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Saturday 2 March 2024 |
March 2024 Newsletter |
March is here and spring just around the corner. Wonderful spring flowers are appearing. On one of my walks last week I came across a carpet of wild violets at the side of a wood. Nature has a way of providing its own form of art with its stunning beauty. With nature at the forefront of my thoughts this month. I have to announce a change to our programme. Our scheduled lecturer Ralph Hayle has had to cancel his talk for the 10th April due to ill health. We have booked an alternative speaker for this date and We hope you find it interesting. Aprils lecture will be on. Our website has been updated to indicate Tulip Mania.
Tulip Mania in Golden Age Holland Tom Flynn Tom has been having excellent reviews.
Wednesday 10 April 2024 This talk tells the story of one of the most fascinating investment “bubbles” in the history of economics. In the late sixteenth century, the humble tulip bulb made its way from China through to the courts and gardens of the Ottoman Empire where its beauty and rarity were admired by the wealthy sultans. In time, its fame spread, triggering a collecting craze in early seventeenth century Holland, which we now know as the beginning of the so-called Dutch Golden Age. Our next lecture is 13th March The England of Eric Ravilious (1903-1942)David Haycock Wednesday 13 March 2024
Watercolourist, muralist, ceramicist and wood-engraver, Eric Ravilious was one of the most distinctive young British artists working between the two World Wars; he is also an artist who is of increasing interest and popularity, as recent exhibitions and sales of his work have revealed. This lecture explores Ravilious’s career, looking both at his place in the long tradition of watercolour painting in England, as well as within the social and cultural context of England in the 1920s and ‘30s, leading up to his untimely death as an official war artist in Iceland in 1942. Watercolour "Two Women In a Garden" Eric Ravilious 1933
Our lecturer Dr. David Haycock is an established freelance art historian and curator. He is best known for his 2009 book, A Crisis of Brilliance: Five Young British Artists and the Great War, and the subsequent exhibition he curated at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Educated at the University of Oxford, and a former curator at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, he is a specialist in British art and culture in the period 1860 to 1940. His latest books include a new biography of the young Augustus John, and a new biography of the equestrian painter Lucy Kemp-Welch. An Arts Society lecturer since 2011, he is based in Oxford.
Up and coming events. Special Interest Morning 12th April
THE ART OF ILLUSION NOW YOU SEE IT NOW YOU DON’T
and
THE HISTORY OF MYSTERY
The entertaining speaker and magic maker Bertie Pearce beguiles us with an in depth look at the profound mystery of perception. There is a genuine fascination in being deceived by optical illusions, as artists from the 16th century onwards, including Hogarth, Holbein and Magritte have all shown us, through double imagery, trompe d’oeil and other illusions. Come and see the extraordinary ways in which paintings have hidden secrets Can you be sure of what you think you see? The second talk takes us back even earlier to the days when sorcerer priests used scientific principles to create illusions to hold power over people. This is a whistle stop tour of the history of mystery from 3,000BC to the 21st century, taking in the earliest illusionists, through music hall, to Harry Potter and the magic of iPads. You might be amazed and bewitched. Date: Friday 12 th April 2024 Venue: The Menuhin Hall, Cobham Rd, Stoke D’Abernon KT11 3QQ Tickets £25.00 for the two talks. Coffee, on arrival and between the talks, is included. 10 am Coffee 10.30 Now you see It Now you Don’t. 11.30 Break 12.00 The History of Mystery 1.00pm Finish TO BOOK TICKETS with Ticket Tailor ctrl+click on the link below: https://buytickets.at/theartssocietyeastsurreyarea/1143675 For more information: email Andrea.Gabb@btinternet.com
East Surrey Area Facebook Page Letter from from Tim Way Dear All, I have been posting material on our Facebook page - East Surrey Area Arts Society - over the last couple of months, but our reach (the number of people viewing the posts) is currently very limited. I realise that the use of Facebook by our Members is fairly limited but making members in your society aware of our Facebook page, asking them to "Follow" us, and posting "Likes", increases our visibility and hopefully draws in new members.
I would be very grateful if, at your next meeting, you could make the members of your society aware of our Area page and encourage them to look at it occasionally. Please encourage them to get their children and grandchildren to show them how to make safe use of Facebook to keep abreast of what we are doing locally.
