Jan van Huysum Visits
A tour of Jan van Huysum's 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase' to a series of unusual and unexpected locations throughout the UK
June – August 2021
A tour across the UK
In the summer of 2021, Jan van Huysum's 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase' went on a nationwide tour, visiting a series of unusual or unexpected locations.
Stopping off in Cornwall, Norfolk, Lincoln, Yorkshire, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the painting was displayed in non-museum venues, including a food bank and community library, a covered market, a former department store and community centres.
Art and wellbeing
The tour promoted ways in which art and culture can support wellbeing and reach audiences who had been disproportionately affected by Covid-19 and the UK lockdowns.
At each destination the display explored one of six ‘Ways to Wellbeing': Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning, Give, and Care (for the Planet).
We worked closely with each venue as well as local museums and galleries to ensure that as many people as possible could engage with the painting and make it come alive in new and different ways.
Learn about each stop
Norfolk
The painting's first visit was to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, where it was on display at PRIMEYARC, a community art space that was formerly a Debenhams in Market Gates Shopping Centre.
The theme of this stop was 'Keep Learning'. Exhibited alongside the painting was a collaborative community project, 'Yarmouth Springs Eternal', which explored the potential for nature to act as a point of connection to heal, bring people together, and make new discoveries through looking, photography, drawing, writing and creating displays.
Cornwall
The painting's next stop was to The John Betjeman Centre, a community centre based in an old railway station in Wadebridge, Cornwall.
The theme of this stop was 'Connection'. As part of the tour, visitors enjoyed sensory workshops, as well as interpretation written by Trainee Curators about their personal thoughts in response to the painting.
Yorkshire
The third stop on the tour was Barnsley Market.
Barnsley already had a link to the painting, as another work by Jan van Huysum, 'Flower Piece', is in the town's Cannon Hall Museum collection. This recently restored work was on display at the Cooper Gallery at the same time as the tour.
As part of the theme, 'Be Active', visitors were encouraged to follow a trail between the market and the Cooper Gallery, with stops marked out by large crocheted flowers, each chosen for its significance in the town’s history or the flowers and plants that appear in the area.
Lincoln
The next stop was to the Bridge food bank in Lincoln.
The theme of this visit was 'Give'. The food bank was chosen as a 'hub of the community' venue for its outstanding work in providing essential support and food parcels to families and individuals throughout the Covid-19 crisis.
As part of the painting's visit, members of the community took part in craft sessions, and a poetry and literary resource pack was created especially for nearby schools.
Scotland
The penultimate stop on the tour was to The Walled Garden at the Murray Royal Hospital in Perth, Scotland.
The Walled Garden Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub is a tranquil haven for people recovering from mental illness and members of the public alike. The theme for this stop was 'Care'.
A new tartan, which celebrates the project and promotes wellbeing, had been designed by community art groups in collaboration with artist Frances Law and weaver Ashleigh Slater.
The tartan, named ‘Pride of Wellbeing’, was displayed alongside the painting, and has been registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans and added to their database of tartan designs.
Northern Ireland
For it's final stop, the painting travelled across the sea to Northern Ireland, to the Portview Trade Centre in Belfast.
Formerly a linen spinning mill, the building was revived into a community space for small businesses (including pottery studios, mushroom growers, and a small batch brewery) and is a remarkable example of conservation and adaptation of a historic site.
Responding to the theme 'Take Notice', the display and accompanying events programme were curated by a group of 16 to 25-year-old programmers from Reimagine, Remake, Replay (RRR), Northern Ireland.
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Explore the painting
Behind the scenes in Lincoln
Jan van Huysum Visits
Learn how the visit of 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase' to a food bank in Lincoln helped bring the local community together
5-minute meditation
Van Huysum's 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase'
Pause and take 5 minutes with a mindful look at Van Huysum's still life
Behind the scenes in Great Yarmouth
Jan van Huysum Visits
See what it takes to set up 'Jan van Huysum Visits' in the unconventional setting of a shopping centre in Great Yarmouth... Will the painting fit through the doors?
A closer look
Jan van Huysum's 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase'
See 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase' through the eyes of a florist, calligrapher, potter and ornithologist
10-minute talks
Jan van Huysum's 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase'
Lucy Chiswell gets her gardening gloves on for some time with van Huysum's flowers.
Audio description
Listen to an audio description of 'Flowers in a Terracotta Vase.'
Artemisia Visits
Jan van Huysum Visits built on the tour of Artemisia's 'Self Portrait of Saint Catherine of Alexandria' to a school, library, prison and doctor's surgery, in 2019.
This project is supported by
Art Explora – Académie des Beaux-Arts Award
Philippe and Stephanie Camu
The John S Cohen Foundation
Insurance has been gifted by Blackwall Green
