Midwinter news

The Hannah Frank project moves inexorably forward, and my aunt is very happy that she is definitely going to be 'leaving footsteps on the sands of time'!

Lots of projects are on the go, not least, a wonderful new 'webshop' that has been set up linked to the main Hannah Frank site http://www.hannahfrank.org.uk Fiona Fahlin from Redpebble Web Solutions has created a great new SHOP where Hannah Frank fans can send a free Hannah Frank e-card as well as buy prints and cards, and order sculpture recasts.

I've done talks at Glasgow Limmud (a Jewish cultural festival) and at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, to start a new show at the Riverside Gallery in Inverness. And what a beautiful city it was, if I may say so.

Now all is gearing up for the Hannah Frank major retrospective exhibition at the Royal Glasgow Institute Kelly Gallery in Glasgow, from 28th Jan to 11th Feb. I have a series of speakers booked - Peter Trowles, Mackintosh curator at the Glasgow School of Art, on 'Women at the Glasgow School of Art, from Jessie King to Hannah Frank' - Lesley Richmond from Glasgow University Archives putting Hannah Frank in context at Glasgow Uni in the 1920s: and Ann Marie Foster, a practising artist and teacher who'll be running sketching workshops for adults and children.

Ann Marie and I are also setting up a series of Hannah Frank Multi-Media Art Days for schools and are interested to hear from anyone who'd like one!

Please email me if you'd like to go on the mailing list to receive a monthly Hannah Frank newsletter.

lots has happened over the summer

welcome back to the Blog after several months off. But that's only been time off blogging, not time off making things happen in the world of Hannah Frank art. Hannah Frank prints are still on show for a special extended period at Garnethill Synagogue, Hill St, Glasgow: the next open day will be an 'Open Doors' event on Sunday 18th September. Then there'll be an exhibition in Inverness at the Riverside Gallery.... then a big exhibition at the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts at the Kelly Gallery, Douglas St, Glasgow; then one in the London Jewish Cultural Centre in their new premises in Golders Green.... and so on and so on!

Breaking news is that Andy Scott, the public artist, has been commissioned to make a set of panels in front of some public housing in South Portland Street in the Gorbals - the very street that Auntie Hannah grew up in before the family moved to Dixon Avenue in Govanhill. He's going to include one of Hannah Frank's images, and put information about her in an information panel by the side of the image.

I have lots of photos to put up on the site and we will do so very soon.
Try http://www.hannahfrank.org.uk for more info / and contact me by email if you want to go on an email list to get up to date info every three weeks or so by email.

London Jewish Book Week!

I'm writing this at the internet cafe at the Royal National Hotel where I've been sitting on the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre stall at the London Jewish Book Week! I've talked to lots of people who hadn't heard of Hannah Frank before but LOVED the art...and I was interviewed by the Jewish Chronicle yesterday so hopefully there'll be something about Hannah Frank in there on Friday! off to the Ben Uri gallery now todrop offa pic for their auction and give them some books to sell,then back to the stall this afternoon to do some more 'schmoozing' - I love this part of my life! Please send me a comment if you read this, I hate to think that I'm writing to thin air.

love Fiona (now more commonly known as The Artist's Niece)

Fiona Frank, the artist's niece (and blogger) and Sheila Whimster, Secretary of the Glasgow Society of Women Artists, with Hannah Frank at the RGI Kelly Gallery, at the private view of the Spring Show. 

Alma and Leslie Wolfson with Hannah Frank at the Glasgow Society for Women Artists exhibition, RGI Kelly Gallery, Glasgow, February-March 2005. You can see Hannah Frank's sculpture of her father's head in the background 

Auntie Hannah on TV tonight!

well - on Friday last week, the cameras came to Westacres, the old people's home - and interviewed me and auntie Hannah and took loads of footage of the drawings and sculptures.... then we all went off to the preview of the Glasgow Society of Women Artists exhibition at the Kelly Gallery, and they shot me and Auntie Hannah talking and walking, and Alma Wolfson talking about Hannah's contribution to Scottish art.... and it went out this evening at 6.30. I saw it later on tonight on the internet, but had had lots of texts and emails from people who saw it.... it's a great little short piece.... and we have already had three orders for prints by email!
Here's a photo or two of Auntie Hannah at the exhibition...

'who wants to be ordinary?!'

The interview was fab - I've had loads of comments from round the world about how quirky, individual and special auntie Hannah sounded on Wednesday evening.

Today I travelled up to Glasgow in a train with a big sculpture sitting next to me, which is going down to Olympia....to the art fair (if anyone would like a free ticket to Olympia, worth £10, get in touch: I have 20 now...)

what else is new? well, I've got a long list of suggestions of where to place articles about my aunt. If you have any more, tell me!

Radio, TV and Olympia!

To go with Hannah Frank's radio appearance today and Scottish TV appearance coming up on Monday - we've just been invited by Fiona MacSporran to send a couple of sculptures down to the Art Show at Olympia too! Fiona MacSporran has known my aunt for years and was involved in the production of the first edition of the book of my aunt's art (1988). So people in London will be able to see the pieces on the 'Decorative Arts at Doune' stand at Olympia all next week - and then come and talk to me on the Jewish Book Week stand at the Royal National Hotel the following week...

Tom Flemons, Staffordshire County Council, at the Hannah Frank exhibition in Lichfield - which runs till the end of February. 

Hannah Frank showing in England too!

As well as the BBC radio appearance tonight - and a longer show planned for Easter Monday too - and TV coming up on Monday.... - there are Hannah Frank prints and sculptures on show currently in Lichfield Library, till the end of the month. Here's a photo...

Auntie Hannah and the BBC

The first interview is going out on Wednesday 23rd February - LATER ON TODAY - in the Arts Show on BBC Radio Scotland - at 6.10 p.m. I'm very excited to see a link to the Hannah Frank website http://www.hannahfrank.org.uk on the BBC Radio Scotland website, so am quickly updating my blog to make it all worth while - I think the website is looking spick and span and I hope lots of new people find us and decide to buy some Hannah Frank prints and cards!

I had a call this morning from Scottish Television - they're going to come out and film Auntie Hannah on Friday morning, and tie it in to the opening of the Glasgow Society of Women Artists new show at the Kelly Gallery, where Auntie Hannah has 3 sculptures - including her favourite, the head of her father Charles Frank - and a signed print of an early drawing, Fairies in a Wood - done when she was 17!

Clare English with Hannah Frank in her room at Westacres, February 2005 

February excitements in the world of Hannah Frank

On 2nd February Clare English came to Westacres to interview Hannah Frank for the BBC Radio Scotland Arts Show.... here's a photo of her having a cup of tea before the interview. Auntie Hannah has a great long term memory and the interview was brilliant... afterwards Clare's comment was 'I've interviewed Tony Blair, and I've interviewed Gorbachev, but you were better!'

This is Sophie Kallin, who's the granddaughter of the cousin of Hannah Frank's husband Lionel Levy: and Jen Rankin, Hannah Frank's great niece - on a 'Hannah Frank' stall at Limmud, a residential Jewish festival held at Nottingham University in December.  

Here's a photo of the team who've been working with me on the 'Hannah Frank' project, when we met up recently in Lancaster. I'm holding the 'sorcery' print in the front. You can see Ed Horwich (photography) Andy Hornby (Graphics) Eddie Hams (Book design - he's holding the book); Judith Coyle (Press/PR), Gill Ormond (general support), Steve Landin (Website design), Bopo Phillips, MA Student, and Jan Windsor (Hannah Frank 'fan'.) Jen Rankin took the photo