With my best wishes, Tim
Tim Way Hon Secretary The Arts Society - East Surrey Area Letter from The Lightbox Woking Dear The Arts Society in Surrey, I am writing to invite you and your Members to visit the Lightbox in Woking and our Spring Exhibition, Grayson Perry: Vanity of Small Differences which has just opened. We are simply delighted to have a full set of six of the tapestries, the first time they have been seen in Surrey, they really do look fantastic in the Lightbox' Main Gallery. Please could i ask that you share this letter with your Area Societies? We would love to have your Members visit, individually or as a Group and have a number of tour packages which may be of interest, simply email me sarah.brown@thelightbox.org.uk and we can discuss your requirements. I'm sure you are aware of Woking's financial issues which have had a huge impact on The Lightbox, we have had our council funding drastically cut and it is likely to disappear completely next year. In the latter part of last year, we were fortunate to secure sufficient emergency funding for the next financial year but must begin to work towards becoming financially sustainable in 2026 which involves generating a sizable income through tickets, events, venue hire, our shop, cafe, donations and fundraising. It is a daunting task, but we are determined The Lightbox will carry on into the future providing art, heritage and learning for all in Woking and Surrey Since we started in 2007 The Arts Society and it's Surrey Societies have been incredibly supportive, funding competitions, awards, workshops, holding study days, exhibitions and parties at The Lightbox as well as volunteering in the Gallery and archive. We have been delighted to receive several Community Grants, Patricia Fay Fund monies and Society donations in the past all of which have been very much appreciated and used to support The Lightbox in becoming the vibrant, welcoming, award-winning place it is today. I look forward to welcoming you to The Lightbox this year and thank you for your support which means more than ever now. best wishes Sarah Sarah Brown Director 07957 124405 sarah.brown@thelightbox.org.uk The Lightbox, Chobham Road, Woking GU21 4AA |
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Friday 2 February 2024 |
February 2024 Newsletter |
Dear Members
Spring is just around the corner and we are starting to see it in the countryside, gardens and with the wildlife. In our December news letter I mentioned an opportunity to display some art produced by us at leatherhead station. We are still waiting for this to occur. However we have submitted some art, produced by our members for selection to decorate Lingfield Station. We have submitted about 15 items for selection and await the response. I have indicated below a small selection of art works submitted. I hope you enjoy them. If you are a bit of an artist please send me some photos and we may be able to send them on for future stations. Please do not forget that for those that have not re joined, our membership runs from January to December. We can take your payment of £48 at the door of our next lecture. Thank you to all those that have already re-joined. Guest fees without a token or invitation will be £6.00. Thankyou Nancy
A huge thankyou to Nancy, who again due to her volunteering efforts, we have received a donation of £1,000 from the Mercers.
Donation
We have decided that this year we will be making a donation of £500 to local charity, Cheery Trees. Please see a letter received from Cheery Trees.
"Thank you for your continued support of Cherry Trees, for popping in for your Christmas Cards, and to share that the Horsley Art Society may be able to offer some further support to Cherry Trees. As you know well, Cherry Trees supports Surrey families who have children with complex disabilities by providing the practical, emotional and financial support these families need. Caring for a child with a complex disability can be physically and emotionally exhausting. When the children come to our home-from-home, their parents have a little time for themselves; maybe to spend with other children or their partner; maybe to catch up on work, the shopping or cleaning; or maybe simply to rest and re-energise ready to start again. And when the children are with us, they have the chance to have fun, make friends, try new experience and develop the skills and confidence to enjoy life. Cherry Trees provides a safe place to do this. We have our wonderful facilities, including our playrooms, sensory room, garden, and our art room, but we also take the children on trips to experience new places and new ideas. Last summer, we took the children to the Flute Theatre for a production of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ where they utilise the Hunter Heartbeat Method for autistic children. This Method is a series of sensory drama games which enables our children to participant in the show and really get to feel the energy and drama of the play without the sensory challenges of a more mainstream production. The children absolutely loved it and we would love to do this again. We also have our art room, which is absolutely loved by the children. It is a space for them to get creative with different colours, materials, textures and more. It is a space for laughter and smiles, and for getting far to messy! We would love to have your support to fund a trip to the theatre and/or to provide materials for our art room. Do let me know if you would like any further details on either of these. And thank you again for your support and thinking of us for this additional grant. Best wishes Robert Hope Head of Fundraising and Communications 01483 222 507
Next Lecture The Wonderful World of Medieval Manuscript Marginalia Martin Heard Wednesday 14 February 2024 From the late thirteenth century to about the middle of the fourteenth, in England, Northern France and Flanders specifically, the artists of illuminated manuscripts were to produce some of the greatest and most imaginative works in this genre. Within the margins and borders of religious texts such as books of prayer and psalms and of secular romances and epic poetry we see an astounding assortment of the amusing, absurd, fantastic, the ridiculously obscene and monstrous creations alongside scenes from everyday life and the natural world. This lecture discusses the beliefs, inventions and ideas which led the illuminators to produce such strange images, the role of the patrons who bought or commissioned their work, and the social context of the period before the apocalypse of the Black Death from 1348. For us, they can provide insightful commentary about the cultural climate, values and beliefs in the northern Europe of the time. Our Lecturer Martin Heard Studied History of Art at Manchester University and afterwards spent three years in the editorial department of a fine art publishing company. Martin's later career took a detour into the world of information technology, during which time he had the opportunity to work and live for several years in both continental Europe and North America. Having 'retired' from this field of endeavour he now devotes his time to researching mainly English eighteenth and late nineteenth century French art and architecture.
