News

On 18 November 2022, a group of students from St Augustine Academy in Maidstone ‘took over’ part of the Museum.  They had two objectives; to take over the Museum’s Twitter for the day, and to choose three artworks for a temporary exhibition.

Taking over the Museum Twitter feed gave them a voice to share their interests and views on various exhibits around the museum.

Students had the opportunity to ‘go behind the scenes’ archives to view and select their chosen artwork. 

The exhibition of the 3 selected artworks and the 3 other artworks that were not selected with their reasons for their choice can be viewed at Maidstone museum from February to April, Wednesday - Saturday 10am-3pm close at 4. 

Well done and congratulations to Lilly Ella Morris, Ruby Glover, Lacey Shepherd, Dylan Watson, Amber Walker and Catherine French. Below are images of all the artworks chosen along with each student's label text. 

Head and shoulders Portrait of Ellen Button (member of Dr Woodwards Blue Coat School)  -  Jane Day - C19th - Oil on Canvas 

I chose this piece because I found it inspiring that a woman of the time used her real name and didn’t hide behind a man’s name. It is also interesting that the name of the sitter is known – Ellen Button. Jane Day painted many people from the Blue Coats School, and most of them were women.                                Lilly-Ella, St Augustine Academy

A Kentish Church in Moonlight - Vincent Henry Lines - 1925 - Oil on canvas   

I chose this piece because it showcases the dark landscape, with the church on the hill and cottage further down as focal points. The only life in this piece is a person walking along the path. It has a gothic feel to it but still has a lot of greenery within the scene.                                                                                         Dylan, St Augustine Academy

Maidstone Museum -  Elizabeth Plowman - 1890-99 - Oil on canvas

I chose this piece because the mix of vibrant green colours on the peacocks and raw umber and brown shades of the museum building, creating an atmosphere of contrast, caught my eye. I thought it was a beautiful piece, and the brighter colours pop catching the viewer’s eye.                                                  Amber, St Augustine Academy

The Lunar Rainbow, Victoria Falls - Eliza Goodwin Green - 1904 - Oil on Canvas

This piece really caught my attention as I love the shine on the river. I found it inspiring as the artist was a woman and most artists from this time were men. She chose to keep her name on the painting rather than hide it. Eliza Goodwin Green was also a writer as well as an artist, neither of which were normalised jobs for women at the time.                                                                                                             Ruby, St Augustine Academy

Windswept Girls  - Evelyn Dunbar - 1906-60 - Pencil on paper 

This artwork is very minimal and basic which gives it a unique vibe. When I first looked at it I thought it was just lines on a piece of paper, but the closer I looked the more I could see the focus of the windswept girl and the more I liked it.                                                                                                                        Lacey, St Augustine Academy

The Gypsy Mother -  Claude Bendall  - 1945 -  Watercolour Gouache        

This painting was made in 1945 and is colourful and bold. Even though it was painted by a man it doesn’t seem like a normal female painting. I love how there is no set background and the artist uses different kinds of colours, but also how the corners and background look unfinished to draw attention to the mother and child’s bond.                                                                                                                             Catherine, St Augustine Academy