambridge, UK.
December: Zoom Holiday Party!
2019
January: A tour of the MacDonald Block artworks before the building closes for several years for a major renovation project!
February: A talk by Alison Syme, Associate Professor of Modern Art at the University of Toronto. A talk on Pressed Flowers, Burne-Jones, and the Romaunt of the Rose, from visuals traditions to popular culture.
March: Our annual symposium was themed this year on Arts & Crafts Furniture! Insightful and enlightening talks were given by speakers Max Donnelly, Brad Christakos, Peter Fleming, and Leigh Dotey. The symposium finished with a Morris Birthday celebration, celebrating his 185th, with a cake in the "Seaweed" pattern!
May: Tour of Eden Smith's Arts and Crafts Church: St Thomas Anglican in Toronto! Beautiful open-timber roof, gothic revival details, and it boasts the "most beautiful interior in Canada". Featuring stained glass by the Bromsgrove Guild.
Members also attended a historic "Afternoon Tea" at Montgomery Inn celebrating Queen Victoria's 200th birthday.
September: AGM, and a talk on African textiles by Barbara McCann. She spoke about her travels throughout Africa, the rural villages she visited across the continent to collect hand spun, hand dyed, and hand woven textiles.
October: Dr. Rachel Gotlieb gave a talk on pottery and its significance in Victorian painting.
November: Guild Park and Gardens lecture by John Mason, about a 1932 Guild and Scarborough property inspired by Arts and Crafts.
December: Our annual Yuletide dinner was held at the Faculty Club at UofT, filled with friends, delicious food, and unexpected gifts!
2018
January: Group Tour of "Diligence and Elegance: The Nature of Japanese Textiles" at the Textile Museum of Canada, with over 50 textiles and garments from the museum’s collection of 19th and 20th century artifacts made in Japan for both everyday and occasional use. Luxurious silk and gold fabrics produced in Kyoto’s professional weaving workshops are juxtaposed with domestic indigo-dyed cotton, plant-fibre cloth, and silk kimonos crafted in an astonishing spectrum of time-honoured techniques.
February:
1. An exciting talk by Trevor Lloyd about science fiction and time travel in the works of William Morris and HG Wells! Discussion centred around the writing of utopias, and the turn in the literary canon in writing dystopias.
2. A members-only tour of an Arts and Crafts home in Toronto. The property has been the home of renowned stained glass artist Sarah Hall. The house was built by a builder who worked for Eden Smith and who had built two homes to the east. While designing this house for his sister, the builder was inspired by the Eden Smith style of arts and crafts.
March:
In their illustrated talk, Sheila and David Latham told stories about the 25 original works of Pre-Raphaelite art they have happened upon and acquired for their collection over the years. "A Whimsical Pre-Raphaelite Collection" was followed by cake in the 'Artichoke' pattern.
April:
Megan Arnott, U. of Western Michigan, provided an illustrated lecture exploring the history, literature and contemporary images of the Norse visitors in Canada. A joint lecture with the Arts and Letters Club to prepare for our Newfoundland tour!
July/August:
Newfoundland Tour!
October:
1. Lecture by Adrian Gamble; presented jointly with The Arts and Letters Club on Eden Smith. This presentation covered the life and times of Eden Smith, with a focus upon his work, cultural connections, and the evolution of his style throughout the course of his long career.
2. Lecture at the ROM with master block carver Kondra Gangadhar, dye expert Jagada Rajappa, and researcher Rajarshi Sengupta as they explore the local knowledge structures that underlie the arts of carving woodblocks, dyeing with natural sources, and weaving complex silk himroo cloth in the Deccan.
3. Inspired by the true story of Viking swords in the ROM's collections, historian Douglas Hunter offers up a real-life museum detective story. In 1936, long before the discovery of the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, the ROM made a sensational acquisition: the contents of a Viking grave that prospector Eddy Dodd said he had found on his mining claim east of Lake Nipigon. In 1956 the discovery was exposed as an unquestionable hoax, tarnishing the reputation of the museum director, Charles Trick Currelly, who had acquired the relics and insisted on their authenticity.
November:
An illustrated lecture by Clifford Goldfarb about Arthur Conan Doyle, the Toronto connection, and the arts and crafts movement.
December:
WMSC Holiday party! At the stunning Wedgewood room at the UofT Faculty club!
2017
January: "Sheila Hicks: Material Voices" tour at the Textile Museum of Canada
February: Stained Glass Windows and Casavant Frères Organ: Visit to Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, led by Corey Keeble
March: Birthday Celebration in honour of William Morris's 183rd birthday, featuring lecture, "Morris in Oxford" by Dr. Sheila Latham, followed by toast and cake.
April: Lecture by Andrew Pruss, "Eden Smith and Three Carnegie Libraries".
