New Lord Lieutenant has ‘so much to offer’
A new exhibition celebrating the 50-year career of one of the founding members of the Pitmen Painters is “going down really well” with visitors.
Oliver Kilbourn: My Life as a Pitman is on display at Woodhorn Museum and features 39 paintings documenting Kilbourn’s 50-year career as a miner at Ashington and Ellington Collieries.
The exhibition forms part of Ashington Group 90; Museums Northumberland’s year-long programme of exhibitions and events marking 90 years since the formation of the Pitmen Painters.
Also included in the exhibition is a newly conserved mining banner from the Ellington colliery branch that features artwork by Oliver Kilbourn.
A copy of the original, which dates back to 1951, the banner represents the pride in the closeknit coalfield community and their optimism about the future. Kilbourn’s original painting that provided the design will be on display too.
Speaking in an interview in the early 1970s, when asked about his
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“I wouldn’t say I had a driving ambition to get down the pit, I just stayed down there fifty years – a working life.
“After a lot of groaning and grumbling you took a pride in your
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Rowan Brown, chief executive of Museums Northumberland, said: “When the Ashington Group of painters first began their exploration into the world of art in 1934, I’m sure none of them imagined they would go on to
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Oliver Kilbourn: My Life as a Pitman runs at Woodhorn Museum until September 15. Ashington Group 90’s year-long programme of exhibitions continues until January 5, next year. “They “Alnwick
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