The William Morris Society in the United States is pleased to award the Dunlap Scholarship 2020 to Anna Flinchbaugh. Flinchbaugh holds a BA in Anthropological and Environmental Studies from Middlebury College. He is currently a candidate for M.S.L.I.S. from the Pratt Institute. and Masters in Art History and Design. His research focuses on the history of textile design in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Here is a summary of Ms. Flinchbaugh on his project, "The Mycorrhizal Morris: A Network Analysis of the Morris & Co. Embroidery Workshop":
Pillowcase (ca 1900) embroidered by May Morris.
This work is part of the Botanical Expression exhibition
at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.
Based on my roots in anthropology and my recent experience with related data in library and information science, my research in the history of design centers on the deep belief that a more nuanced understanding of aesthetic impulses and influences is possible. as well as through exemplary individuals. While William Morris was certainly a prodigious genius, a true understanding of the scope of his ideas requires looking not only at his accomplishments, but also at the wider network of artists, producers, suppliers, and customers he has amassed. Morris & Co. Embroidery Workshop. provides the ideal place to start weaving this web. My previous academic work in the Pratt Institute's Art and Design History graduate program has revolved around 19th-century fabrics and embroidery, including research on May Morris and floral wallpaper for Daughters of Eva by Anca Lasc: Glamor femininity, fashion, and interiors from Versailles to today and at the medieval roots of the artistic movement embroidery for The Art of Women by Frima Hofrichter: from the 15th century to the present day. I recently returned to research on May and William Morris in my work as a curatorial intern for the forthcoming Botanical Expression exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, a project that has consolidated for me the feedback loop between the natural environment and artistic expression. underlies the work of Morris & Co.
Finally, echoing William Morris' belief in the importance of hands-on experience, I have also benefited from more than five years working as a natural dye and textile artist. Building on the work of Morris scholars such as Virginia Davis and Ray Watkinson, my current research aims to explore the ways in which personal and professional relationships between individuals from the Leek Embroidery Society, Merton Abbey Mills, and Morris & Co. Embroidery Workshop, as well as a private contractor for Morris & Co, they influence the production of the company's aesthetics. Operating within the structure of political economy and ecology, this work hopes to make Morris' guiding belief in the dialectical relationship between the goods of production and the means of production more visible. He would retrace stories of objects from dye collections to pillow purchases, chronicling all the human relationships that formed along the journey. The Huntington Library in San Marino contains a rich treasure trove of resources that answer these questions, including Morris's Merton Abbey Dyebook and the letters of William and May Morris. Given the rare and fragile nature of these materials, a visit to the library is a must for my research needs. Once these ideas have been studied and finalized, the forthcoming conference of the Center for Retail History and Distribution, Distribution, and the Natural World: Historical Perspectives presents the ideal stage for this conversation, through its emphasis on the intersection of ecology, aesthetics, and consumption. . I wish to use any funds provided by the Dunlap Fellowship to support my trip to the Huntington Library and the Retail, Distribution, and Natural World: Historical Perspectives conference. Ultimately, this research will be the first chapter of my master's thesis exploring the relationship between the Arts & Crafts movement in England and the Celtic Rise in Ireland through embroidery and textile work produced by the two respective communities.