Special events to help Courtaulds connect with Preston

Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), Deauville, 1893, © The Samuel Courtauld Trust

A series of special events is being held to accompany the ongoing Courtauld Connects exhibition at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery.

The Courtauld factory at Red Scar employed thousands of local people in rayon manufacturing between 1939 and 1980.

The exhibition, which has been running since February, is part of a UK-wide project that is aiming to get The Courtauld Institute of Art closer to former Courtaulds towns.

Videos, photos and various pieces of factory memorabilia have been on display during the exhibition alongside Deauville, the 1893 French impressionist painting by Eugène Boudin.

The Courtauld Connects exhibition runs until 20 May 2018. Read on for details of the upcoming events.

Talk by The Courtauld Gallery – Wednesday 2 May 2018, 5.30pm-7.30pm

Dr Karen Serres, Curator of Paintings at the Courtauld Gallery, will give a talk about Boudin’s Deauville painting and the gallery’s wider collection. Tickets are available from Eventbrite for £8 (£6 for Friends of the Harris), and booking is essential.

The building was torn down in the 1980s — The Courtaulds building was torn down in the 1980s

Courtauld Reunion Event – Sunday 13 May 2018, 1pm-3pm

Courtauld workers and their families are invited to go along to the Harris to share memories of life at the factory. Any photographs or other Courtauld-related items will be welcomed. Refreshments will be served, and visitors can drop in or stay all afternoon.

Poetry inspired by Deauville – Until Sunday 20 May 2018

Poetry lovers who have been inspired by Boudin’s Deauville painting are invited to submit a poem to the exhibition. Entries will be displayed in the gallery for visitors to read. Poems should be emailed to harris.museum@preston.gov.uk with the subject Deauville Poem, or put in the gallery post box.

Will you be taking part in any of the events? Let us know in the comments below.