Call to artists to join Julian of Norwich exhibition 

The Julian of Norwich Partnership is inviting artists to take part in a month-long exhibition in St Stephen’s in the autumn.

The exhibition will take place at St John’s Timberhill and St Stephen’s, Rampant Horse Street, from October 18 to November 16 with the title ‘Love Is the Meaning’ and will explore the dynamic interface between words and pictures in art. 
 
Artists are invited to explore the pictures of Julian of Norwich and celebrate the 650th anniversary of her writings. The project comes from a collaboration between the Julian of Norwich Partnership and St Stephen’s Arts. 
 
“Julian is unnamed in the historical record,” writes Lucy Care, the curator of the exhibition, “but has acquired her name because she lived as an anchoress or hermit at St Julian’s church, Norwich, just off King Street. In her time this was the port area of the city and Norwich the second biggest port in England. 
 
“She was not totally shut away from the world; her window was open at all times to those who wished to talk. And she lived through wars, plague, famine, and the burning of heretics just up the road. In spite of this her most quoted saying is: ‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well’.” 
 
All sorts of resources can be found in the bookshop next to St Julian’s Church. The Julian of Norwich Partnership will invite every artist to come to three free events to explore the words and pictures that Julian uses. These are in-person events, but you can also join via Zoom.
 
The first workshop will take place on Thursday April 13 at 10.30am at the Julian Centre next to Julian’s Church, Rouen Road, NR1 1QT. It will be an exploration of the world of Julian of Norwich looking at the events that shaped her life, the worldview of the times and Norwich in Julian’s time. 
 
It will include talks, an exploration of the exhibition sites, and a guided walk around Julian’s Norwich. Get your tickets at julian650workshop1.eventbrite.com. There are 20 in-person tickets on a first-come-first-served basis and unlimited Zoom tickets. 
 
The second workshop will be on Friday, May 12 at 10.30am at the Julian Centre and will look at Julian’s Shewings and Contemporary Symbolism in Art. There will be a seminar exploring the use of imagery in medieval churches, followed by an informal discussion of elements of Julian’s world and conversation with re-enactors skilled in writing techniques of the fourteenth century. 
 
You can get tickets at julian650workshop2.eventbrite.com. There are 30 in-person tickets on a first-come-first-served basis and unlimited Zoom tickets. 
 
The third Annual Julian Lecture will be on Saturday, May 13 at 12.00 noon in St. Julian’s Church with the title ‘Julian’s Minds’ Eye’. This will be delivered by Professor Barry Windeatt from Cambridge 
 
The Julian Lecture is in the Church. In-person and Zoom tickets are available at julian650lecturemay.eventbrite.com. 
 
The partnership will invite artists shortlisted for the Julian Exhibition in October 2023 to come for free to a further one-day event to explore the interaction of words and pictures that Julian uses. 
 
More information for artists about the autumn exhibition is available here: https://julianofnorwich.org/blogs/reflections/call-to-artists

Pictured above is a statue of Julian of Norwich on the West Front of Norwich Cathedral.