Choice and Circumstance – A ‘Tess of the d’Ubervilles’ Community Project with Arts Together

The Melksham branch of local charity Arts Together have been busy creating artworks inspired by one of Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy’s most famous female character, which will on show at Wiltshire Museum during the ‘Hardy’s Wessex’ exhibition.

‘Tess’. One of only a few literary characters recognised by their first name alone, and certainly one of the most popular. Like many of Hardy’s female heroines, she is pushed and pulled by the strictures of nineteenth century society and limited both by being a woman in a man’s world and by being ‘lower class’.

The Arts Together group of wonderfully talented older artists looked at Tess’s story, handled Victorian domestic artefacts and enjoyed a (very wet) visit to Stonehenge (a monument that looms large in Tess’s tragic story.) These experiences produced a variety of insightful paintings, collages, and sculptures by members, guided by artist Sue Martin.

You can see some of the groups working on the project here, please visit the Museum to see how visiting museums and heritage sites can be powerful launchpads for creativity and wellness.

Arts Together and Wiltshire Museum would like to thank Wessex Museums for their support of this project.