Study Day
THE ARTS SOCIETY LIMPSFIELD STUDY DAY - THE GRIT AND THE GLAMOUR: ART IN THE JAZZ AGE TUESDAY, 13 FEBRUARY 2024 - UNITED REFORM CHURCH, OXTED COST PER PERSON: £42.00 per person (Includes 3 lectures and a buffet lunch) Members of other Arts Societies and non-members welcome. 1. And All That Jazz - From Harlem's renaissance of black culture, through Gershwin's 1924 'Rhapsody in Blue', Edward Hopper's cityscapes, Sheeler's precisionism and Art Deco, see how the modern era played out in the cityscape.
2. Modern Neurotic Girls - The Jazz Age celebrated the rise of the flapper and the 'new woman' embodied by Tamara de Lempicka and Coco Chanel. Discover how the fashion designers, artists and writers of the period heralded a reinvention of gender roles.
3. Tales of the Jazz Age - For some, the Jazz Age was created by the Americans Gerald and Sara Murphy on the French Riviera - a playground of wealthy socialites and the inspiration for artists like Matisse and Cocteau, and writers Hemingway and the FitzGeralds’. Explore their masterpieces and their sometimes scandalous relationships.
Marie-Anne Mancio, trained as an artist before gaining a PhD in Art and Critical Theory from the University of Sussex. She has lectured in art history for the City Lit, Tate Modern, the Course, Art in London, London Art Salon, Dulwich Picture Gallery and HENI films; Marie-Anne also runs art history study tours abroad and is a Director of InFems art collective for whom she curates exhibitions and writes.
TIMETABLE FOR THE DAY 9.45 Members and guests to arrive at the United Reform Church, Bluehouse Lane, Oxted. RH8 0AA 10.00 Lecture 1 – And all that Jazz 11.00 Coffee 11.30 Lecture 2 – Modern Neurotic Girls 12.30 Lunch – Finger Buffet provided. Please advise of any dietary requirements when booking 1.30 Lecture 3 – Tales of the Jazz Age 2.30 Questions 3.00 End of Study Day TO BOOK YOUR PLACE: Please contact visits.limpsfield@theartssociety.org or phone 01 883 713205. Please pay by bank transfer to Nat West Bank, Sort Code 60 16 09 Account No. 75668327. Account Name TAS Limpsfield giving the reference “Study Day” and your surname and confirm you have made the payment to the above email address. Please send cheques made payable to TAS Limpsfield to the Visits Secretary, The Arts Society Limpsfield, 36 Silkham Road, Oxted RH8 0NY. Contact number on the day 07780 800334 – Seanne Giddy
Regards Marion |
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Tuesday 2 January 2024 |
January 2024 Newsletter |
This is a quiet time of the year for news. So I will start by wishing you all a Happy New Year. Our last lecture was a great success and we received lots of good feedback.
Our raffle raise £100> Thank you to those that donated to the prizes and those that bought tickets. Our next lecture on the 10th of January should be something special. I understand that it will be quite theatrical and the speaker will be dressed as a Ships Captain. See below for further details.
At our last meeting we handed out many- bring a guest for free leaflets/tickets. These are usable for members guests until the end of March 2024. They can also be used by you for other local societies as indicate within the leaflet. A £5 refund will be given to each society on the return of the ticked. As we are in need of additional members we hope this recruitment drive will be successful and you will be able to help with the recruitment.
Just reminder that membership is due. I know many of you have re-joined. For those of you still to re-join we will again having a card machine available on the 10th of January should you wish to pay by card. Cash payments, cheques and BACS transfers are still available.
