Glorious Gloucestershire Festival: WEA Calligraphy Class Banners

Seven banners have been created in response to a request made to the WEA Cheltenham Calligraphy Group, to contribute to the "Glorious Gloucestershire" Festival in Gloucester Cathedral 28-31 July 2005.

The brief was to complement six floral displays by the Gloucestershire Flower Guild, incorporating the Bishops' copes, and to use wording from Francis of Asissi's Canticle of the Sun. The separate banners depict the 6 themes individually, and take their colour schemes from the corresponding copes, whilst the introductory banner includes repeated designs and celebrates all that is inherent in the County.

Banners from the WEA calligraphy class which will hang in Gloucestershire Cathedral for the duration of the Festival.

Although certain design elements were consistent across all the banners, the design process was more a matter of instinctive response. The result is a set of banners that are inextricably linked, which are spontaneous & expressive, and also demonstrate how a variety of calligraphic techniques can produce different effects for emphasis and interpretation.

The work was carried out by 14 people from the Cheltenham Calligraphy Group who have gained their lettering arts skills through ongoing workshops tutored by Josie Brown, covering a range of topics from historical research and contemporary variations of scripts; gilded and illuminated letters; embossing, stencilling / stamping; lettering on wood, glass, fabric - through to bookbinding and related paper crafts.

This is not the first group project they have undertaken, as in the past they have produced two other sets of banners, one depicting and explaining the history of writing and printing which is used by local schools, and the other has a banner for each colour of the rainbow, and finally a book of tips for calligraphers called "Scribes' Secrets".

The group is currently of mixed ability, but some have made their way from complete beginners through a GCSE in Design focussing on calligraphy, 15 OCN units at levels 1 & 2, and over 20 units at level 3. Some learners have gone on to successfully gain certification with the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society and two have become tutors of calligraphy themselves, one of whom is presently undertaking the society of Scribes and Illuminators' Advanced Training Scheme. So, in terms of learning - the pen is indeed mightier than the sword!

For further information on the project please contact:

Josie Brown
WEA Gloucester Office
City Works
Alfred Street
Gloucester
GL1 4DF
Tel: 01452 541358
Email: josieb53@hotmail.com

Further information on the work of the WEA South West Region can be obtained from:

WEA South West Region
Bradninch Hall
Castle Street
Exeter
EX4 3PL
Tel: 01392 490970
Email: sw-regionaloffice@wea.org.uk