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In the Can
Tuesday March 2nd to Saturday March 27th
10 am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday and Bank Holidays)
Did you know that the metal in a beverage can is as thin as the width of human hair? Or that up to 2,400 beverage cans are manufactured every minute on each production line?
These are just two of the fascinating facts highlighted by the exhibition ‘In the Can’ . The temporary display will provide a rare glimpse of what goes on at Crown Holdings, Inc (Crown), one of Wantage’s largest employers and the company responsible for introducing a whole host of packaging innovations to the world. Situated on old Grove airfield, Crown’s Innovation Centre attracts scientists and designers from all over the country and beyond. The exhibition reveals some of the processes involved in can manufacture through a series of remarkable images taken in Crown plants around the world.
Ruth Howard, the Vale & Downland Museum’s curator says, “I am delighted that Crown approached the museum about staging an exhibition. These extraordinary photographs show the beauty hidden within industrial processes. They also remind us that Wantage is not just a town with a history but is also playing its part in the development of future technologies.”
Katie Bodnar, Crown’s Technology Marketing Manager, adds, “This exhibition has been fantastic to put together as it shows Crown’s manufacturing processes in a creative and artistic manner. Whether your background is art or science, the images capture something for everyone.”
Antarctic
Paintings by Jane Vaidya
Tuesday March 30th - Saturday 10th April
10am - 4pm Mondays - Saturdays ( Closed Sundays & Bank Holidays)
Meet the Artist : Wednesday 31st March 12.30pm - 1.45pm
Jane Vaidya’s formal art training began in Southampton in the 1970’s when she studied Art as her main subject during an Education degree course. She has painted ever since.
Over the past thirty years, she has exhibited her work in a wide range of regional art galleries and other more unusual venues including Abbey House Gardens in Malmesbury, St Marks Hospital in Harrow, Salisbury Library, the Water Garden at Donnington and Greenham Tandoori Restaurant. A regular participant in Berkshire Open Studios, Jane has also set up several Open Studio exhibitions for artists at the Corn Exchange in Newbury. In 1998, one of her paintings was featured in the Spink Prize Exhibition during the Newbury Spring Festival.
Ten years ago, Jane and her family moved to a mill house with a large garden, river and lake. This natural setting has influenced her paintings of riverside plants, and life in and around flowing water. Fish often feature in her work. She has visited Japan twice and finds painting koi carp a compelling and beautiful subject. She frequently uses the colour indigo, particularly as a background in her pictures, which has been a Japanese influence.
Following a visit to the Southern oceans at the beginning of 2007, Jane’s latest exhibition focuses on a quite different subject, the wilderness of Antarctica. Her visit to this remote continent was brief but memorable. She hopes her paintings capture both the continent’s beauty and its chilling inhospitality to many forms of life.
Avebury in Detail
Tuesday April 13th to Saturday April 24th
10 am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday and Bank Holidays)
The famous prehistoric site of Avebury stars in Liz Peach's first solo exhibition. Liz explains, “The site of Avebury exists within a living community with its physical presence spilling over into the local community. It holds both a historical and spiritual importance to visitors. I wanted to look beyond the immediate impressions and examine the details using a variety of techniques. I had a feeling of connection to both the past and the present, exploring the lineal form in detail. The natural, un-worked stones or monoliths and their surroundings take on personalities and new characteristics under examination. My presentation is a series of drawings and paintings completed as part of the Fine Art Degree in Drawing Practice.”
Liz waited until she had retired before she began her art studies. Liz says, “My mother encouraged a love of art from an early age. Like her I took up practical involvement in my later life. Years of travelling, visiting many galleries and involvement in the Edinburgh Festival provided inspiration. I’ve spent the last few years learning the techniques and processes and I am still learning enthusiastically. This included studying at Abingdon and Witney College leading to the Fine Art Degree in Drawing Practice at Swindon College. I’m presently taking a break from the course to develop my painting and printing techniques.”
Liz adds, “While still young, I remember Ricky Demarco saying that any journey repeatedly taken can be an inspiration when you search for the hidden unforeseen details and take this to a new perspective. Becoming an artist has made me very aware of the validity of this statement.”
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