Senior Lecturer Angela Devoti recently curated a special exhibition of vintage fashion from The Betty Smithers Design Collection archive in collaboration with the charity, Callister Trust and The Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead Liverpool to commemorate the centenary anniversary of Callister Garden (now Callister Trust).
The Callister Trust is a charity, established in 1925, promoting the welfare of girls and young women in Birkenhead, the garden also has links with the Suffrage Movement.
The garden fell in to disrepair but has recently been taken over by the Callister Trust who are developing it as a retreat in its original vision but including others such as asylum groups. The trust is continually fundraising towards a new pavilion being designed by Architecture students from Liverpool John Moore’s University.
University of Staffordshire were approached to support the charity in a fundraising event and an exhibition was designed and curated by Senior Lecturer Angela Devoti. The exhibition took place in The Williamson Art Gallery, showcasing specially selected garments and accessories from The Betty Smithers Design Collection, from the University of Staffordshire to celebrate many of the key moments of women’s fashion from every decade of Callister Gardens history, beginning from the 1920s to the present day.
‘‘Each of the outfits on display around the Williamson Gallery presented the ongoing transience and temporal nature of fashion reflecting the continual changes within society, culture and politics. The garments and accessories hold the lived bodily experience, signifying moments in time, revealing varying narratives, telling their own unique story, which ultimately form a collective inspirational statement of liberation and freedom of expression.’’
Angela Devoti, Senior Lecturer BA (Hons) Fashion and Course Leader for Foundation Year in Art and Design at University of Staffordshire
In addition to the public exhibition, a series of walking lectures and handling talks centered on the pieces from The Betty Smithers Design Collection were arranged by Angela and also took place at The Williamson Art Gallery. These were highly engaging and very well received by those who participated.
‘‘The lectures and handling talks about the Betty Smithers Design Collection exhibition allowed the visitors to encounter and share in their own memories of fashion and this experience fostered some incredible thought-provoking narratives about memory, place and time told through dress.’’
Cathy Warren, Chairperson for the Callister Trust commented "We were delighted to collaborate with the University of Staffordshire on our first event to celebrate the centenary of Birkenhead based charity, the Callister Trust. The pop-up exhibition of items from the Betty Smithers Design Collection at the Williamson Art Gallery alongside our 'Roots of Fashion' vintage show and auction enhanced and deepened the project. Lectures by Angela Devoti, curator of the exhibition, engaged visitors in sharing memories and experience of nearly a century of fashion."
Samantha Howes, Venue Manager from The Williamson Gallery added "The collaboration between the Callister Garden and the Betty Smithers Design Collection at the University of Staffordshire has been a joy and inspirational for the gallery. It has demonstrated the links between fashion, the environment, and its impact upon women."
For more information about The Betty Smithers Design Collection at University of Staffordshire, including the catalogue of items, please visit:
The Betty Smithers Design Collection
This is one of the largest handling collections in the UK and we welcome enquiries from scholars both in and outside the university interested in exploring the research potential of the collection.
It exists as a learning resource and therefore all the objects (with some restrictions) are available to borrow and handle by staff, students and the wider educational community.