Art / Society
An exclusive society hidden in the heart of Bristol
Founded in 1904, the Bristol Savages are a society of artists, musicians and entertainers based in the Wigwam, a building hidden behind Trenchard Street car park and The Red Lodge Museum.
“We moved in here in 1920 after having ‘rescued’ the Red Lodge building,” says chairman Robert Dawes as he gestures towards a large hall, where paintings hang on all four walls.
The Annual Exhibition is a curation of works by red feather members, the artists of the society – there are also blue feathers, who are entertainers, and green feathers who are paying supporters. The longstanding fellowship is more than just a yearly exhibition however: “We have a season which is 30 weeks long, October to April,” says Robert. “We take a break in summer because the members there are better things to do outside on a Wednesday evening!”
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The exhibition can be found through the Knot Garden next to Trenchard Street car park
Each week, the red feathers “come to the studio and at 5.30pm on the dot, they’re given a title. Each week it’s a different title and until that point the artists don’t know what it is. And then they have two hours max to produce a painting.”
While the artists paint, sketch and draw, the blue feathers – the performers of the society – rehearse in a separate room. Blue feathers include musicians, poets and magicians and Roberts explains that “two hours later, they will all come down to the Wigwam and everyone will see what they’ve done. That’s the core tradition that we’ve maintained every Wednesday.”
From 8pm, the evening will encompass a programme of entertainment provided the blue feather performers with artwork on show produced by the red feathers that same evening. The two groups will also be joined by the supporting green feather members.
Toward the end of the season, the red feathers’ work culminates in an exhibition described as “the fruits of sketching excursions and many hours of arduous work throughout the year”. With around 120 paintings hanging in the wigwam and with artwork on every wall, it’s quite a spectacle.
The Wigwam is currently home to the 109th Annual Exhibition
Described as a society with “strong traditions and a modern outlook”, the Bristol Savages are named after the Native American tribe and describe everything they do as “encompassing the Savage spirit”. Robert adds that “the chief for the Sioux tribe came in 1928.”
Despite being a male-only society, Robert explains that the they “run workshops which the red feathers lead and those are participated more by ladies now than members.” Additionally, there are regular talks, dinners and informal lunches, which members’ wives and partners are welcome to attend.
To find out more about the Bristol Savages and the 109th Annual Exhibition, which runs until Saturday, May 11, go to www.bristol-savages.org
Read more: Bristol named UK’s most artistic city
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