Past Events at St Michael's

H.aRT (HEREFORDSHIRE aRT wEEK)

September 2023

ARTISTS EXHIBITING AT ST MICHAEL'S, DISCOED:

Tottie Aarvold, Michel Blake, Jacs Collins, Julie Cooper, Alison Grimley, Tony Hall Potter, Jane Harding, Rae Harrison, Charlie Hoppo, Lois Hopwood, Maggie Jones, Ciara Lewis, Nick Raybould and Cheryl Williams.

H.ART AT ST MICHAEL'S, DISCOED

SEPTEMBER 2022

Simon Dorrell, Alison Grimley, Tony Hall, Jonathan Heale, Lois Hopwood, Kate Kato, Victoria Keeble, Alex Orgill, Shelagh Popham, Gill Tennant-Eyles, Zoe Wright and Guy Lester.

H.ART AT ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH

SEPTEMBER 2021

Simon Dorrell - born into a farming family from Bewdley in Worcestershire in 1961, Simon attended Hereford College of Art, later graduating from Maidstone College of Art in 1984. He first exhibited in London in 1982 and since then has staged one-man exhibitions in New York, Zurich, London and around the UK.

Tamsin Abbott - stained glass artist, influenced by our ancient land, the hills, the woods, the plants, animals and the world of myth and fairytale.

Richard Bavin - landscape painter specialising in trees and woodland working in watercolour, oil and drawing media.

Carolyn Blake - paintings inspired and concerned with landscape and love of sacred sites, leylines, chalk hill figures and myths.

Robert Cunning - painter whose work evokes a strong sense of place, whether it is the deep rural hills of South Shropshire and the Marches, or the inner cityscapes of London and New York.

Kim Davis - wood turner 'from the hands of the artist to the heart of the beholder’.

Maggie Davis - mixed media artist.

Kate Kato - paper artist who creates intricate life-sized sculptures of plants and insects using recycled paper. Inspired by nature.

Victoria Keeble - printmaker whose work includes etching, wood engraving, lino printing and her favoured medium of collagraph.

Clair Murphy - weaver using English rush and other natural materials to make beautiful and useful baskets.

Shelagh Popham - artist working in oil, watercolour, pen, pencil, charcoal, and pastel.

Zoe Wright - contemporary sterling silver jewellery

A SMALL PICTURE SHOW

SATURDAY 30 NOVEMBER TO SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER 2019

This new exhibition ran for one week at St Michael's Church and was curated by Charles MacCarthy and David Hiam. The participating artists: Artists: Alan Harrold, Helena Watt, Susie Cawley, Katie Sims, Nick Bush, Maggie Jones, Denise Fordyce, Helen Cass, Steve Cass, Jill Holliday, Jane Hickman, Daniel MacCarthy Lottie O'Leary, stone carver Eleanor Lakelin, worker in wood

H.ART AT ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH

SEPTEMBER 2019

Shelagh Popham, Kathleen Packwood, Alex Orgill, Seren Bell, Susannah Royle Lester, Vivienne Luxton, Veronica Guest, Mariette Voke, Ruth Kirkby, Polly James, Nigel Lambert, Corinna Kenyon-Wade, Clare Conrad, Clair Murphy, David Packwood.

THE SEVEN LAST WORDS, Lent 2019

The sixth Lent exhibition at St Michael's Church in Discoed: 'The Seven Last Words' was guided as in previous years by Charles MacCarthy. Fourteen artists were asked to respond to the 'Words' and their work was displayed around the church, making a sequence similar to the Stations of the Cross. (Read a review in The Church Times here and The Tablet here). The participating artists: Carolyn Blake, Julienne Braham, Nick Bush, Yvonne Crossley, Simon Dorrell, Nicky Hopwood, Ciara Lewis, Viv Luxton, Roger Luxton, Charles MacCarthy, Pete Mackenzie, Katie Sims, Antonia Spowers and Jane Tudge. MORE HERE

