Set out below are a selection of current and forthcoming exhibitions and lectures that the Society believes may be of interest. Please note that the organisation of these events is independent of the Society.

Exhibitions

  • Bishopsland Silversmithing and Jewellery Pop-up at the Goldsmiths Centre. 20 Jun 2024 · 4:00PM – 8:00PM. Free admission with ticket. The Goldsmiths’ Centre, London EC1M 5AD. Ten emerging and early-career jewellers and silversmiths, from the Bishopsland community, will showcase their talent and creativity at this exciting selling event.
  • Le Goût de la Renaissance. Un dialogue entre collections / The Taste of the Renaissance. A dialogue between collections at Hôtel de la Marine, Paris. Bringing together masterpieces from the Victoria & Albert museum and the Al Thani Collection, this exhibition highlights global interconnection during the Renaissance; a time when exploration and discovery encouraged the exchange of materials and ideas across Europe. Running from 6th March until 30th June 2024. Tickets €13. More information via this link.
  • The Craft of Tea: 1660 – 2024 at The Goldsmiths’ Centre, London. 1 May – 27 June 2024 (Monday to Friday 9am – 6pm). Free admission. A free exhibition at the Goldsmiths’ Centre that explores the material history of tea, stylistically and thematically from 1660 to the present day. More information via this link.
  • Unseen Treasures of the Portland Collection at The Harley Gallery, Welbeck. Running until 31 December 2025. This exhibition offers a new look at the world-class Portland Collection of art. There will be silver and tapestry, paintings and jewels; art that has come home after a long loan to a prestigious national gallery, and stunning star items that visitors know and love – such as Michelangelo’s ‘Madonna of Silence’ or the pearl earring worn by Charles I at his execution. Tickets: Free. More information and booking via this link.
  • Uniquely Scottish Silver at the National Museum of Scotland. Running until 26th May 2024. This exhibition brings together five distinct Scottish silver object designs: mazers, quaichs, thistle cups, ovoid urns and heart brooches, some of which are among the earliest and rarest survivals within the craft of Scottish silversmithing. Tickets: Free. More information via this link.
  • Marking 250 Years of Lasting Impressions at the Millennium Gallery, Sheffield. Running until 8th September 2024. This new display in the Sykes Gallery Metalwork Collection tells the story of Sheffield Assay Office, established in 1773 and one of only four remaining Assay Offices in the UK. Tickets: Free. More information via this link. 

Events

  • Workshop: The Craft of Tea at the Chitra Collection. 6th June 2024, 2pm-4pm at The Goldsmiths’ Centre. Join this Creative Inspiration Workshop to explore an extraordinary collection of historic teawares, ranging from Chinese tea bowls and examples of early English silver, to Russian enamel pieces and 21st century jewelled teapots. Tickets £20. More information and booking via this link.
  • Panel Discussion: What is the Future of Functional Silverware? 12th June 2024, 6pm-8pm at The Goldsmiths’ Centre. Join silversmiths, Angela Cork, Chris Knight and Simone ten Hompel alongside curators Dr Tessa Murdoch and John Andrew as they grapple with the future of silverware. The talk coincides with the exhibition at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, The Craft of Tea: 1660 – 2024 which explores the material history of teaware. Tickets £12. More information and booking via this link.
  • International Conference: Caribbean Silver in the Colonial Period. Monday 3rd June at Goldsmiths’ Hall, London. More details and schedule available via this LINK. Please note that places are limited so we recommend booking early via this Eventbrite link.

Online talks

  • Silversmiths Sharing Skills: A Teapot Making Project. 20th May 2024 · 6:00pm – 7:00pm. Join contemporary silversmiths Tony Bedford, Abigail Brown, Rauni Higson and Angus McFadyen from the John Cussell Memorial Fund Project in an online talk as they discuss the power of skill sharing and the art of crafting a tea pot. Tickets: Pay what you can (£3/£5/£10). More information and booking via this link.
  • PERMANENTLY AVAILABLE: Victorian Arts and Crafts silver: Innovation and Influence (Recording). Tickets can be purchased for £5 via Eventbrite here (NB. This is a recording, not a live event so can be watched at any time).

International talks and exhibitions

  • Royal Treasures. Masterpieces from the Terra Sancta Museum at Gaiás Centre Museum, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. 22 March – 4 August 2024, Tuesdays to Sundays 10.00 to 20.00. Tickets: Free. More information via this link.
  • Memory & Meaning in Southern Silver (Seminar). Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Winston-Salem, 20-21 September 2024. Featured speakers include Ben Miller of Shrubsole and the Antique Magazine’s ‘Curious Objects’ podcast, author and scholar Catherine Hollan, and Colonial Williamsburg’s Erik Goldstein. In addition to an opening keynote and a day of dynamic lectures, attendees will also have an opportunity to examine MESDA’s silver collection up close during an open house in the MESDA study rooms. Tickets $325. More information and booking via this link.
  • Irish Silver Exhibition at The National Museum of Ireland, Dublin: Permanent exhibition. More information via this link. Tickets: Free