Tate Britain - Watercolour Exhibition Part 2

Welcome back to Access London everyone and thank you once again for supporting this site and disability access and awareness.

Today's short post continues on from yesterday's on Tate Britain's Watercolour exhibition. For more information on the gallery, exhibition, its access, times and prices, please scroll down to yesterday's post.

As promised, today's post is an interview with Tate Britain's Community and Access Curator, Nora Razian.....




AL: Who are you and what is your role at the Tate?
NR: Nora Razian. I'm the Community and Access Curator at Tate Britain.

AL: Can you briefly explain how Tate Britain is accessible to those with disabilities and mobility problems?
NR: All Tate Britain's entries are accessible to those with mobility problems; we also have elevators in the gallery and disabled parking spaces for visitors that can be booked in advance.

AL: Do you have a current special offer or exhibition that is accessible to those with disabilities?
NR: All our exhibitions are accessible to those with disabilities. In addition, we have events such as, BSL and lipspeaking-assisted talks around key works in the collection or around works in an exhibition. We also offer picture description tours on the collection. These tours can be booked in advance by contacting me directly or through contacting Tate Britain on 020 7887 4946.

AL: Do you have any concessions for disabled visitors and/or their carers?
NR: We offer concession prices to both disabled visitors and their carers.

AL: Can you sum up in 5 words the Tate Britain Experience?
NR: Singular, Dynamic, Enriching, Surprising, Engaging


Access London would like to offer a huge thank you to Nora for taking the time to answer some questions.

Watercolour is on at Tate Britain until the 21st August 2011. To book tickets for the exhibtion, please see the gallery's website: www.tate.org.uk/britain

Please feel free to leave a comment, follow this blog and spread the word about Access London.

COMING SOON: Love Never Dies, The Wizard of Oz, The London Eye

Tate Britain - Watercolour Exhibition

Welcome back to Access London, thank you for your continued support for disability access and awareness in London. After a few week's break, whilst I was on holiday, Access London is back for a busy June.

Today's post is the first of 2 on Tate Britain's Watercolour exhibition.

The Tate Britain is located in Pimlico near Vauxhall Bridge and opens daily from 10am until 6pm. For the Watercolour exhibition, the most convenient entrance is the Manton Entrance on Atterbury Street, off of Millbank. For those in a wheelchair or mobility scooter, there is a long, wide, paved slope down from the pavement level to the entrance which has automatic sliding doors.

Once inside there is a cafe, shop, ticketing hall/collections and toilets, including disabled ones. The exhibition itself is very near to this entrance and you don't need to use a lift to get to it. The exhibition is fairly large and is all on the same level.

Watercolour explores the use of this medium over the last 800 years. The exhibition is divided into rooms, each with its own theme - travel, botanical, portraits, history of watercolour tools, war and many others. The themes are so diverse that I believe anyone will find 1 or 2 rooms that really appeals to them. One of my favourites was the very first room. This included examples of intricately painted books from 800 years ago, protraits inside pendents and maps. The travel room displayed pieces from all over Europe, some of my favourites dipicted scenes in Northern Africa and Italy.

The exhibition ends with how Watercolour is being used today, with examples from Tracey Emin. This exhibition really does have something for everyone plus, you can always stop for luch after and then take a look around the main collection which is free to enter.


Watercolour runs at Tate Britain until the 21st August 2011. It costs £12.70 for an adult to enter the exhibition. For disabled visitors there is a concession to £10.90 - a carer is also admitted for free for each disabled visitor.

The Gallery has 2 parking spaces on-site that can be booked by disabled visitors - to do so, call 020 7887 8888. This number can also be used to book a wheelchair or mobility scooter that can be used around the gallery if you do not have your own.

The Tate's website writes about this exhibition:
"Watercolour at Tate Britain invites you to challenge your preconceptions of what watercolour is. The most ambitious exhibition about watercolour ever to be staged, with works spanning 800 years, this boundary-breaking suvery celebrates the full variety of ways watercolour has been used."



To visit Tate Britain's website and to book tickets for Watercolour, please see www.tate.org.uk

Tomorrow's post will contain an interview with the Community and Access Curator at Tate Britain.