40 DAYS, 40 ARTISTS. THE PASSION, LENT 2017
LENT EXHIBITION CURATED BY CHARLES MACCARTHY.

The participating artists:
Thelma Ayre, Sara Bamford, Richard Bavin, Julian Bell, Carolyn Blake, Julienne Braham, Nicholas Bush, Ruth Cameron-Swan, Susie Cawley, Yvonne Crossley, Ken Eastman, Sandra Elliott, Megan Ellis, Susannah Fiennes, Eugene Fisk, Mary Ann Gelly, Alison Grimley, Lois Hopwood, Nicky Hopwood, Christopher Kilmartin, Guy Lester, Ciara Lewis, Jacob Luke Hughes, Vivienne Luxton, Roger Luxton, Charles MacCarthy, Daniel MacCarthy, Sophie MacCarthy, Pete Mackenzie, Kate Milsom, Tania Mosse, Allison Neal, Lottie O’Leary, Silvia Pastore, Roger Percival, Alex Ramsay, Susannah Royle, Carmel Stephens, Jane Tudge and Bronte Woodruff. MORE HERE

PAPER WORK AND POTTERY
CURATED BY LOIS HOPWOOD

5 -13 NOVEMBER 2016

The exhibiting artists are: Tamsin Abbott, Ant Collier, Jacs Collins, Kate Corbett-Winder, Tony Hall, Rae Harrison, Lois Hopwood, Penelope Leaver Green, Alison Macgregor-Grimley, Kate Milsom, Kate Morgan Clare, Peter Stilwell, Anthea Stilwell, Jane Thomas, Islwyn Watkins and Bronte Woodruff.  

“I love ‘works on paper’ because of the invention of image and sometimes the playfulness that collage brings out and the lightness and immediacy of touch that drawing and painting on paper allows. By contrast Tony (Hall) is the mud and water man, his challenge having thrown over seven hundred tons of clay in his career is now to use local stone, ash and clay to form his glazes and to combine this with very high temperature reduction firings in trying to create fresh natural colour and texture that reflects this locality.”

— Lois Hopwood, exhibition curator

CAPTURE THE CASTLE: JOINTLY CURATED BY TIM CRAVEN AND SIMON DORRELL

September 2016

h.Art exhibition

Iimages of castles or hill forts. The exhibition showcased over 20 contemporary artists’ response to the theme of castles. The participating artists: Graham Arnold, Tim Craven, Simon Dorrell, Peter Davies, Diana Craven, Fiona McIntyre, Robert Amesbury Brooks, Peter Jarvis, Pauline Bullard, William Vaughan, Nick Schlee, Howard Phipps, Richard Bavin, Annie Ovenden, Tamsin Abbott, Nick de Serra, Celia de Serra, Gareth Rees-Roberts, Kate Cochrane, Alison Woodhouse, Lois Hopwood, Owen Rimington, Guy Lester, Ciara Lewis, Shelagh Popham, Alison MacGregor Grimley and Susannah Royle.

H’ART AT DISCOED 2015

Tamsin Abbott - glass, Gill Tennant-Eyles - ceramics, Paul Caton - sculpture, Jason Braham - ceramics, Yen Robinson - porcelain lighting

Painting:
Susie Arbuthnott, Simon Dorrell, Alison MacGregor-Grimley, Ruth Kirkby, Keith Noble, Colin Simmonds, Lois Hopwood.

thomas merton at discoed

July 2015

A celebration of the intriguing and complex life of Thomas Merton at St Michael's Church in Discoed. An exhibition explored some of the many facets of the poet-monk through paintings, photographs and text plus an afternoon of talks.

The exhibition consisted of paintings by Charles MacCarthy and Robert Wright inspired by the life and work of Thomas Merton. Also in the exhibition were Thomas Merton's photographs and a display illustrating some of the many aspects of his life.  

CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS AT DISCOED

May 2015 

This fourth Contemporary Ceramics exhibition featured some of the most eminent ceramic artists and makers from all over the country and showcased a wide range of ceramic forms, techniques and finishes.

Exhibitors: David Allnatt, Adrian Bates, Bev Bell Hughes, Rebecca Buck, Stephen Foote, Margaret and David Frith, Carolyn Genders,  Nick Marsh, Eric Moss, Jeremy Nichols, Richard Phethean, Micki Schloessingk, Lara Scobie, Patricia Shone, James and Tilla Waters and Rachel Wood.

“THE TWELVE”, A FURTHER REFLECTION ON THE LAST SUPPER - Lent 2015

February 17 - April 6 2015

The annual Lent exhibition at St Michael's Discoed this year returns to the theme of The Last Supper. Two years ago the exhibition explored themes found in the gospel accounts as well as parallel events, this year's exhibition entitled "The Twelve" focuses entirely on the meal itself and those who were present. Around the walls of the church will be a series of twelve portraits each one representing one of the disciples. Central to the exhibition will be Charles MacCarthy's installation of The Last Supper table, That They May All Be One, and its objects rendered in white plaster.

