We extended a very warm welcome to MA Fine Art student Masako Nishiyama from Kanazawa University, Japan in February 2014. Visiting Bradford on a cultural exchange, she was amazed at the quality and diversity of our local collections and also the international extent of Bradford's historic textile trade.
Masako was especially captivated by the work of our old student George Arnold Stead who designed for Liberty's of London and Lister's Manningham Mill from 1912. As well as compiling standard working pattern books of his own professional designs, he created 'folded parcels' of point paper designs with woven samples, taped together in a linear fashion. Unrolling these parcels, revealing yard, after yard, after yard, felt like unrolling a real treasure map!
We hope Masako continues to enjoy her visit to our wonderful city.