Guild of St George
Encyclopedia
The Guild of St George is charitable trust
founded by John Ruskin
in England
in the 1870s as a vehicle to implement his ideas about how society should be re-organised. Its members, who are called Companions, were originally required to give a tithe
of their income (one tenth) to the Guild. Although the Guild failed to achieve Ruskin's utopian aims, it continues to this day and is responsible for a remarkable museum collection put together by Ruskin himself to illustrate his aesthetic and social ideas. The Guild collection is displayed at the Ruskin Gallery
of the Millennium Galleries
in Sheffield
. The Guild also gives small grants
and has recently organised a highly successful campaign to encourage more people to practise drawing under the title Drawing Power.
The Guild owns a small plot of land in the Wyre Forest
near to Bewdley
.
The current Master of the Guild of St George is Clive Wilmer
.
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
founded by John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the 1870s as a vehicle to implement his ideas about how society should be re-organised. Its members, who are called Companions, were originally required to give a tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
of their income (one tenth) to the Guild. Although the Guild failed to achieve Ruskin's utopian aims, it continues to this day and is responsible for a remarkable museum collection put together by Ruskin himself to illustrate his aesthetic and social ideas. The Guild collection is displayed at the Ruskin Gallery
Ruskin Gallery
The Ruskin Gallery is a gallery within the Millennium Galleries in Sheffield, England.It houses a collection of minerals, paintings, ornithological prints, drawings, manuscripts and architectural plaster casts assembled by John Ruskin....
of the Millennium Galleries
Millennium Galleries
The Millennium Galleries is an art gallery in the City of Sheffield, England. Opened in April 2001 as part of Sheffield's Heart of the City project, it is located in the city centre close to the city library, Sheffield Hallam University, and the city's theatre district...
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
. The Guild also gives small grants
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
and has recently organised a highly successful campaign to encourage more people to practise drawing under the title Drawing Power.
The Guild owns a small plot of land in the Wyre Forest
Wyre Forest
Wyre Forest is a large, semi-natural woodland and forest which straddles the borders of Worcestershire and Shropshire, England.The Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire takes its name from the forest, despite the fact that much of the woodland does not lie within the district's boundaries, but...
near to Bewdley
Bewdley
Bewdley is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster...
.
The current Master of the Guild of St George is Clive Wilmer
Clive Wilmer
Clive Wilmer is a British poet, who has published eight volumes of poetry. Wilmer was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire and attended Emanuel School and King's College, Cambridge. Wilmer argues that religion is fundamental to what he writes, yet he does not associate himself with a parochial view of the...
.
External links
- Online reconstruction of Ruskin's original St George's Museum at Walkley, Sheffield
- Sources for the study of John Ruskin and the history of the Guild of St George Produced by Sheffield City Council's Libraries and Archives