Also to come this month: Love Never Dies, The Wizard of Oz, Miro exhibition at Tate Modern and beginning the celebrations for Phantom of the Opera's 25th Birthday.

The National Gallery - An American Experiment Exhibition - Part 2

Welcome back to Access London and the second part of my series on The National Gallery and its exhibition 'An American Experiment: George Bellows and The Ashcan Painters'.

If you missed the post yesterday, please feel free to scroll down and read it. It contains details of access requirements if you use a wheelchair or mobility scooter and also has an interesting interview with the Access Officer and Senior Information Manager at the gallery.

Today's post will focus more on the exhibition itself. Access London has been fortunate enough to interview the curator of the exhibition, here's what he had to say...

X7318, George Luks, Knitting for the soldiers: High Bridge Park, 1918, Copyright Photo Courtesy of the Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel. J, Terra Collection, Chicago, 1999.87





AL: Who are you and what is your role at The National Gallery?
CR: I am Christopher Riopelle, Curator of Post 1800 Paintings at The National Gallery. T: 020 7747 2804 E: chris.riopelle@ng-london.org.uk

AL: What work and time is involved to bring an exhibition such as 'An American Experiment' to the UK?
CR: An American Experiment was put together in the relatively brief period of fourteen months from the time we propsed an exhibition on George Bellows and his colleagues to our collaborators on the project, the Terra Foundation for American Art, and I and my fellow curator, Katherine Bourguignon of the Terra Foundation, began to identify and solicit loans. From then, the usual tasks involved in mounting an exhibition with foreign loans kicked in; they simply had to be carried out by the various departments of the National Gallery on a speeded-up timetable.

x7315, William Glackens, Washington Square, 1910, Copyright New Britain Museum of American Art, Charles F. Smith Fund, 1944.03. Photo: Alex Morganti






AL: Why did the gallery choose this particular group of artists to dedicate an exhibition to?
CR: The purpose of our on-going collaboration with The Terra Foundation is to introduce aspects of the American painting tradition, little known here, to British and European audiences. There was broad agreement that Bellows is a remarkable artist, arguably the most innovative American painter of the early 20th Century, but that he is hardly known on this side of the Atlantic. This would be our opportunity to introduce him to a new audience, although it would always be a 'taste', rather than an exhaustive presentation. Because the exhibition was conceived as an introduction to Bellows, we also determined that we should show him in the context of his closest painterly colleagues, the so-called Ashcan Painters.

AL: Why were the 12 paintings in the exhibition specifically chosen to represent the painters and their style?
CR: We were particularly interested in showing Bellows as a landscape painter. This dictated our choice of paintings, especially the four views of Manhattan that hardly show Manhattan at all. We also wanted to show these artists as figurative painters and social commentators. As a major Bellows retrospective exhibition is coming to the Royal Academy in 2013, we did not want to duplicate works that will be shown there. With only one exception of a loan refused, because of the fragile condition of the painting, we were able to borrow all the works we asked for.

x7309 George Bellows, Blue Snow, The Battery, 1910, Copyright Columbus Museum of Art, Howald Fund Purchase 1958.035






AL: For those who have never heard of this group of artists before, how would you describe their style of art?
CR: These are realist painters dedicated to detailing the social scene in a rapidly changing and expanding America, and to forging a distinctive American school of painting. Their art of social realism is tinged with expressionism and with a new freedom in the handling of paint that had only recently been introduced into European avant-garde art.

AL: What influences and importance do you belive the Ashcan Painters had on 20th Century art?
CR: The importance of the Ashcan Painters for American art in the early 20th Century is universally acknowledged by American art historians. Because they have not been widely seen in a European context, we are still in the process of determining their wider importance of 20th Century art as a whole. Certainly Bellows' audacious handling of paint must place him among the innovators of painting technique in those decades.

x7314 George Bellows, The Big Dory, 1913, Copyright New Britain Museum of American Art, Harriet Russel Stanley Fund, 1944.21. Photo: Alex Morganti






AL: Can you sum up in 5 words or less what people can expect from this exhibition?
CR: Frankly, no. I find that too reductive. Visitors must find their own way, open their eyes to new artists they probably haven't known and, with the help of the exhibition catalogue, wall texts etc, make of it what they make of it.


