Press Releases

Julie Roberts Exhibition at the Museum of English Rural Life

Release Date : 30 May 2007

The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) is delighted to announce it will be hosting an exhibition of artwork by designer-maker Julie Roberts from 5 June. The show marks the culmination of Julie's 18-month placement at MERL as part of an Arts Council initiative, the Setting up Scheme.

MERL, part of the University of Reading, provides the perfect venue to see Julie's solo show, Sculptural Paper, an exhibition of textile and handmade paper pieces that includes lighting, vessels and a large-scale installation.

This exhibition also coincides with the launch of a specially commissioned piece of Julie's artwork at MERL, which will leave a lasting mark of her time spent at the museum.

The installation combines Julie's work with MERL's recently conserved and re-displayed Clayton and Shuttleworth portable steam engine. Textile and paper spheres rise from the engine's chimney and are lit with fibre optics, to represent the engine 'in steam'.

During her time at MERL, Julie has run extremely popular family workshops, encouraging children and adults to have a go at new techniques such as paper and print making.

Julie, a recent graduate from a Textile Crafts degree (Huddersfield University), also works with local schools on arts projects and teaches at the University's Institute of Education. Julie's work has been exhibited locally at Maiden Erlegh Arts gallery, Reading & Artworks MK, Milton Keynes.

"Working at MERL has been a fantastic opportunity" said Julie. "It is a unique working environment and the collections have been a great source of inspiration. Making the commission has enabled me to work on a much larger scale, with new materials, and is the perfect way to draw to a close my hugely enjoyable 18 months at MERL."

For more details of the exhibition please visit www.merl.org.uk/news

For more information on Julie's work, please visit her website www.julieroberts.co.uk

Ends

Note to media:

Media are invited to attend the official opening reception, which will be held on June 6th at 6.30 to 8.30pm. If you wish to come along, please contact Julie Roberts, on 0118 378 8660.



Notes for editors:

1. More information about the Museum of English Rural Life

The Museum of English Rural Life, in London Road, Reading, was founded by the University of Reading in 1951 to reflect and record the changing face of farming and the countryside. It houses designated collections of national importance that span the full range of objects, archives, photographs, film and books. Today, it forms part of the University's Museums and Collections Service. The Museum operates as a major resource and research centre for the history of food, farming and the countryside with links into the School of History and other academic departments at the University.

2. More information About the University of Reading

The University of Reading is one of the foremost research-led universities in the UK. Founded in the nineteenth century and gaining a Royal Charter in 1926, we offer a wide range of programmes from the pure and applied sciences to languages, social sciences and fine art. New research and the latest thinking continually feed into undergraduate teaching, with our academic staff working at the forefront of their fields of expertise.

3. More information about the Setting up Scheme

The South East Setting Up Scheme is an initiative funded by Arts Council England, to help recently graduated or emerging artists, craftspeople and designers set up in business by providing them with grants, workspace and training in the early stages of their career.

For all University of Reading media enquiries, please contact James Barr, Press Assistant on 0118 378 7115 or email j.w.barr@reading.ac.uk