Barbara Elting takes notes from Stephen Willats whilst Donald Smith and Gustavo Grandal Montero watch and learn

Stephen Willats recently visited CHELSEA space to see Shelagh Cluett’s work and to discuss his exhibition with us which opens on March 8th, 2011. Willats’ show has the working title of Public Monitor and will be a contemporary re-presentation of his West London Social Resource Project made especially for CHELSEA space. With forthcoming projects in the UK and internationally, including MOMA Oxford, and a new studio project in New York, we are lucky that he has been able to fit us in!

West London Super Girls - Shelagh Cluett, Felicity Oliver, Rosetta Brooks. Photograph: Stephen Willats

When Willats conducted surveys as part of the West London Social Resource Project he enlisted the help of a group of young artists including the late Shelagh Cluett. Stephen Willats kindly allowed CHELSEA space to use one of his photographs of the team that became known as the West London Super Girls for the publication and website for our current exhibition Shelagh Cluett Sculpture 1977 - 1980 - a chance for us to show an image of Shelagh in the 1970′s whilst at the same time making a direct link to Willats’ forthcoming exhibition with us. One of the other West London Super Girls in the photograph, Rosetta Brooks, is an eminent writer on art based in the USA, we would be interested if anyone has information on Felicity Oliver.

Stephen Willats (far right) discusses details for his CHELSEA space show with Donald Smith, Gustavo Grandal Montero, and Barbara Elting

The West London Social Resource Project was acquired for the Special Collections of the Library at Chelsea College of Art and Design by Dr Stephen Bury and these Special Collections are now overseen by Gustavo Grandal Montero who has worked closely with us on a number of exhibitions including Don’t Do Any More Henry Moore and Should I Stay Or Should I Go. That same Stephen Bury is curating the next exhibition at CHELSEA space which is entitled Aphasic Disturbance and opens on January 18th 2011; He was formerly Librarian at Chelsea College of Art and Design and Head of European and American Collections at the British Library before his current role as the Andrew W. Mellon Chief Librarian of the Frick Art Reference Library in New York.

For more information on Stephen Willats’ West London Social Resource Project visit:

www.stephenwillats.com/work/west-london-social-resource-project