Access London would like to offer a huge thank you to Chris Riopelle for taking the time to answer our questions and help us to open our eyes to artists we may not have heard of before. I would also like to thank Karen Bosomworth for allowing me to use images of some of the beautiful pieces that you can see at this exhibition.

An American Experiment is open to the public at the National Gallery until the end of May. It has free entry to all and is completely accessible to those with disabilities (please see previous post for more details on this).

Please feel free to leave a comment, follow the blog and help to spread the word on disability access and awareness in London.

COMING SOON: Pre-Theatre dinner, Tate Britain's Watercolour exhibition and The Royal Parks

The National Gallery - An American Experiment Exhibition - Part 1

Welcome back to Access London, thank you for your continued support for disability access and awareness. Today's post is the first in a two-part series on The National Gallery and, in particular, one of its current exhibitions - 'An American Experiment: George Bellows and The Ashcan Painters'.

I recently visited this exhibition and was amazed by the rich colours and unique style of the artists. The exhibition is part of the National's attempt to showcase American art in the UK. This particular exhibition consists of 12 paintings, never before seen in the UK.

X7314 George Bellows, The Big Dory, 1913, Copyright New Britain Museum of American Art, Harriett Russell Stanley Fund 1944.21. Photo: Alex Morganti






Over half of the paintings in An American Experiment are by George Bellows, the other artists include, William Glackens, George Luks, John Sloan and Robert Henri. The paintings portray landscapes, urban scenes and portraits, all from the beginning of the 20th Century in America.

The National is free to visit and this particular exhibition is also free. The gallery is open from 10am-6pm daily with a late night on Fridays until 9pm. An American Experiment is in Room 1, just past the gift shop that is definitely worth a stop off for postcards of these paintings.

If you use a wheelchair or mobility scooter, the gallery and exhibition are definitely accessible. Although the main entrance to The National, that is on Trafalgar Square, has steps, there is another entrance just next to it called The Getty entrance. This has a gentle slope up to it and a lift inside to take you to the entrance level. Once inside, there is a cafe to the right that is completely accessible. Along the walkway to the left is an accessible toilet and the lifts up to the exhibition floors.

If you are a blue badge holder, you can pre-book a parking space just behind the gallery on Orange Street by calling, 0207 747 2854.

x7307 George Bellows, North River, 1908, Copyright Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Philadelphia, Joseph E. Temple Fund 1909.2





I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the gallery and especially An American Experiment - it certainly opened my eyes to some of the art being produced in America at the beginning of the 20th Century and to a relatively unknown group of artists here in the UK. The exhibition is open until May 30 2011.

In part 2 of this series there will be an interview with the exhibition's curator who will explain more about the paintings, artists and how the exhibition came together. Please visit again tomorrow to see what was said.

Access London has also been fortunate enough to interview 2 people from the education, access and information departments at the gallery, here's what they had to say....

AL: Who are you and what is your role at The National Gallery?
MB: My name is Miranda Baxter and I am the interim Access Officer at the National Gallery, situated within the education department. My colleague and I will share this wonderful opportunity to respond to your questions about access at the National Gallery.
My role as Access Officer is to collaborate with other departments across the gallery, like information, with whom I work very closely to ensure that the quality of visitor experience at the National Gallery continues to be delivered on all levels. In education specifically I organise a variety of BSL and BSL-interpreted talks about paintings and exhibitions at the gallery. Often I work with an adult learning team to design events that resonate cohesively and thematically with the other areas of educational and interpretive provision. I also organise description-based sessions called Art Through Words for Blind and Partially-Sighted Visitors on the last Saturday of every month. Each session focuses on one painting and participants are provided with high quality prints, including close-ups of interesting details. A specially trained educator provides a highly descriptive narrative of the painting, which is further enhanced by multi-sensory elements such as, poetry, story-telling, music and handling objects, as well as lively discussions. The session finishes with a visit to the gallery to see the painting in situ.
CM: My name is Chris Morton and I am the Senior Information Manager at The National Gallery. The Information Department's first responsibility is to provide exceptional service to all our visitors, by offering a warm, professional welcome, doing all we can to make sure they have a successful visit and a positive, enjoyable experience. Information staff are the first point of contact for many visitors, offering help, advice and information on all aspects of The National Gallery, whether navigating the building, exploring the collection or finding out about our huge range of exhibitions, events and activities.

