Inspired Art: Madge Gill Learning Resource Developer

Madge Gill (1882-1961) was a self-taught artist who lived much of her life in East Ham, in what is now the London Borough of Newham. In her forties, she began to produce intricate mediumistic artworks, and creativity became a vital outlet of self-expression for Gill for the next forty years. Although unappreciated during her lifetime, she is now recognised as a leading outsider artist, rising to prominence after the 1979 Hayward Gallery exhibition ‘Outsiders’. Within Newham Council’s museum collection, we hold over 1,000 pieces of her work, ranging from postcards to an extraordinary 10-metre-long drawing on calico. The Gill Collection has been featured in prestigious institutions and exhibitions including the 2024 Venice Biennale, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Grand Palais in Paris. Most recently Gill’s work was included in Grayson Perry’s ‘Delusions of Grandeur’ exhibition at the Wallace Collection. However, this work has rarely been shown in the borough in which it was made.

Newham Council has been awarded an Art Fund’s Reimagine Grant that will enable us to showcase Madge Gill’s work in new ways and share her work with audiences in Newham and beyond. We are seeking an individual with research and education experience to create a new learning resource exploring Gill’s life and work. This resource should be accessible, creative and consider Newham’s diverse communities and audiences.

The chosen Learning Resource Developer will lead independent research, supported by the Council’s Heritage Service and write engaging content for this new resource. The final resource will be free and available to all at Newham Heritage Centre and in 10 libraries across the borough, reaching thousands of people.