Alumni Visit National Portrait Gallery with Provost Dr. Hackforth-Jones

30/04/2007

PROVOST DR. JOS HACKFORTH-JONES TAKES ALUMNI THROUGH HER EXHIBITION AT THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY IN LONDON

Ten years ago, Richmond's Provost and Professor of Art History, Dr. Jos Hackforth-Jones, approached London's National Portrait Gallery with the idea of mounting an exhibition about visitors to Britiain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. After many years working with other curators, Dr. Hackforth-Jones is the Lead Curator of the exhibition Between Worlds 1700 to 1850 Voyagers to Britain 1700 -1850 that opened in the National Portrait Gallery in London on 7 March and runs until 17 June.

On the evening of 19 April, Richmond alumni were offered a private tour of the exhibition with Dr. Hackforth-Jones. The alumni gathered together for drinks with the Provost in a nearby gallery before beginning the tour of the exhibition.

These visitors from former British colonies included North America, The South Pacific, India and Africa and their reasons for coming. Their reception in Britain were as diverse as their backgrounds.

The alumni who attended heard the stories behind these visitors, their impressions and impact on British society. Many of the objects displayed told more about them and their role in British society at the time. Each alumnus was captivated by the stories behind the exhbiiton and also by Dr. Hackforth-Jones' passion and knowledge about the multicultural interface taking place in Britain close to three hundred years ago.

It was a treat and a privilege for alumni to visit a major London exhibition with the Lead Curator.

Some of the alumni who attended were:
Celia Cockburn 1975-76, Hiroko Kamogawa 1998, Rohit Dhawan MBA 1995, Suparna Malhotra 1997, Daniel Parisi 1997-99, Daisy Sarkis 2005, Cristina Haraba 2006.

Link to this page: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/n/255.aspx