This afternoon the “Return of the Ring” event, held by the Tolkien Society at the University of Loughborough from 16 to 20 August, ended. In programming it, the organizers sought to bring together academic studies of “the Professor,” fan activities, and figures from entertainment—the latter being represented by Brian Sibley and others active in various adaptations of Tolkien’s work. With as many as seven separate panels and activities competing with each other in some time slots, there was something for all interests and some tough decisions about which ones to attend. Continue reading “Celebrating The Professor in Loughborough”
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Leicester Mercury from thisisleicestershire.co.uk: the Tolkien Society is currently holding festivities at Loughborough University to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first publishing of The Hobbit . The one-off, five-day event — The Return of the Ring — features talks, story-telling sessions, and for a massive exhibition of art inspired by JRR Tolkien‘s works.
There will also be a Hobbit-style banquet, a metre-wide sponge cake in the shape of a dragon, lessons in writing names in Elvish, costumed masquerades and recreations of classic Tolkien scenes. “We want people who like the books to come and have a bit of fun,” said Shaun Gunner, trustee of the Tolkien Society and deputy chairman of the event.
Tolkien’s grandson, Michael, will also make a rare appearance. He will read out some stories of his own and take questions from the audience.
[More]
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I live near Allentown, PA and rarely have an opportunity to partake in any special events that would interest the Tolkien community locally. Today was a bit different. You see, the Allentown Art Museum is currently exhibiting ‘At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic,’ the most comprehensive and largest exhibition of fantastic art to date in the United States. When I saw an ad featuring Donato Giancola’s The Hobbit, I just knew I had to go! The presentation is quite impressive – showcase fantasy art from hundreds of years ago to present. If you ever wanted to see works in person, but really didn’t want deal with going to a convention convention, this showcase is a perfect opportunity. Tolkien themed works on exhibit: The Hildebrandt Brother’s Smaug and The Gift of Galadriel, Ruth Sanderson’s Galadriel, Mark Zug’s The Sands of Gorgoroth, Matthew Stewart’s Battle of Five Armies, Stephen Hickman’s Siege of Minas Tirith (triple WOW factor in person), Darrell Sweet’s The Slaying of Glaurung, and last but not least, Donato Giancola’s The Hobbit (Absolutely stunning in person – and gigantic!). The exhibit runs through September 9th 2012 in Allentown, PA. [Allentown Art Museum]
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It May not be Middle Earth – but Birmingham’s tourism bosses are hoping to cash in on Hobbit-mania with a new attraction devoted to author JRR Tolkien. Interest in the fantasy writer, who was raised in the city between 1895 and 1911, is expected to soar when the film version of his famous book hits cinema screens later this year. Scenery and architecture from Birmingham was reflected in his stories, most notably Perrott’s Folly and Edgbaston Waterworks, which are thought to be The Two Towers from Lord of the Rings.
But Birmingham has previously been accused of not making the most of its Tolkien links. Now a new gallery has opened at Sarehole Mill in Hall Green highlighting the author’s strong ties with the city with a series of displays and a short film. And a new tourism strategy hopes to build on the attraction with more publicity, a dedicated website, bids for heritage funding and conservation of Tolkien-related sites and buildings. Read More …
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How cool would this be to watch?
from scoop.co.nz: A one point five metre high ‘Showgirl on A Dragon’ will begin to appear in the SKYCITY Atrium tomorrow as Weta Workshop sculptor Craig Campbell gets to work on the masterpiece which will take him ten days to complete.
From 12-16 October and 19-23 October NZ, the American artist with fifteen years practice in his craft will create the sculpture as the public look on. Based in the heart of SKYCITY, at the top of the stairs the lead to the Sky Tower lifts, the live demonstration will give locals and the many tourists in town the chance to chat to Craig about his creation and the work of Weta Workshop.
Tim Launder from Weta Workshop says: “This is the thrilling sequel to the opening of the Weta Cave at the end of August. We’ve had such a great response from the Auckland public to the shop; it’s special to be able to add that little bit more magic.”
[Read More]
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Troika writes: Just a heads up that the St.Louis Symphony Orchestra will be performing the score to Fellowship of the Ring live to the film this coming April 1st, 2nd & 3rd. The very exciting news is that numerous original props from the Trilogy (over 30 items, from Frodo’s sword Sting to a complete Ringwraith costume, pretty much stuff from every major character) will be on display as well.
I’ve been collecting original props from the films since 2002 and as far as I know, this is the only collection of it’s kind outside of the Wingnut/Weta Archive. This will be the first, and most likely only time the collection will be on display. More information on the show and tickets can be found here.
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