The Ruskin Collection: Hand, Head and Heart

The Guild of St George’s Ruskin Collection celebrates the visionary ideas of the Victorian artist and writer, John Ruskin (1819-1900). The gallery looks at how Ruskin established his collection in Sheffield to help people find inspiration in art and nature, and explores the relevance of his ideas today.

John Ruskin believed in the positive power of making by hand. For Ruskin, producing handcrafted objects provided honest work that was close to nature, good for moral character and improved the lives of craftspeople.

This new redisplay looks at how the act of handmaking improves people’s lives today. Alongside highlights from the Guild of St George’s Ruskin Collection, visitors will see a range of artworks made in education settings, produced as part of therapy pathways or created to raise awareness.

A new memorial quilt commemorating Terry Higgins, the first named person in the UK to die of an AIDS-related illness, will also go on public display for the first time in the gallery’s thoroughfare.

Collection highlights include over 60 examples of beautifully crafted drawings, watercolours, manuscripts, plaster reliefs, textiles, decorative metalwork and more.