International Women's Day

International Women's Day

"I was drawn to working at Watts Gallery - Artists' Village because of Mary; having her at the heart of our story leads the way as we continue to explore, support and champion women artists today and into the future, and I’m so grateful to get to work alongside creative, powerful, inspiring women every day."

- Sarah Jarvis, Head of Learning and Engagement

Our Team

Get to know: Sarah King, Chair of Trustees

Sarah King was appointed as Watts Gallery Trust’s Chair of Trustees in May 2023.

Get to know: Celia Hodges, Visitor Services Supervisor

Meet Celia Hodges, who's favourite aspect of the role is getting to know our volunteer stewards.
Laura wears a colourful shirt and stands in front of a painting

Get to know: Laura MacCulloch, Head of Collections and Exhibitions

Meet Laura MacCulloch, Head of Collections and Exhibitions and find out what her favourite piece of work on display is.
Sally holds a paintbrush in her hands and works on an oil painting

Meet our Paintings Conservator, Sally Marriott

With nearly fifteen years post-qualification conservation experience, working in both the public and private sectors in galleries, museums and in private practice, Dr Sally Marriott joined Watts Gallery as our De Laszlo Paintings Conservator in 2016.
Bryony holds her dissertation and smiles to the camera

Get to know: Bryony Rose, Learning Coordinator

Meet Bryony Rose, our Learning Coordinator. Bryony works in our Learning team, which works with schools, families and young people.
Rebecca is cleaning the art work

A day in the life: Collections Assistant

Meet our former Collections Assistant, Rebecca Smith. In this blog, Rebecca talks us through the typical day-to-day activities that make up her role here at the Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village.
Jenny holds a phone and looks up at large sculpture of Tennyson

A day in the life: Volunteer Steward

Meet one of our Volunteer Stewards, Jenny Croucher. Jenny shares a typical day as a volunteer here at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village.

Artists

Black and white photo of Mary Watts in side profile

Mary Watts

As an artist, designer, writer, businesswoman and philanthropist, Mary found ways for her art and creativity to support and inspire the people around her. She was the creative powerhouse behind two significant enterprises: the Watts Chapel and the Potters’ Arts Guild at Compton.
A woman in the sky sitting on a crescent moon

Evelyn De Morgan

Evelyn was born in 1855 in London to upper-class parents. The Pre-Raphaelite artist John Roddam Spencer Stanhope was her maternal uncle. It seems he paved the way for her to become an artist.

Lauren Thompson

Artist in Residence: September 2023
Black and white tintype portrait of a woman standing by an old stone wall

Emma Brown

Artist in Residence: 2023
Sarah paints on an easel

Sarah Thien, Artist in Residence

Artist in Residence: April - May 2022
Ashleigh smiles at the camera and holds small black and brown dog, Merlin. Merlin wears a bright green jumper.

Ashleigh Fisk

Artist in Residence: October 2021 - March 2022
Nneka painting on an easel

Nneka Uzoigwe

Artist in Residence: June - August 2021

Articles

The life of Florence Small

Written by Denis Pellerin, co-curator of Victorian Virtual Reality: Photographs from the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy
Landscape painting incorporation lots of blue with trees in the background and three feathers painted in the foreground

Illustrious Ancestors: Millais, Lutyens and Watts

Watts Contemporary Gallery curator, Gwen Hughes details the historical connections between Fiona Millais and Lucy Lutyens, their ancestors and the Wattses.
Drawn portrait of Mathilde Blind, a woman with brown hair wearing a brown dress with fur trim and an orange sash

Mathilde Blind: Forever an Outsider

Watts Gallery Volunteer Alan Castree explores the life and reputation of prolific writer and poet Mathilde Blind (1841-1896).
Halima sat at her workbench concentrating on carving a vessel placed on a pillow

A visit to Halima Cassell's studio

Assistant Curator Corinna Henderson and Head of Collections and Exhibitions Laura MacCulloch went to visit the home studio of sculptor Halima Cassell ahead of her solo exhibition From the Earth.
A red pencil sketch of a young women with frizzy red hair looking sideways towards the artist

The women of Pre-Raphaelite Treasures

Our Curator, Dr Emily Burns, chats to us about the work of three women artists, featured in our previous exhibition, Pre-Raphaelite Treasures: Drawings and Watercolours from the Ashmolean Museum. Pre-Raphaelite women were not just muses, they were artists, poets, writers and friends.
Painting featuring three daughters amongst clouds and rainbows

A Space of Her Own: Evelyn De Morgan’s Figures in Flight

Esme Wright considers Evelyn De Morgan’s unorthodox use of form and space in this blog post.
Painting of a woman in purple robes hold her hand above the head of a seated woman in pink robes, who looks up at the first woman in curiosity

