On 8 March 2018 a blue plaque commemorating Gill was erected at 71 High Street, Walthamstow, where she was born in 1882 and lived until 1890.
(meta data) TITLE: Waltham Forest Echo | Meticulous Madge gets blue plaque (meta data) PUBLISHED DATETIME: 2018-03-05T09:01:02+00:00 Join the Echo! Posted on 5th March 2018 by James Cracknell # Meticulous Madge gets blue plaque Celebration of Walthamstow artists' life marks beginning of a series of events, writes Sophie Dutton English artist Madge Gill working on a section of a large pen and ink piece on fabric (credit Westwood/Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images) Self-taught artist Madge Gill, born in 1882 in Walthamstow, created thousands of meticulous ink drawings during her lifetime, many of which reflected her obsession with spiritualism. A disjointed childhood saw her move from Walthamstow to Barkingside and later on to Canada after her family decided they weren't willing to support her and placed her in an orphanage. Gill remained in Canada until 1900, before moving back to London and becoming a nurse. A few years later she married her cousin, Tom Gill, and the couple went on to have three sons. However, the couple had a difficult marriage and suffered a number of tragedies. Their second son sadly died in 1918 during the influenza pandemic and a year later, Gill gave birth to a stillborn girl. After this fourth pregnancy, Gill's health quickly deteriorated. Coming close to death, she was left with multiple issues including losing her left eye. It was at this time Gill began to create her art, which often resulted in a flurry of seemingly unending drawing activity. This activity, Gill claimed, was encouraged by a spirit guide she came to embody, called 'Myrninerest'. Living back in East London, in Newham, Gill instinctively made inspirational, intuitive and beautiful work; drawing in ink and pencil on what she could find and construct, from postcards to a giant 25-foot calico drawing. She also produced various intricate embroideries as well as various pieces of hand-woven clothing. Her artwork would often feature a young woman dressed in flowing robes, but never gave any indication of who this haunting figure was – perhaps it was her still-born child, the spirit 'Myrninerest', or even herself. To commemorate Madge's extraordinary life, a blue plaque will be unveiled at the flat she was born in at 71 Walthamstow High Street, at 4pm, Thursday 8th March. This marks the beginning of a programme of events taking place between now and 2019. A blue plaque will be unveiled at the former home of artist Madge Gill this month After becoming aware of the large quantities of Madge Gill's beautiful work hidden away in Newham's archives, I began developing a project in 2014. Working as an independent researcher I wanted to find a way to bring them out of the archives and to share Gill's story while engaging with the communities she was originally from. The project, Works by Madge Gill, plans to reach a wide audience in Walthamstow, Leyton, and Newham. Waltham Forest Council is supporting the programme with an art development grant and mapping and heritage trail, with art walks around key sites associated with the artist. We are creating an interactive digital heritage map, freely accessible online, tracing Gill's places of residence, work and séances – telling the story of her life and art through archival photos, videos, reproductions of artworks, and commentary. This programme will culminate in an exhibition of Madge Gill's inspirational rare textiles and prints in 2019. For more information: Email info@worksby-madgegill.co Visit worksby-madgegill.co Features, Walthamstow # Post navigation ← Previous Next Become a member Waltham Forest Echo is a not-for-profit newspaper run by and for the community. If you value local independent media, why not support us by becoming a member? For £5 per month you'll get your name printed in the paper and each issue delivered to your door. You can also help shape the future of the Echo! Get our newsletter First Name Last Name Email address Leave this field empty if you're human: Recent articles Changing the record Moving with the times Hospitals should not be hostile Demands for inquiry into school transport 'chaos' Living on the edge Fighting for your rights TfL wants to axe bus service Rebel with a cause Waste not, want not Evidence racking up for cycling scheme
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Madge Gill
Recognition.
Madge Gill, like many outsider artists, has continually been gaining fame since her death in 1961. Her work is part of the permanent collection at the Collection de l'Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland, one of the central venues for the exhibition and support of outsider art. 
 In 2013, admirer David Tibet, himself an outsider artist, published an antiquarian-style book solely devoted to her work, the first of its kind.