The participating artists at St Michael's are: Sara Bamford, Julienne Braham, Nick Bush, Susie Cawley, Simon Dorrell, Tony Hall, Lois Hopwood, Charles MacCarthy, Dan MacCarthy, Tania Mosse, Silvia Pastore, Alex Ramsay and Bronte Woodruff.

"I wanted two things from this exhibition. First that the focus should be concentrated on the Last Supper itself, unlike the previous show which explored precedents and parallels. Secondly I wanted to stress Jesus' plea for unity and to emphasise the universal nature of this prayer. That They All May Be One referring not only to the Disciples but to all peoples of the world. In the sense in which the Last Supper is re-enacted in the communion service it has become timeless and although the Disciples are represented by portraits on the walls of the nave Christ is present in Spirit as symbolised by the Chalice on the table" – Charles MacCarthy

MORE HERE

THE WAY OF THE WILDERNESS - LENT 2014

March 2 – April 27 2014

'This year's show takes the theme of Christ's 40 days in the wilderness as its starting point and expands on it to include other scriptural stories of isolation - physical, psychological and social'.

The participating artists were: Carolyn Blake, Julienne Braham, Simon Dorrell, Nicky Hopwood, Lois Hopwood, Andrea Mclean, Charles MacCarthy, Dan MacCarthy, Tania Mosse, Allison Neal, Roger Percival, Mandy Pritchard, Alex Ramsay, Susannah Royle and Bronte Woodruff.

The exhibition supported the mental health charity Herefordshire Mind whose approach is based on recovery, wellbeing, inclusion and the removal of stigma http://www.herefordshire-mind.org.uk/ .

MORE HERE

The Small Picture Show

7th–10th November 2014

The participating artists at St Michael's are:

Seren Bell, Carolyn Blake, Julienne Braham, Simon Dorrell, Shan Egerton, Lois Hopwood, Ruth Kirkby, Guy Lester, Ciara Lewis, Charles MacCarthy, Dan MacCarthy, Alison MacGregor Grimley, Tania Mosse, Shelagh Popham, Owen Rimington, Anthea Stilwell, Peter Stilwell, Jane Tudge & Bronte Woodruff.

Teargas and Tulips

Saturday 4th October 2014

Hortus editor David Wheeler, of Bryan's Ground, talks about his wanderings in search of gardens among Istanbul's sprawling population of 15 million people. Gas masks not required.
David is the founder and editor of the literary gardening journal Hortus. He is also the author of several books, including Over the Hills from Broadway: Images of Cotswold Gardens, and the editor of horticultural anthologies, including The Penguin Book of Garden Writing. In 2009 he was awarded the RHS Gold Veitch Medal "in recognition of services given in the advancement of science and practice of horticulture".

BENJI KIRKPATRICK AT ST MICHAEL'S

Friday 4th July 2014

Discoed resident Benji Kirkpatrick takes time off from multi award-winning band Bellowhead, to celebrate Independence Day with us at St Michael's. Enjoy cabaret seating while you relax with the sounds of bouzouki, guitar and banjo and songs from the heart, tradition and Jimi Hendrix.

The Seven Last Words of Christ by Haydn

Wednesday 16 April 2014 at St Michael's

The Dragonfly Ensemble; Marcia Crayford violin, Lowri Porter violin, Susie Meszaros viola and Moray Welsh cello will perform this beautiful and profound work.

For 25 years Marcia Crayford was leader of the Nash Ensemble which has a remarkable worldwide reputation for its performances of a wide range of music. Marcia was Co-Artistic Director and leader of the Mid Wales Chamber Orchestra. She has since formed The Dragonfly Ensemble,a flexible chamber music ensemble, whose members are all distinguished musicians who have held key posts in many of the country’s top orchestras and chamber groups. 

"The Seven Last Voices" by Michael Dennis Browne, to accompany the performance, will be read by Revd Preb Stephen Hollinghurst. 

Wilderness, Art and the Mind

Sunday 23 March 3:30pm at St Michael's

Andrea Mclean and Llew Watkins with art therapist Anna Knight

celebrate the creative process in the context of mental health

Andrea and Llew are both artists with Bipolar. Andrea will talk about 'From Wilderness to Well-Being' reflecting on the process of art making and how this positively relates to recovery from mental distress. She will discuss mapping images as an art form and how it can help bring about connectivity and inclusion as part of a healing journey. Andrea is currently taking part in the Way of the Wilderness exhibition at St Michael's (see image below).
Llew will give an artist's talk and discuss his work with reference to Bipolar. Anna will describe working with a wide range of clients' issues covering physical, emotional and cognitive difficulties.

