Read Andrew Gilligan’s article in the The Standard this week, ‘Don’t let the cost-cutters axe the best of local London’. Read the article online.
You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2007.
A very Merry Christmas from Walthamstow! Paul Bommer’s illustration depicts William Morris as the ghost of Christmas Present. All in Walthamstow are hoping 2008 is a more prosperous year for the William Morris Gallery and Vestry House Musuem.
Monday 3rd December saw the Friends of the William Morris Gallery give their cherished curator Peter Cormack a send off that he well and truly deserved. An excellent turn out at the Gallery, emotive speeches, gifts, a cake, a fabulous spread and a party that continued late into the night. It was a tragic occasion, but one full of warmth and laughter. Peter surely knew how much the last 30 years of his devoted service to the Gallery, its collection and the people of Waltham Forest, had meant to us all. On the night he was heralded, in tributes that flowed in from around the world, as: ‘An unequalled custodian of this storehouse of Art and ideas’Three days later he left Water House for the last time. Good luck Peter, in whatever you do – we shall miss you.
THIS JUST RECEIVED FROM ANTISCRAP “Please join us for Carols not Cuts TONIGHT (WEDNESDAY 12th) 7pm outside Waltham Forest town hall, Forest Road E17, (before the Full Council Meeting). Make sure the council realises we will notice if they try and sneak cuts through just before Xmas (like they did last year, whilst voting themselves a 30% pay rise).
Please circulate widely ASAP and do come along if you can - sorry for very short notice. Council appear to be playing games - they have just changed the times of their meetings because (we think) they got wind of our plan for a joint protest of all groups who are affected by the council’s current and planned cuts (residents, workers, those who use or care about services and arts provision, etc) .
There is some shelter at the town hall, but wrap warmly and feel free to bring any seasonal costumes, bits and pieces, musical instruments, or carol song sheets - here is one for starters (we’re still working on ‘the 12 days of christmas’ and ‘we wish you a merry christmas’…)”
The McGuffin Film Society has unearthed a rare film about the life of artist William Morris, it will be shown for the first time in more than two decades at the McGuffins one-day film festival, to be held in Walthamstow next month. The free event takes place on 5 Jan 2008, contact the McGuffin’s for details.
News From Nowhere is a 1970s film by director Alister Hallum, starring Timothy West (picutred) as Morris which traces the life of the artist from his early days in Walthamstow to his eventual dominance of the Arts and Crafts and socialist movements.
Waltham Forest On Film is being held to mark the fifth anniversary of the closure of the EMD Cinema in Hoe Streetm Walthamstow, and highlight the borough’s previous contribution to film and culture.
This week’s private eye, mentions the continued crisis in the ‘Leisure and Culture’ department of Waltham Forest Council, see page 26 - ‘Library News’