The Birmingham Pen Trade Heritage Association was first formed in 1996 as an informal meeting of people interested in the Birmingham pen trade. It was registered as a charity in 1997. Membership was drawn from former employees of the trade, collectors and people interested in history.

The Pen Room Museum of Writing and Pen Trademuseum was opened in April 2001, and the learning centre was established in an adjoining unit in June 2002.

The unique blend of ingenuity and industrial expertise found in Birmingham thrust the city to the forefront of steel pen design and manufacture. It placed the city at the centre of the world pen trade during the 19th Century and kept it there until the decline of pen making after the 2nd World War.

Birmingham was the centre of the world pen trade for more than a century, employing thousands of people, and pioneering craftsmanship, manufacturing processes and employment opportunities for women. The availability of cheap pens enabled the development of education and literacy throughout the world.

The Birmingham Pen Trade Heritage Association is working to ensure that this important part of Birmingham’s history receives the recognition it deserves. Their mission is to promote and further the interest in handwriting, writing equipment and writing accessories with particular reference to the Birmingham trades.

• Find out why Birmingham became the centre of the world pen trade?
• Explore the history of the pen making trade.
• Learn about the differing manufacturing processes and the pen companies of Birmingham city.
• Try your hand at writing with traditionally made reed pens and feather quills.
• Sit at the workshop benches and imagine the poor conditions that women endured, pressing hundreds of steel nibs each day.
• Try making your own writing nib using the original hand presses.
• See displays of historic writing equipment.
• See the unique Charles Thomas Collection of writing implements.

For more information, visit their website www.penroom.co.uk
or email: pentalk@penroom.freeserve.co.uk

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I came across this blog the other week. Brenda Raub is using her blog to display some of her art.
What I really like are the art pieces where words are produced placing obljects in such a way to create letters. For example, ‘h’ has been created by the pose of a horse character.

My favourite are the Penguins that spell the name ‘Debbie’

http://cre8art2day.blogspot.com/

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The www.theartofcalligraphy.com website is dediated to modern Japanese Calligraphy inspired on Buddhism and Zen.

Through her website, calligrapher Nadja Van Ghelue hopes to bring you closer to the beauty and spiritual power of Japanese Calligraphy. Through her words and artwork she hopes to get you get enthusiastic about this special art form.

This site is a great resource for anyone interested in Japanese Calligraphy. It includes sections on choosing brushes, ink and ink stones.

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I thought it would be useful to have a section on our blog to tell you about interesting websites. Most will be calligraphy related – but not all!
The first website to share with you is the The Edward Johnston Foundation

Edward Johnston (1872-1944) by his teaching and practice almost single-handedly revived the art of formal penmanship which had lain moribund for four centuries. His major work Writing and Illuminating, and Lettering, first published in 1906 and in print continuously ever since, created a new interest in calligraphy and a new school of excellent scribes. The life he breathed into this ancient craft and its continuing tradition even in today’s hi-tech world can be ascribed to his re-discovery of the influence of tools, materials and methods.

“Nobody had such a lasting effect on the revival of contemporary writing as Edward Johnston. He paved the way for all lettering artists of the twentieth century and ultimately they owe their success to him” Hermann Zapf

The Edward Johnston Foundation is a registered arts charity dedicated to the promotion of a public awareness of calligraphy, not only as an art form in its own right but also as the seed and reference point for many other lettering applications including modern typeface design. These aims are backed with four objectives:

1) to establish an archive and library which will support teaching and research and provide accessible data for use by all

2) to build a collection of contemporary work which is international in scope

3) to develop a full educational programme in calligraphy and allied subjects

4) to initiate research into the use of new electronic media

The Foundation is based in Ditchling, Sussex, the birthplace of the twentieth-century calligraphic renaissance in Britain.

The collection of contemporary work comprises some 10,000 individual items with an acquisitions policy for rapid expansion to represent many related disciplines. The library currently stands at over 1000 volumes.

The Edward Johnston Foundation

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Ann Hechle is a major figure in calligraphy. She was taught by Irene Wellington, who was taught by Edward Johnston, so there is a direct educational inheritance links these three important practitioners.

The link below will take you to the Visual Arts Data Service website and to an interesting web-essay.

The web-essay is an introduction to Ann Hechle’s work and career, based on the collections held at the Crafts Study Centre, and digitised by the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS).

Using her notes and drawings, together with examples of commissions, this web-essay takes you through her background, influences and key works, and offers an insight into the context and possibilities of contemporary calligraphy. There are 6 sections addressing her training, major commissions, and the philosophical dimension of her work.

http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/learning/csc/hechle/essay.html

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