Evelyn De Morgan's Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamund

Join Carey Gibbons in exploring the enigmatic symbols in Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamund, a painting by Victorian artist Evelyn De Morgan and based on the medieval myth of the same name. Carey explores the concepts of Good and Evil and the blurred lines between them.
A hand holding a bronze women-figure

Mary Branson, Daughters of Theia

Our previous Artist in Residence, Mary Branson, tell us more about her artwork Daughters of Theia. You can see it on display at Watts Gallery - Artists' Village, on the right-hand wall of the Sculpture Gallery.
An oil painting of a young woman with purple hair sat on a chair next to a table, on it a laptop is balanced on top of several books, and a MacDonalds happy meal box sits next to it.

Sarah Thien, Portrait of a Young Girl

Sarah Thien, Watts Artist in Residence between April - May 2022, explains the process behind her residency project: Portrait of a Young Person.
A collection of circular multicoloured decorative cushions

Programme Highlight: Woking Women's Support Centre

The Woking Women's Support Centre offers a safe space for women to access gender-specific support services, particularly for those women affected by the criminal justice system.
Paint drips on painting

A technical look: Lady Dalrymple

Painting Conservator, Alexandra Lawson, talks us through the analysis of the painting Lady Dalrymple (c.1851–1853) by George Frederic Watts.
A terracotta celtic-style chapel with decorated tiles

The conservation of Watts Chapel

Our Collections Manager, Emma Coburn ACR talks us through the conservation work of Watts Cemetery Chapel.
An oil painting on an easel of a large sea shell on the back of a sprawled, dark figure.

Spotlight display: Nneka Uzoigwe

Nneka Uzoigwe joined us as our Artist in Residence for the summer of 2021. Nneka developed a new collection of large-scale paintings exploring the male body in imagined landscapes.
A woman in a vivid green dress reclines on the base of a tree

Curatorial team in conversation: Virginia Dalrymple's Dress

Stacey Clapperton and Emma Coburn discuss one of the more unusual objects in the historic collection.
close up of woman's head in her hands

Art and the plight of the Victorian seamstress

Dr Chloe Ward, Senior Lecturer in the History of British Art at Queen Mary, University of London discusses Art & Action: Making Change in Victorian Britain.
Framed prints on display at Bronzefield community cafe

Art for All: HMP YOI Bronzefield

An exhibition of the artwork made by the women during Art for All Community Learning Programme workshops was displayed in the Bronzefield Community Café for the first time.
Coloured pencil drawings of four women, two look straight at the viewer, while one is faces away and the fourth looks to the side

Tegan Rush's Top 5 Female Artists

Collections and Learning assistant Tegan Rush explores five of her favourite female artists and their work that most inspires her.

Our Collection

Painting of a young woman in a white blouse looking to the left

Object in Focus: Miss May Prinsep

Hilary Underwood, Curatorial Advisor focuses on Miss May Prinsep (1867-69) by George Frederic Watts in this blog.
Carved severed head of Medusa from above

Object in Focus: Medusa

Dr Melissa L Gustin, introduces us to G F Watts, Medusa, 1846-47, alabaster in this blog.
A half finished bust portrait of Florence Nightingale

Object in Focus: Florence Nightingale

In 1868, George Frederic Watts painted this half-length portrait in three-quarter profile of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), who famously worked as a nurse during the Crimea.
Oil painting featuring Ophelia in side profile closing her eyes surrounded by trees

Object in Focus: Ophelia

Painted in 1863 and reworked in 1877, Watts's Ophelia provides the viewer with a double perspective.
A black and white photograph of Mary with three villagers decorating a highly-decorated panel wall.

Object in Focus: Mary Watts's Recipe Book

Desna Greenhow, author of The Diary of Mary Watts: 1887-1904, discusses Mary's notes on 'Cantoni's Lesson in Casting & making Piece Moulds'.
A man reclines with a woman leaning over him

Object in Focus: Endymion

Dr Beatrice Bertram discusses the painting Endymion by George Frederick Watts, painted in 1872.
Lady Dalrymple portrait, before retouching and after

Object in Focus: Lady Dalrymple

Dr Stacey Clapperton introduces us to this striking portrait, Lady Dalrymple (c. 1851 – 1853) by G F Watts.

Shop

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    Flower Pearl Gold Necklace

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    Lavender Birds - Chicken Lickin

  3. A photo of a terracotta snake pot against a backdrop of green ivy
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    Snake Pot 12 inches

  4. A long green gown with blue patterns and a waist tie
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    Green Handkerchief Gown

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    Zinnia and White Cedar Candle

  6. A sketchbook made by Cambridge Imprint with a colourful red and green pattern on the front cover
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    Kaleidoscope Sketchbook