Uncovering a Creative Family Connection at The Hepworth
We recently uncovered a surprising family connection with the Hepworth Gallery. We had visited the gallery on numerous occasions without realising a piece of our family history was being stored in the archive.
Abigail and Chloe Baldwin with their Great Granddad’s Painting
Ernest Sugden Mill on the Calder
Mill on the Calder, by their Great Granddad, Ernest Sugden, was presented to the original Wakefield Art Gallery in 1962.
We made the discovery in an old newspaper clipping (attached to a wedding invitation), ensuing the passing of our late Great Auntie. It referred to the painting and exhibitions in Scarborough and London that Ernest Sugden had been involved in. After research, Chloe discovered Mill on the Calder was being stored at the gallery. Unbeknown to Ernest, his painting would end up stored metres away from the actual site of the mill, back in his birth-town of Wakefield.
The Hepworth, named after sculptor Barbara Hepworth, is situated on the River Calder. It was opened in 2011, following a large amount of Art Fund investment and the closure of the original Wakefield Art Gallery in 2009. The Hepworth has gone from strength-to-strength as a leading Yorkshire destination and was recently awarded Art Fund’s Museum of the Year in 2017.
We have always admired our Great Granddad’s work, due to the stories told by our Granddad (also delighted by this discovery). However, we had no idea regarding the fate of Mill on the Calder, and its interest as a piece of local history for The Hepworth. A visit to the archive, sparked the family’s interest to look further into their history. Although we never met Ernest, due to his death in 1972, we felt a deep connection due to our interest in the arts.
In our creative communications studio: Buttercrumble, we create graphic design and illustration with an ethos of making others smile and a passion to do social-good through the arts. We’re now confident that our skills have developed due to a combination of nature and nurture. We’re delighted to be keeping creativity in the family and Yorkshire.