This illustrated talk by architect Andrew Pruss presents the circumstances surrounding the construction of these libraries and Eden Smith’s background, career and work on the projects. It also examined the fabric of these buildings and their evolution since construction.
June: Symposium: "The hand, the head, and the heart": Ruskin, Morris, and Craftsmanship Today
This one-day event
was jointly hosted by The Guild of St. George and the William Morris Society of
Canada. The symposium focused 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.
September: "1886: A Year in the Life of William Morris" Lecture by John Wichelow. Countless journeys throughout the British Isles to spread the socialist cause from street corners, his translation of The Odyssey, Home Rule for Ireland, running the business at Merton, discussing the Adoration of the Magi tapestry, working on A Dream of John Ball, appearances in court, precious time with his family, and volumes of correspondence with his numerous friends.
October: 3-Day Bus Tour of East Aurora and Buffalo, NY.
Staying two nights at the beautiful Roycroft Inn. Visiting Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Arts & Crafts exhibition at Burchfield-Penney Gallery, Knox Farm. Plus other Buffalo area historical & architectural sights!
November: "Newfoundland Art and Craft in the 20th Century" by Colleen Lynch
By the end of the 19th century, Newfoundland and Labrador craftspeople were well aware of European, American, and Canadian social and aesthetic movements. Traditional indigenous handwork, the Moravian Mission, Eaton's catalogue, the Grenfell Mission, NONIA, the Jubilee Guilds, all contributed design and manufacturing innovations. Traces of all these influences, plus the post-WWII craft revival, are evident in the province's handwork to this day.
December: The annual William Morris Holiday Dinner!
2016
January: Tour of the Textile Museum of Canada and the exhibition, "Home Economics: 150 Years of Canadian Hooked Rugs"
February: "A Typeface for Canada" - the Work of Carl Dair, Design Pioneer, presentation by Rod McDonald and Stan Bevington and tour to exhibit at Massey College
March: Birthday Celebration in honour of William Morris's 182nd birthday, featuring lecture by potter Joseph Panacci and toast with cake.
April: Lecture by Dr. Ann Gagné: "Ruskin’s Guild: Craft, Nature, and the Influence on Morris"
May: St. James Cemetery Walk, led by John Wichelow
June: WMSC Symposium: William Morris and the Natural World
September: Annual General Meeting and Lecture: 1881: A Year in the Life of William Morris
October: Collingwood Heritage Tour
November: Lecture: The Life and Work of William Morris, presented by Professor William Whitla at the Toronto Reference Library
December: Holiday dinner for members at Le Papillon restaurant
2015
January: From One End of the Earth to the Other: William Morris in Iceland and Australia
Presentations by special guests Martin Stott (William Morris Society UK) and Robert Reason (Art Gallery of South Australia)
February: Women, Art & Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise at the Gardiner Museum
March: Morris’s 181st Birthday Lecture, Architectural Preservation in Upper Canada: a case study with Brian Blackstock and Don McLean, followed by celebration with cake
April: Craft Ontario / Craft in Ontario: A talk presented by Janna Hiemstra, curator of the Craft Ontario Gallery, with Leopold Kowolik, Editor in Chief of Studio magazine
June: William Morris's Radicalism: A talk presented by Michelle Weinroth
August: News From Nowhere Book Discussion and Picnic on Hanlan's Point, led by Professor William Whitla
September: AGM and 1876: A Year in Morris, presented by John Wichelow
October: Elgin and Norfolk Craft and Heritage Weekend Tour
November: Celebrating 125 Years of William Morris's News From Nowhere. A lecture by William Whitla presented with the Toronto Reference Library
December: Holiday Dinner at The Hot House
2014
January: The Clay Room, a hands-on event
February: Photography and Pre-Raphaelitism. Illustrated lecture by Diane Waggoner from the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
March: Symposium and Birthday Celebration: Morris and History: historical transformations in William Morris's poetry, prose and design.
May: 1. Elaine Waisglass photography exhibit "The Beauty of Life" and garden party
2. Architectural Tour of University College, led by Sharon Vattay
September: Annual General Meeting and Lecture: The Art of the Book by Reg Beatty
October: Fall Excursion to Prince Edward County
November: Arts and Letters Club Reception and Lecture by Glass Artist Stuart Reid
December: Yuletide Dinner
2013
January: Lecture: In the Wake of John Ruskin, from William Morris to Northrop Frye
February: Private Viewing of Illustrations and Letters by Beatrix Potter, and Tea
March 2013: William Morris Birthday Presentation and Party
April 2013: Utopian and Dystopian Literature
May/June: Arts and Crafts Tour to Southern England
September: Annual General Meeting, Board Election, WMSC British Tour Revisited
October: WMSC/Toronto Public Library Joint Lecture: The Yellow Book, 1890s Print Culture and the Digital Vision
November: Excursion to Ottawa
December: Yuletide Dinner
2012
January: Tapestries, Persian Ornament and William Morris
February: William de Morgan: Modern or Anti-Modern?
