It seems like the Spring term just started and it is already over, in a whirlwind of essay writing and day trips. I have one of three essays finished. The first, for my class on International Issues in Conservation, I wrote about the Conservation of Modern Buildings and Heritage; think of Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Waters and the Guggenheim Museum as examples. The second essay will cover our Spring Master's class. We had speakers from several European and English museums (including the V&A in London!) talking about the presentation of stained glass in the museum setting. This shouldn't be too difficult to write, as its only about 2500 words. The third essay, for "Painting on Light" is going to be a challenge. We can write about a topic of our choice.
At first glance you might think it would be easy to write about anything you choose, but coming up with your own topic is actually quite difficult. There is a fine line between not finding any research materials to use, and something that's been written about so much that there's not much point in going there again. Then there is the inspiration factor. It' a lot easier to research and write about something that inspires and excites you. So for the last 2 weeks I have been looking for inspiration. I have been to Knaresborough, Bingley, and Bradford to look at William Morris and Company stained glass. Here are some photos of what I found in my travels, starting in Knaresborough, at Saint John the Baptist church, which has been a place of worship since the 12th century at least.