AL: Can you briefly explain how the gallery is accessible to those with mobility problems/disabilities?
CM: The National Gallery provides access and assistance, where possible, to all visitors. The gallery consists of 2 buildings, both of which have level access. Wheelchairs, folding chairs, large-print labels, braille descriptions and large-print descriptions are available for key paintings, as well as audio guides (free for visually impaired visitors) and induction loops; water bowls are available for assistance dogs. The gallery also provides a parking space for Blue Badge Holders which can be booked in advance by contacting the Duty Manager's Office on 020 7747 2854. The gallery also offers a variety of events and lectures for deaf and visually impaired visitors, as my colleague Miranda mentioned above.

AL: Do you have a current exhibition on, available to those with disabilities?
NG: The main temporary exhibition is Jan Gossaert's Renaissance. Please see the gallery's website for further details of current free exhibitions and forthcoming exhibitions at the gallery

AL: Do you have any concessions for disabled visitors and/or their carers?
NG: Disabled visitors are entitled to a concession ticket to paid exhibitions and accompanying carers have free entry. The concession price for Jan Gossaert's Renaissance is £9 and there is a Tuesday afternoon offer from 2.30pm where all visitors entitled to a concession can purchase £5 entry.

AL: Can you sum up in 5 words The National Gallery experience?
NG: Eminent, Elegant, Inspiring, Inclusive and Educational

Access London would like to offer a huge thanks to both Miranda Baxter and Chris Morton for taking the time to answer our questions.

Please feel free to leave a comment, follow the blog and help to spread the word on disability access and awareness. Don't forget tomorrow's post with the curator of An American Experiment.

The Royal Academy and Access

Firstly, I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has been supporting this blog and Access London.

Today's post is on the Royal Academy of Arts and one of its current exhibitions - The Glasgow Boys.

The Academy is located in Burlington House, Piccadilly. It is open 10am-6pm everyday with late night opening on Fridays (until 10pm). The pavement outside on Piccadilly is particularly wide and accessible for wheelchairs and scooters. When entering the courtyard at Burlington House, there is a choice: either the smaller archway to the right that takes you onto the pavement that circles the courtyard (there is a lowered access onto the courtyard halfway round). Or, through the large main arch and across the cobbled courtyard, just watch out for the fountains that come up from the ground. Watch the video below to see more!

There is both ramped and staired access to the gallery. If using a wheelchair or scooter, head to the left and use the large door, rather than the revolving one. Inside the foyer, there is level access to the cloakroom, ticket desk, toilets and cafe. For the lift, head behind the main staircase where an operator works the glass lift to all floors. I recommend booking tickets in advance for paid exhibitions.

The Academy offers the following for those with disabilities: touch facilities, access guides, tour guides, large print lists, thermoforms, ability to bring in guide dogs and BSL and lipspeaking tours. The gallery also has 5 wheelchairs which are available to hire and 2 parking spaces (for badge holders) which can be booked in advance. For enquiries use: 020 7300 8028 or access@royalacademy.org.uk

The exhibition, Pioneering Painters: The Glasgow Boys 1880-1900 is on until the 23rd January 2011. The gallery describes the exhibition as: "the first major exhibition in London for over 40 years to celebrate the achievement of the Glasgow Boys, the loosely knit group of young painters who created a stir at both home and abroad in the final decades of the nineteenth century".

The exhibition is spread through 6 rooms and showcases pictures from almost a dozen artists. Although each quite distinct in their own style, they painted with a mixture of impressionist influences and realist touches in their landscapes and portraits. The paintings show landscapes and cultures as diverse as Scotland, mainland Europe, Northern Africa and Japan. The majority use bright colours and a combination of brush strokes. The exhibition showcases work from the Glasgow Boys as a group and also some of their later works when they split up to persue their own interests and specialisms. I would thoroughly recommend this exhibition which runs for another month. Afterwards, don't forget to check out what else the Academy has to offer.

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For more information on the Royal Academy and to book tickets to see the Glasgow Boys and other exhibitions, go to:

COMING SOON: Her Majesty's Theatre and Phantom of the Opera