Louisa Waterford Prize Exhibition 2024
Etal Village Hall
Ford and Etal
Northumberland
Saturday May 4 - Monday May 6
10.30am - 4pm
Free Admission
The Louisa Waterford Prize celebrates the strengths of artists, makers and designers today and pays tribute to the legacy of Louisa Beresford (nee Stuart), Marchioness of Waterford.
Often described as a woman ahead of her time, she was an accomplished artist and philanthropist.
The old school at Ford, now Lady Waterford Hall Museum which houses her watercolour paintings and life-size murals, has attracted visitors from across the world. One of its earliest tourists in the early 1900's described it as "a perfect paradise" - the theme of this year's Prize.
The exhibition at Etal Village Hall showcases the work of 20 finalists selected from a huge number of submissions. Around 30 pieces of work will be exhibited. There'll be art workshops and demonstrations at Etal as part of the event throughout the weekend. Ford and Etal's resident artists and makers will also stage their own exhibitions and workshops at their studios.
We'll be producing a special list of historic "art-e-facts" across Ford and Etal to help visitors find out more about them. There will also be a special talk about Louisa at Lady Waterford Hall at 7pm (doors open at 6.30pm) by leading historian and author Caroline Ings-Cambers. Tickets must be pre-booked. See below for more information. Click here to visit the finalists page and see all their submissions.
Louisa Waterford - Artist, Philanthropist, Free Spirit
Talk by Historian/Author Caroline Ings-Chambers
Lady Waterford Hall
Ford Village, Northumberland
Saturday May 4 6.30pm (talk starts at 7pm)
As part of the Prize event, historian and author Caroline Ings-Chambers PhD will give a talk about Louisa at Lady Waterford Hall.
Caroline, who is also one of the event's judges, is an independent scholar, speaker and writer in the field of Victorian Studies with specialist academic interests in John Ruskin, the Nineteenth Century Novel, and the role of Women in nineteenth century society, culture and the arts.
She is also author of 'Louisa Waterford and John Ruskin "for you have not falsely praised"' (Legenda, 2015) and is a lecturer at Morley College in London, where she creates and delivers original courses in nineteenth century British literature and culture.
The talk "Louisa Waterford - Artist, Philanthropist and Free Spirit" will take place on Saturday May 4 at 6.30pm (talk begins 7pm)
Entry is £10 (includes welcome drink)
Please click here to book tickets
(Spaces are limited so it is advisable to book online to guarantee a place)
Find out more about the talk and Caroline's work here
About the Prize
Part of Louisa's philanthropic work included encouraging artists, designers and makers to use their skills to make a living. It's an ethos we share at The Tin Shed in supporting all our artists and makers.
The Louisa Waterford Prize was founded to not only celebrate her legacy, but to help showcase and promote the work of local creatives.
The 2024 Prize exhibition takes place at Etal Village Hall over the weekend of Saturday May 4 till Monday May 6. There will be 30 pieces of work from 20 finalists. Our eminent panel of judges will select the over winner and visitors have the chance to select their favourite for the People's Choice Prize.
Our inaugural event in 2022 was held at Lady Waterford Hall (photo right) where the winning piece was the Flow Desk and Chair by Selkirk-based furniture maker Rob Elliott.
Our second event is taking place at nearby Etal Village Hall, which means visitors can also pop along to Lady Waterford Hall to view Louisa's murals and growing collection of smaller pieces hanging in the space.
Meet the 2024 finalists here.
Meet the Judges
Harriet Joicey
Lady Joicey, chair of the Lady Waterford Hall Trust, hails from Scotland but has lived at Etal in Northumberland for almost thirty years.
She has been heavily involved with the local community, running Ford and Etal estates with her husband and their 4 children.
Harriet also supports various charities and the arts.
During 2019 and 2020 she was High Sheriff of Northumberland.
Helen Hastings BA Hons
Helen studied ceramics at Edinburgh College of Art, before becoming Artist in Residence at Gracefield Art Centre in Dumfries. She worked as a picture framer then learned how to build and maintain websites. When her husband Ron set up Hastings Legal, she built the company website. They now have offices in several Borders towns and opened the office in Coldstream in 2023 in what had previously been an art gallery. Part of the gallery has been retained to exhibit artists work and promote The Borders as a creative place to live.
Caroline Ings-Chambers PhD
Caroline is an independent scholar, speaker, and writer in the field of Victorian Studies with specialist academic interests in John Ruskin, the Nineteenth Century Novel, and the role of Women in nineteenth century society, culture and the arts. Caroline is the author of 'Louisa Waterford and John Ruskin "for you have not falsely praised"' (Legenda, 2015). She is a lecturer at Morley College in London, where she creates and delivers original courses in nineteenth century British literature and culture.
Peter Fagan - Sculptor
Peter is a multi-disciplinary artist, based at the historic village of Ford, Berwick Upon Tweed. He studied at Colchester School of Art with a focus on Sculpture, becoming studio assistant to Geoffrey Clarke RCA working on sculptures for Coventry Cathedral.
Peter later worked on own commissions for public and private buildings and taught pottery and general art subjects at Braintree College, in Colchester. He also worked as exhibition designer for the Marconi Company.
About Louisa
Born Lady Louisa Stuart, she became Marchioness of Waterford after marrying Henry Beresford, Lord Waterford (his mother was a Delaval).
She moved from his family seat in Ireland to Ford Castle in Northumberland following his death in the mid-1800's.
Already an accomplished amateur artist Louisa was well-known in London's elite artistic circles. She was tutored by art critic and author John Ruskin and they became good friends for about 40 years until her death.
Louisa is also known for her philanthropic work. She and her husband built hundreds of new houses and a school for the estate workers in Ireland, as well as setting up sustainable craft industries to provide employment.
Although still grieving when she arrived at Ford, in Northumberland, she re-designed and improved living conditions on the estate and built a new school. That building is now Lady Waterford Hall. She also improved living conditions for the mining communities near her husband's family home at Seaton Delaval in Northumberland and was instrumental in setting up a women's mission and fundraising following a pit disaster that killed over two hundred men and boys.
Today Ford's well-preserved buildings and the biblical scenes she spent 22 years painting stand as her legacy.
Although Louisa and her work isn't as well-known as her male counterparts, the murals remain unparalleled by any other woman artist of Louisa’s generation across Europe.
Horseshoe doorway of the old forge at Ford
Open Call to Artists and Makers
If you're an artist or maker and would like to find out more about joining The Tin Shed, please email info@thetinshed.co.uk
Please include bit about yourself and send a couple of images of your work or a link to it.