The charity for arts, crafts and the rural economy, founded by John Ruskin in 1871.
The charity for arts, crafts and the rural economy, founded by John Ruskin in 1871.
A monograph by Annie Creswick Dawson with Paul Dawson.
This sumptuously illustrated biography and guide to the work of the sculptor, Benjamin Creswick, is the first dedicated publication to examine seriously the life and legacy of this artist. Creswick, who rose from Sheffield knife-grinder to head of the Department of Sculpture at the Birmingham Art School, owed much to the inspiration of St George’s Museum, Walkley, and to Ruskin’s encouragement and patronage.
Based on years of detailed research, Annie Creswick Dawson tells the story of her great grandfather’s successful career working in the Arts & Crafts tradition to create carvings and terra cotta sculptures, bronzes and friezes, commercial and municipal wall decorations, metalwork and so much more.
From the reviews of Benjamin Creswick
“[This is] an excellent short biography … well-designed and copiously illustrated… It is greatly to Ruskin’s credit that, in his own words, he had recognised the artist’s ‘true and pure genius’, and could be satisfied in ‘setting Creswick on his path in work and thought’.”
-- Prof Stephen Wildman,
Director of the Ruskin Library and Research Centre,
University of Lancaster.
“Annie Creswick Dawson, with help from Paul Dawson, … has written a biography of her great grandfather, Benjamin Creswick. It is a concise and elegant story of his connections to John Ruskin and their influence on teaching and education.” Read more online.
-- Dr Kay Walter,
University of Arkansas at Monticello.
“Without over-claiming for Ruskin, this account provides concrete evidence of how his ideas and values spread far and wide.”
-- Prof Robert Hewison,
Ruskin scholar and cultural historian.
“This plentifully illustrated book leaves us in no doubt about Benjamin Creswick's rich legacy … [and] serves as a warm tribute to [Ruskin and Creswick] equally. The Guild of St George, which has published the book, was founded by Ruskin himself in 1878, and this makes a valuable addition to its growing publication list.” Read more online.
-- Dr Jacqueline Banerjee,
Associate Editor,
The Victorian Web.