The Christ in the Wilderness: Paintings by Stanley Spencer

Sunday 16 March 3:30pm at St Michael's

An illustrated talk by The Very Revd Nick Bury, former Dean of Gloucester

The talk is timed to coincide with the current Way of the Wilderness exhibition at St Michael's Church.
Stanley Spencer (1891-1959) was a significant British artist whose altering circumstances and condition are reflected in his artworks. His strong sense of place during his early years in Cookham and the sense of disorientation during wartime are both demonstrated in his very personal vision of Christ in the Wilderness series.  Spencer, who was knighted in June 1959, courted controversy with his vivid pictorial conceptions of religious subjects which in turn brought him high praise and also heavy criticism. In discussion will be key paintings from the series which provide an inspiring and thought provoking reflection on Christ's forty days in the desert during this period of Lent leading up to Easter.

THE LAST SUPPER - Lent 2013

'Breaking of Bread' by Laura Gascoigne - The Tablet

"In a sequence of Lenten paintings, a group of artists have recreated the sharing of meals in the Old and New Testaments. The resulting work has startling theological and iconographic depth." 

The 2012 Lent exhibition of The Stations of the Cross demonstrated clearly the very special qualities which St Michael’s Church offers for showing paintings in a way in which the church itself –the light, the space, the proportions, form an integral part of the whole exhibition. Following on from that exhibition we decided for Lent 2013 to create a sequence, also of fourteen subjects, centred around another major event in the Passion story – The Last Supper. 

h.ART 2013 

Paintings: Thelma Ayre, Seren Bell, Simon Dorrell, Lois Hopwood, Ruth Kirkby, Guy Lester. Ceramics:Tony Hall, Corinna Kenyon-Wade, Rachel Padley. Woodcuts: Jonathan Heale. Stained glass:Tamsin Abbott. Found materials: Max Suffield. Stone carving: Caitriona Cartwright. Bronze Sculpture: Patricia Northcott. Etching and engraving: Anna Ravenscroft.

DISCOED CERAMIC EXHIBITION - May 2013

As an off site event for the Hay Festival, a very contemporary exhibition of ceramics is held annually in the ancient former shepherds church of St Michael's. The exhibiting ceramicists: Sue Binns, Jason Braham, Clare Crouchman, Lowri Davies, Stuart Houghton, Corinna Kenyon-Wade, Gill Laverick, Wendy Lawrence, Sophie MacCarthy, Susan O’Bryne, Nicola Richards, Bryony Rich, Kate Schuricht, Colin Saunders.

BRAHMS AND SPOHR - APRIL 2013

Soloists of the MWCO with Sinfonia Cymru 

Violinist Marcia Crayford and cellist Moray Welsh with four outstanding young professionals from Sinfonia Cymru perfomed Spohr String Sextet in C major Op. 140 Handel/Halvorsen Passacaglia for Violin and Cello (Marcia Crayford & Moray Welsh) Brahms String Sextet in B flat major Op. 18 (Marcia Crayford violin and Moray Welsh cello with Sinfonia Cymru musicians Charlie MacClure violin, Tetsuumi Nagata and Laurie Anderson violas, Rosalie Curlett cello). 

2012

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS - Lent 2012

'Behold the Man of Sorrows' by Laura Gascoigne - The Tablet

"In original exhibition during Lent in a Welsh country church of the 14 Stations of the Cross each created by a different artist is drawing visitors from far and wide to the highly individual perspective of the story of the Crucifixion that they portray." 

WORDS AND MUSIC AT DISCOED - Michaelmas

Tennyson’s “Enoch Arden” with music by Strauss and “Babar the Elephant” with music by Poulenc performed by actor Christopher Good and Roger Nicholls, pianist. The evening was opened with an introduction by Michael Kennedy of the Daily Telegraph and leading expert on Strauss.The event was held in celebration of the Michaelmas Wakes.

WORDS AND MUSIC AT DISCOED  - Michaelmas

The writer and editor Dr Ronald Blythe talked about his book 'The Time by the Sea' in which he recalls his early days at Aldeburgh in Suffolk with Benjamin Britten, one of the central figures of 20th century music. The soprano, Elisabeth Priday performed several of Britten’s songs. The event was part of Michaelmas Wakes celebrations at St Michael's.