The Northern Art Workers Guild 1896-1912

A talk by Barry Clark of the Society of Bookbinders. The Northern Art Workers’ Guild was modelled on the London-based Art Workers Guild to bring Arts and Crafts enthusiasts together and to hold exhibitions of their work. Founded in 1896, the brainchild of Walter Crane, its first Hon. Secretary was Edgar Wood, and its first major exhibition was held at the City Art Gallery in 1898. The speaker has, together with Richard Fletcher and Stephanie Boydell, the Special Collections Curator at Manchester Metropolitan University (who spoke to the group in 2024) recently produced a well-illustrated book examining the impact of the Arts and Crafts movement in Manchester and the overlooked history and legacy of the Guild itself.