John Crome - Landscape painter 1768 - 1821
John Crome Group - Autumn Notes - October 2020
Thank you for the input from various interested parties over the last couple of months, which have been very odd, and difficult for some.
Now we have entered the last quarter of 2020 perhaps it is a good time to look at the arrangements for 2021 and to consider the shape of how the John Crome Bicentenary may be celebrated. It is very encouraging to hear the exhibition at the Norwich Castle Museum is scheduled to open in April 2021 with the title;
Revisioning John Crome: A Bicentenary Exhibition
Final dates will be released in due course, together with a programme of events.
2021 also marks the Centenary of the Friends of Norwich Museums (the longest established Independent Museum ‘Friends’) and they are generously contributing a substantial sum to the Bicentenary Exhibition. They are also planning a series of events to celebrate their Centenary, including unveiling the ‘Keep Tapestry’. Now is an excellent time to support the Friends, and an application form link can be found here.
The Castle Museum will produce a significant Catalogue with essays covering related aspects to mark the Bicentenary, all of which will promote John Crome and the Norwich School, as well as confirming Norwich as a centre of art excellence 200 years ago.
The EAAF Exhibition, due to be held during the John Crome Exhibition, will promote Norwich as a thriving contemporary art hub.
The Crome Group - ongoing plans
The virus situation has restricted our activities, and meetings have not been held in Norwich since the end of February. The clarity that the autumn was expected to bring has not materialised, and the situation is still as uncertain as ever.
I attach the notes from the last meeting held at the Norfolk Club. It is encouraging that the Castle Museum is busy planning the Exhibition and Catalogue, and also that the recent Friends of Norwich Museums Newsletter outlined plans for celebrating their Centenary.
My work with other Museums has indicated that a flexible approach regarding dates is beneficial, and often necessary, as there is much beyond our control at present.
The Crome Group - current projects
The John Crome website - www.crome200.co.uk is dormant but registered, and may be advertised in the Bicentennial year to be used as a portal to contain links to the various websites detailing information about Exhibitions, Openings and related events etc.
Essays featuring Crome and his times are being posted on this website in the ‘Crome 200 Group’ section . To date we have several interesting short pieces and are keen to have further related articles, which will all add to the build up of enthusiasm for the event.
See also Thomas Churchyard Group articles:
Churchyard, Rowe and the Nurseys, and their links to the Norwich Society of Artists.
The influence of John Crome on Thomas Churchyard of Woodbridge