On June 6th I took part in the hanging of 3,000 Chinese lanterns around the village of Broadway in Worcestershire, England. The lanterns were to launch the first Broadway Arts Festival which ran from June 11-20, 2010. The theme of the festival was a celebration of John Singer Sargent’s painting ‘Carnation,Lily, Lily, Rose’ which was painted in Broadway during the summers of 1885-86. I had suggested the idea of a festival to celebrate Broadway’s unique artistic heritage to local gallery owner John Noott in 2007 when I returned there with finished copies of my book Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose: The Story of a Painting. John promoted the idea, a committee was formed and the first festival took place this year and was a great success.
I took part in a performance of Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose adapted from the book. There was a splendid exhibition of paintings by John Singer Sargent and members of the Broadway colony that was opened by Sargent’s great-nephew, Richard Ormond as well as a full complement of other exhibitions plus concerts, plays and tours. The next Broadway Arts Festival will take place in June of 2012.
