Mosaics project celebrates key female figures from local history
The works, which will be permanently mounted on the exterior wall of Morley College, will feature portraits of 13 remarkable women with connections to the borough, including Emma Cons, Mary Seacole and Jude Kelly OBE.
Each mosaic has been created by hand by individual artists as part of Southbank Mosaics ‘Celebrating the Achievement of Women’ project, funded by the Arts Council. They showcase pioneering women from a number of different fields, including social reformers, a Second World War spy, and figures from the arts and business worlds.
David Tootill, Artistic Director of Southbank Mosaics explains: “These are the faces of people who have made a real difference. The Southbank area has an incredible history of active women working hard to make life better, as well as major institutions connected to the welfare of women, and we are keen to highlight this aspect of our neighbourhood as well as to bring character, detail and interest to our public spaces.”
Ela Piotrowska, Principal of Morley College says: “We are delighted to provide a permanent display for these mosaics of remarkable women. The College is proud of its role in Lambeth, its contribution to adult learning in the borough and we value the opportunity to celebrate some of the shared history of Lambeth and the College through these portraits. We are grateful to Southbank Mosaics for donating these beautiful mosaics to the College which will be displayed on the walls of our building in north Lambeth for all to view.”
The mosaics will be officially unveiled by Councillor Clive Bennett, Mayor of Lambeth, during a special reception on Tuesday 3 July at 4.15pm.
Other portraits include: Lilian Baylis, Violet Szabo, Caroline Martineau, Eva Hubback, Dr Annie McCall, Hester Thrale, Mrs Mallet, Octavia Hill, Margaret Mellor and Natalie Bell.
In addition to the permanent display of mosaics, Morley College will also be hosting a special exhibition celebrating the achievements of Emma Cons (1838-1912). Emma Cons made a significant contribution to the local area through her penny lectures at the Old Vic theatre, the establishment of Morley College for working men and women, and her passionate campaigning for both social housing and women’s rights. The exhibition is free and open to the public from 3 – 31 July.