T Arts: Visual (Artists)

DATE: 1931-1996

LEVEL: Series

Correspondence and other Trust records documenting the growth of fine arts practice, education, art exhibitions and art collecting at Dartington. The series is structured as first arranged by Victor Bonham-Carter. Some of the earliest material, three boxes of letters and poetry by Jane Fox-Strangways, was discovered later and has been appended to the series. A final box, arranged alphabetically, includes a growing collection of artists' receipts and other documentation of the provenance of works of art which have been owned by the Dartington Hall Trust through the years. The series contains correspondence with artists employed by the Trust, including Jane Fox-Strangways, Mark Tobey, Cecil Collins, and Hein Heckroth. There are also a few records of the Dartington Art Studios Summer School of Art, and records of exhibitions organised at Dartington.

Dorothy Elmhirst encouraged the fine and visual arts on the Dartington estate. One of the first artists with whom she made contact was the potter, Bernard Leach. In 1926 Leach was living and working in St. Ives, Cornwall, and was asked to consider moving his studio to Dartington. Leach was unwilling to move at that time and instead recommended a former assistant, Sylvia (Jane) Fox-Strangways, who stayed for three years during the so-called 'Amateur Period ' of Dartington's development, between 1926 and 1929.

Jane Fox-Strangways taught drawing and painting in a studio behind what is now the Barn Theatre. She felt it was her duty to bring art to all 300 members of the estate, 'from children to bricklayers'. She installed a kiln and made a number of fireplace tiles which may still be seen around the estate. In addition to teaching classes, she organised 'peoples' exhibitions of the work of many members of the estate, expanding the definition of art to include everyday activities, including baking, shoe polishing, and typescript layout for secretaries. After leaving Dartington, Fox-Strangways maintained her connection with Dartington, writing often to Dorothy Elmhirst, and sending frequent gifts of manuscript poems and watercolour designs. Fox-Strangway's many poems and watercolours have been saved in boxes four to six of this series. There are also several fine press editions of Fox-Strangways' poetry, printed at Dartington by C Eric McNally in 1967.

Mark Tobey came in 1931 to Dartington from the Cornish School in Seattle, fulfilling the role of artist-in-residence. Tobey taught weekly art classes for any interested estate members, continuing the democratic tradition of art begun by Fox-Strangways. Many of Tobey's sketches and paintings are still in the collection of the Trust.

A rich correspondence accumulated over the course of forty years between the Elmhirsts and Mark Tobey. These letters are preserved in the first two boxes of this series. In addition to correspondence between the Elmhirsts and Tobey, there are numerous receipts for Tobey's household, medical, art studio, and travel expenses, which Dorothy and Leonard covered.

In 1934 Tobey and the potter, Bernard Leach, were sent to Japan for a study year by the Elmhirsts (Bernard Leach having joined Dartington in 1932). His son, David Leach, was sent to learn commercial pottery techniques for Dartington. Tobey and Leach returned from Asia in July 1935. Tobey took charge of the Art Studio, a component of the new Arts Department.

Bernard Leach moved into the Dartington Pottery in 1935. Bernard taught occasional classes at the Art Studio, and simultaneously began building commercial potteries for Dartington Ltd., and for himself and his son, David, at St. Ives. Bernard Leach left Dartington in 1940.

While Mark Tobey and Bernard Leach were abroad, estate art and pottery classes were conducted by Adrian Kent and Bernard Forrester.

On his return, Tobey was placed in charge of an invigorated arts section and was soon joined by two more artists, Willi Soukop and Heinrich Heckroth. Soukop was a sculptor, while Heckroth excelled at film and theatre design. Tobey left Dartington in 1938, and Hein Heckroth was given charge of the art section, assisted by Bernard Leach, Soukop, and Cecil Collins. By the summer of 1939, the visual arts section was accepting fee-paying students training as professional artists.

The war years necessitated a change in focus which led to the 'Educational Period' of Dartington's history after World War II. As a German, Heckroth was interned and sent to Australia in 1940 and Willi Soukop who was Austrian to an internment camp in Canada. Cecil Collins took charge of the studios of art and design until he left Dartington in 1943 when the unit was finally closed down. The Trust recognized that Dartington could not compete with the new art schools started after the War by local education authorities around the country, especially since post-war art school students had government subsidies to attend these new schools. Thereafter, formal post-secondary visual arts education received less emphasis than other arts.

In 1947, Robin Bond was brought in to organise a contemporary British art exhibit, and there was a series of at least seven summer art exhibitions which were largely organised by Peter Cox. The most important of these in terms of attendance, was 'Made in Devon' which attracted more than 11,000 people.

In 1954 the title of the Arts Department was changed to the Arts Centre.

For more information see 'Dartington Hall, 1925-1956: A Report' by Victor Bonham-Carter.

Information for Researchers

All papers belonging to The Dartington Hall Trust Archive (with the exclusion of Dartington Hall School pupils individual records) are held at the Devon Record Office. All enquiries relating to research should be made to Devon Records Office, Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7NL
+44 (0)1392 384253
+44 (0)1392 384256
devrec@devon.gov.uk
www.devon.gov.uk/record_office

The following requests should be made direct to the Archives & Records at The Dartington Hall Trust as shown below:
Copies of images as seen on The Dartington Hall Trust online catalogue with appropriate reference number (Ref No.)
Permission to publish or quote from any document held in the Dartington Hall Trust Archive
Former pupils of Dartington Hall School wishing to view their records
Archives & Records
The Dartington Hall Trust
Dartington Hall
Totnes TQ9 6EL
01803 847200
yvonne.widger@dartington.org

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