Media release: 17 October 2024

Opens at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum

Saturday 26 October

  • Atchin Tan opens at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum on 26 October until 5 January 2025
  • Works on loan from Tate include Gainsborough, Turner and Munnings
  • Includes newly commissioned artworks

The new exhibition Atchin Tan opens at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum on 26 October until 5 January 2025.

The exhibition is a visual journey through time of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities; historically Worcestershire’s largest ethnic minority and an integral part of the county’s culture and agricultural year. Curated by Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum with members of the communities, the exhibition features artworks on loan from Tate by Turner, Gainsborough and Munnings, alongside newly commissioned artworks.

The exhibition has sprung from Museums Worcestershire’s Vardo Project; a project to add to the history of Worcestershire’s unique and rare collection of Vardoes (horse-drawn wagons) which is the largest and most complete collection in the UK.

Atchin Tan is the Romani phrase for Stopping Place. Atchin Tan – Travelling Through Art is a journey through art history, stopping to explore at various periods of time representations depicting a community that has long been present. The journey begins with some of the earliest representations of travelling life, through to modern representations by contemporary Romani artists, including works demonstrating skills from endangered crafts.

As well as enjoying nationally renowned artworks, visitors to Atchin Tan can hear oral histories, enjoy traditional Romani storytelling, and leaf through family photograph albums, whilst discovering how Romani identity has been portrayed through time. Traditional items and items handmade for the exhibition will be on display in Crystal’s Vardo in the centre of the gallery.

To celebrate the opening day of the exhibition, storyteller Richard O’Neill will be performing ‘Colours of My Wagon’ on Saturday 26 October at 11am, 12noon, and 1pm. The stories are suitable for all ages and admission is free.

Deborah Fox, Senior Curator at the Art Gallery and Museum commented: “This exhibition records the stories of communities which have been historically important to Worcestershire. It is a privilege to have worked with people from these communities and to be able to show their history through these amazing artworks by nationally renowned artists and brand-new commissions”.

Atchin Tan at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum is part of The Vardo Project based at Worcestershire County Museum at Hartlebury Castle and has received funding from the John Ellerman Foundation and the Elmley Foundation.

The exhibition opens on Saturday 26 October and runs until Sunday 5 January 2025. Admission is free and the Art Gallery & Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm and Sunday 10am – 3pm.

For more information and to see a list of associated events, please visit www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

ENDS

Press contact:

For further information contact:

Helen Large, at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum on email Helen.Large@worcester.gov.uk

Image Credit: Landscape with Gipsies, Thomas Gainsborough, 1753-4. Bequeathed by Mrs Arthur James 1948. Photo: Tate

There will be a photo opportunity at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum on Thursday 24 October, 11am.

Exhibition Details:

Atchin Tan

Travelling Through Art

Saturday 26 October – Sunday 5 January 2025 | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm, Sunday 10am – 3pm

FREE entry

A visual journey through time of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities, co-curated with members of the communities and featuring artwork by Turner, Gainsborough and Munnings alongside new commissions by Romani artists.

Associated events:

Storytelling | Colours of My Wagon, Saturday 26 October, Saturday 16 November, Saturday 7 December, 11am, 12pm, 1pm.

Colours of My Wagon is a storytelling and woodcraft performance which brings to life the ever-changing and adapting culture of Romani people, from the significance of the colour schemes of the wagons and the symbols painted on them, to the crafts that were made to pay the wagon-builders.

Saturday Talk | It’s Kushti to Rokker Family Connections (It’s Good to Talk Family Connections), Saturday 2 November, 11am – 12noon.

Kelly Horsley, descendant of Beulah (Freedom) Smith, whose portrait by Dame Laura Knight is exhibited in Atchin Tan – Travelling Through Art, discusses her family connections, and Romani heritage and culture in this hour-long talk. £6.50.

Bite-size Talk | Romani Arts, Tuesday 12 November, 2 – 2.30pm.

Be introduced to Romani arts in the autumn exhibition, Atchin Tan – Travelling Through Art, by the Vardo Project Curator at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum. £4.50.

Saturday Talk | The Baby and the Snake, Saturday 23 November, 11am – 12noon.

A screening of The Baby and the Snake will follow a short introduction to the film by the director Corrina Eastwood. Following the screening there will opportunity for audience members to ask Corrina questions about the film, her identity and wider practice. £6.50.

Tickets for bookable events are available at www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk

About Museums Worcestershire

Museums Worcestershire is the joint museum service of Worcester City and Worcestershire County Councils. It comprises three fantastic venues– Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, The Commandery in Worcester and The County Museum at Hartlebury Castle.

The collections and exhibitions at our sites are many and varied, covering centuries of the county’s history right up to the present day. Thousands of objects, including the historic buildings themselves, are brought to life through innovative exhibitions and events throughout the year.

www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk