[Centenary Celebrations]
Barbara Hepworth was born in the West Yorkshire city of Wakefield. Once a centre for coal mining, heavy industry and woollen mills the city, like many in the region, is now changing its character and its landscape. Wakefield is home to two major regional arts organisations promoting the visual arts and has a national reputation for supporting and developing the voluntary and community arts sector.It was entirely appropriate for the city to celebrate the centenary one of its most celebrated daughters. In a collaboration between Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the City of Wakefield two unique public events were staged during 2003. The first in the city’s Cathedral on her birthday in January featured the world premiere of Nigel Morgan’s The Present Moment is the Only Real Time a work for voices and keyboard with words by Hepworth, the second at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in mid June presented The Rhythm of the Stones, a whole day of musical performances by members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with music by Priaulx Rainer and four newly commissioned works by Nigel Morgan. Click here to read the press release and see pictures from the day.
Both these events focused on Hepworth’s love for and associations with music and musicians and were curated by composer Nigel Morgan who was appointed by Yorkshire Sculpture Park as their first composer in residence.