2017 Mackintosh Festival programme launches

A programme of over 40 events celebrating the life of Charles Rennie Mackintosh has launched!

Article Source: Glasgow Mackintosh Festival
Last Updated: 31 August 2017 12:39

The programme for the sixth Mackintosh Festival has been launched and includes over 40 events, many of which are free, celebrating the life of architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh in and around Glasgow Mackintosh venues across the city and beyond.

The festival, which is organised by Glasgow Mackintosh, takes place every October and attracts over 100k visitors each year. 2017’s festival is warming up the city ahead of the year-long celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Mackintosh’s birth with a new exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, opening in March 2018, and the opening of Mackintosh at The Willow in Sauchiehall Street on 7th June 2018 - CRM’s 150th birthday.

This year’s festival highlights include:
• The 150th anniversary of Glasgow Art Club will be celebrated with a small selection of drawings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and John Keppie who are the artists of the month. Visitors can also view the Club’s members’ Autumn art exhibition; take a tour of the building and hear all about Mackintosh’s involvement in the club.

• A new venue, Kelvin Hall, has been added to the programme and will have a chairs exhibition, part of the Luminate event, and family workshops where you can create your own Mackintosh chair.

• Fashion and textiles is included in this year’s programme and nods to CRM’s love of Japan with an exhibition of Japanese textile crafts featuring embroidered obis and kimonos called A Threaded Story at the Mackintosh Club in Helensburgh. Visitors to the town can also enjoy a visit to The Hill House – Mackintosh’s masterpiece.

• A full range of free family activities, for all ages and abilities, will take place across the month and during October school holidays at: Kelvingrove; Scotland Street School Museum and Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.

• The Glasgow School of Art will host their walking tours and Mackintosh at the GSA tours, a family workshop where you can hear all about the restoration of The Mackintosh Building and the crafts used in the process and can enjoy a Whisky Mack cocktail in the Vic Bar throughout the month.

• Mackintosh’s only built church, Mackintosh Queen’s Cross has a full range of events including their recently-launched Walking Tours; an exhibition of replica Mackintosh chairs by Bruce Hamilton; a puppet show for young Mackintosh fans; a stencil workshop; the chance to hear artist Avril Paton talk about her art and the very popular Lids Open Day – where members of the public are invited to play the Church’s Steinway grand piano.

• House for an Art Lover have a packed month of events including: a murder mystery dinner involving Charles, Margaret and Kate Cranston; creative workshops and classes; tours of the building; a free family day; classes and lots of activity for young people including The Spook School and storytelling.

• The Lighthouse have a series of shows by Sonica and Cryptic called Chozumaki which take place in The Mackintosh Tower; there will be tours of the building throughout the month and an exhibition of crystals and precious metal artworks celebrating the relationship of Charles and Margaret called Illuminating Letters.

Following on from last year’s very successful The Big Rose, Elisabeth Vigiue Culshaw is back with her stencils to create The Big Banner – a recreation of a banner designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Kate Cranston’s Willow Tea Rooms in 1904. Elisabeth is working at various Glasgow Mackintosh venues across the month, and invites the public along to free and paid-for workshops to help her recreate the banner which will hang in The Lighthouse throughout the festival.

Glasgow Mackintosh is working with festival partners: Glasgow Women’s Library who will host their Glasgow Girls of Garnethill walk; Glasgow Restaurant Association who are running ‘The Big Mack Dinearound’ in some of the city’s best restaurants; St Enoch Centre will host an exhibition of art work by secondary school pupils, part of an annual Glasgow Mackintosh art competition called ‘Mackintosh the Innovator’ and the annual photography competition with Glasgow Doors Open Day Festival which will see the winning photos on display online throughout the festival.

Commenting on the festival programme, Garry Sanderson, Treasurer of Glasgow Mackintosh, said: “This year’s festival is going to be a nice warm up for the city ahead of next year’s celebration of Mackintosh’s birth. The festival is now in its sixth year and we have a fantastic programme of over 40 events lined up over the course of the month in Glasgow Mackintosh and partner venues. Many of our events are free and we have something for all ages – including workshops, talks, tours, exhibitions and much more. We look forward to welcoming you to the sixth Mackintosh Festival.”