WELCOME TO THE ARTS SOCIETY WIRRAL
A Warm Community Enriched by Shared Experiences
At The Arts Society Wirral, members value the opportunity to connect socially and build lasting friendships. Our growing calendar of events provides the perfect setting for lively conversation and shared enjoyment.
Whether you’re discovering somewhere new on one of our tours or simply spending quality time with a friend at a Discovery Day, you’ll find that each event offers a chance to make memories and deepen your connection with both the arts and fellow members.
Discovery Day
Monday November 3rd 2025
The Post War textile visionaries of Modern Art
presented by Ashley Gray
Tickets £53
We are pleased to invite you to a day of scholarly engagement and critical discourse centred on the role of textiles in shaping modern art. Through a sequence of three lectures, textile historian and curator Ashley Grey will illuminate the ways in which fabric and fashion have extended the reach of artistic expression, fostering new dialogues between design, domesticity, and democratisation.
Original textiles—dating from the 1920s to the 1970s—will be made available for direct examination, offering a unique opportunity for visual analysis and primary source study.
Programme Overview
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Lecture 1: 1920s–1940s This lecture tells the story of a true textile maverick.
Morning refreshments of tea/coffee and biscuits
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Lecture 2: 1940s–1960s This lecture considers the role fashion and textiles play in democratising modern art in the post war era.
Cold buffet lunch including sweet treats
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Lecture 3: 1950s–1970s This lecture celebrates the post World War 2 era when there was a desire for change, colour and inspiration in the home.
To express an interest and reserve your place please
Ashley Gray is a leading specialist and curator in the key art discipline of Modern Textiles and their history. He is a regular vetter at international fine art fairs and has served on the Fair Committees of BADA, The Works on Paper Fair and on the BADA Council. He is regularly invited to lecture on the subject both in the UK and the US. As a curator and archivist, he works with institutions and foundations on conservation and exhibition projects. Most recently he curated Styled by Design at Cromwell Place in London, an exhibition that celebrates the innovation of Modernist textile design. He co-curated Material Textile: Modern British Female Designers and Material Textile: Creativity, History & Process, both with Messums Gallery, Common Thread at New Art Centre and From Bauhaus to our House also at Cromwell Place. He is currently researching the role David Whitehead Ltd in Lancashire played in commissioning innovative modern designs in the Festival of Britain era. An exhibition is planned for 2027.