William Mitchell: A Colourful Crusade

Expert Dr Dawn Pereira will be exploring the extensive career of one of the 20th century's most significant sculptors, William Mitchell, the artist behind Southend's newly listed Civic Centre Fountain.

In the post war landscape, schemes for civic buildings were architecturally ambitious, designed to project pride in public service provision. They also reflected the growing complexity of public administration and were designed to provide a constant reminder of the role of elected local authorities in the life of the nation. These buildings often played various functions, such as law courts, administrative quarters, galleries and concert halls, sometimes combined in a single structure, or separately housed but grouped together to form a municipal enclave, such as in Southend, along Victoria Avenue.

Best known for his large scale concrete public pieces, William Mitchell’s architecturally aware artwork was identified as being able to link these spaces together, and his striking piazza water feature was placed outside the Southend Civic Centre in 1971. This talk will place this high profile local piece within the context of Mitchell's varied career as a public works artist, and the historic context of post war architecture and design.

Dr Dawn Pereira is an architectural sculptor, historian, artist and educator with a passion for often-overlooked public art, which has led her to champion its interpretation, preservation and commemoration. Currently, Dawn is completing a monograph about LCC artist William Mitchell, made possible through a Henry Moore Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2017-19) and Terra Foundation for American Art award (2021-22). The monograph chronicles his ‘colourful crusade’ to humanise post-war urban landscapes throughout Britain and internationally.

Prebooking is essential to guarantee a space. Please note that tickets are per person per talk, you will need to book a ticket for each of the day's talks that you wish to attend.

Full line up:

11:30 The Beecroft is Brutal

(Break for lunch)

13:30 William Mitchell: A Colourful Crusade

14:30 'Transform: The Architectural Ceramics of Fritz Steller

(Short break for refreshments)

16:00 The Museum of Brutalist Architecture

Also check out other Arts events in Southend-on-Sea, Concerts in Southend-on-Sea, Entertainment events in Southend-on-Sea.