March: Building with Nature: Inspiration for the Arts and Crafts Home, A New Chronology
April: Through Mind and Hand to Health
May: Celestial Radiance: Stained Glass in the Church of the Transfiguration
June: A Year in My Arts and Crafts Garden
September: Annual General Meeting and Lecture
October: Excursion to Hamilton: Royal Botanical Gardens and Arts & Crafts Architecture
November: Crisis at Christmas: Morris, Dickens and the Victorian Hero
December: Yuletide Dinner
2011
February: Lecture: Upper Canada's First Parliament Buildings
March: Symposium: Beautiful and Sustainable: 19th to 21st Century Visions of a Garden City
April: Lecture: Otto Wagner: Leading Light of the Vienna Secession
May: Lecture: Artists, Architects, Artisans: Canadian Art 1890 to 1918
June: Day Trip to Durham
September: Annual General Meeting and Lecture
October: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
November: Trip to Buffalo and Roycroft, East Aurora, NY
December: Yuletide Dinner
2010
January: Architecture Lecture and Tour of Massey College, University of Toronto
February: Pub Night!
March: Morris Boston and Birthday Fete
April: Reading the Real Pre-Raphaelites
May: William Morris's Plant Imagery
June: Tour of the Craft Studio at Harbourfront Centre
October: U.S. Tour and International William Morris Conference
2009
January: Stickley Road Show Lecture
February: Midwest Architecture Revisited
March: The WMSC Symposium: The Art of the Book
April: Holman Hunt: "Branding" a Vision
May: Arts and Crafts Walking Tour of Indian Road and Environs
June: Craft Studio Bus Tour
October: Dundas and Hamilton Arts and Crafts Excursion
November: William Morris and Richard Wagner: Master Craftsmen at Cross Purposes
December: Yuletide Celebration
2008
January: Playing with Fire
February: 2007 Morris Tour Revisited
March: In Honour of Morris's Birthday
April: Inside Toronto: Urban Interiors, 1880s-1920s
May: A Visit to Wychwood Park
September: Annual General Meeting and Great Gardens and Homes in Wales
November: From Red House to Wychwood Park: Arts and Crafts Architecture in Britain and Canada
December: Yule Celebration
2007
January: Welcome to New Members: An Introduction to the Life and Work of William Morris
February: Sweetness and Light: How Aesthetic Architecture Came to Ontario
March: The WMSC Symposium: "In the Footsteps of William Morris"
April: "Voyages to 'Nowhere': the Politics of Pastoral and the Perils of the Utopian Form"
May: Arts and Crafts Gardens of California
June: Arts and Crafts Tour: Northern England and Scotland
July: Tour of Historic 1840 Tollkeeper's Cottage
September: Annual General Meeting
October: Exploring Historic Cemeteries
November: Ceramics Today
December: Yuletide Dinner
2006
January: Pub Night
February: WMSC Symposium on Historical Preservation
March: A party to celebrate Morris's 172nd birthday and the WMSC's 25th anniversary.
May: Morris and Medieval Material Culture
August: Shaw's Debt to Morris
November: Between Hell and England: Finding Ourselves in the Present Text
December: Yuletide Dinner
2005
January: A Tour of Carlhu Hall
February: Carpet Design
March: Arts and Crafts Gardens: True Inspiration
May: A Trip to Cranbrook and Kalamazoo
September: Annual General Meeting and Cranbrook / Kalamazoo Reunion
October: WMSC Trip to Major Arts and Crafts Exhibitions
November: Collecting Arts and Crafts Furniture and Preview of WMSC Trip to England
December: Yuletide Party
2004
February: Christina Rossetti's Notes on Genesis and Exodus
March: The Grange Spring Lecture: "The Greatest Pleasure I Have Ever Had"
May: Eden Smith in High Park and Beyond
June: 12-Day Trip to Normandy and Brittany
July: A Visit to the Toronto Islands
September: AGM and Trip to France Reunion. Also, WMSC at Word on the Street
October: Morris Panel at NAVSA Conference
November: Useful Work Versus Useless Toil
December: Yuletide Party
2003
February: Talk: William Morris's Revision of the Picturesque
March: The Grange Spring Lecture
April: Heritage Preservation in Toronto
May: WMSC Trip To New England and Upstate New York
September: Annual General Meeting and Textile Dyeing in Toronto. Also, WMSC at Word on the Street
October: Trip to Ottawa
November: Departures, Dying and Death in Pre-Raphaelite Paintings
December: Yuletide Party
2002
September: AGM & Arts and Crafts Houses in Toronto
October: Bus Trip to St. Catharines
November: A New Members' Evening: An Introduction to William Morris.