Next Lecture Creating the Golden Era of Transatlantic Liners Howard Smith ,Wednesday 10 January 2024, 10.30 At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was the domination of shipping routes to and from America that was the golden prize. Here is the fascinating story of how each company positioned itself in the size of liners, the luxurious environments with posters, art, ephemera and the offerings across the Atlantic Ocean either side of the Great War. We look at the breathtaking interiors as portrayed in the Shipbuilder special supplements of the day and the Sales Brochures. What were the reasons for the tragedy of both the Lusitania and Titanic? What art was lost on Titanic? Was it just plain sailing on the Atlantic? Howard Smith’s lectures have a reputation for stunning graphics - this lecture is no exception and also has vintage film of RMS Olympic with the building and launch as well as a glimpse of the First Class dining experience - these were floating luxury hotels for the seriously rich and below decks a cramped one-way ticket for the 12 million immigrants to the States. Our lecturer Howard Smith was born during the Second World War, educated in Scotland and gained an MA from Trinity College Dublin before embarking on a career in Graphic Arts with major national and international advertising agencies. In the 1980s he set up his own design and print company in Canterbury until retirement when he became an accredited lecturer for the Arts Society. All his lectures are on subjects he has worked on or collected over his life and feature in his series of Graphic Icons of the Twentieth Century 1900-1950. He is a recognised authority on both the Rupert and Eagle magazines. regards Marion |
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Friday 1 December 2023 |
Newsletter December 2023 |
MEMBERSHIP Jan 2024- Dec 2024 Your membership for 2024 is now due. £48 for the years 10 lectures. We will be using a card payment system at our next lecture so you will have the opportunity to pay by card. Our Guest fee remains £6 per lecture. I understand that most other societies will be raising their guest fee to £10. We are trying to recruit additional members for next year. To assist you will be given leaflet with a printed voucher inside to bring a guest free of charge. This voucher needs to be completed with the guest's name, email and contact tel. we will be refunded to our society £5 for each voucher used. As we are a small society this could be financially useful. This offer is available until Easter 2024.
For all changes of address or contact information, a new returning membership form needs to be completed. All new members will also be required to complete the joining form. Please hand to me at our December lecture or post to the address below.
Marion Wiggins, Membership Secretary TASH. The Kimbles. August Lane. Farley Green. Surrey. GU5 9DP. Or email info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk
I have paid my/our subscription by bank transfer to ? BACS Sort code: 40 52 40 Account no: 00009106 PLEASE PUT YOUR INITIAL AND SURNAME NAME, AS REFERENCE on the BACS or - Members’ details will be processed fairly and lawfully in order to satisfy the agreement entered with you on your admittance to membership. This will ensure that you receive the latest news and information about all upcoming events.
- Members’ details will be passed to “The Arts Society” to enable inclusion on the mailing of the quarterly magazine and other communications including information about any upcoming national events or items of legitimate interest
- Members’ details may be passed to “The Arts Society Area”, or other affiliated societies for the purposes of disseminating relevant information of legitimate interest
- Your details will be kept safely and securely and you have the ability to opt out of our communications at any time.
The A.G.M. The A.G.M. took place prior to the November lecture. All questions from the floor were answered. A statement of our accounts is included within the Chairman's Statement. All accounts have to be verified annually by an independent advisor. Our accounts were verified early last year as we had a change in Treasurer both at the 6 and again (now) at the12 month period.
December Raffle
The next raffle will be a Bottle Raffle in December please bring some extra change and try your luck! Art at the Stations As a club we may be able to do the Art Installation at Leatherhead railway station. We can easily find pieces of art made by members that can be photographed to be put up to brighten the station. When things develop further I will let you know. Last Months Lecture November 8th Our November speaker, Graham Jones was rated outstanding. He was very enthusiastic and loved what he did. We had 56 members and 6 visitors. I had a tear in my eye several times during this lecture. Next Lecture The Journey of the Magi: Origins, Myth and Reality-The True Story of the Three Kings ,Leslie Primo Wednesday 13 December 2023 There have been pictorial representations of The Magi from as early as at least the 6th century, such as depictions in Byzantine ivories with origins in places such as Constantinople. Indeed, a vast array of artists, such as Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450-1516), Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510), Pieter Bruegel the Elder (active 1550/1; died 1569), Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), Masaccio (1401-1428/9?), and Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) to name but a few, have been clearly fascinated by story and its possibilities when it comes to visual depictions. However, these depictions over this vast period of time have been anything but consistent. All the aforementioned artists will be mentioned in this lecture, as Leslie seeks to will unravel the myth and the iconography behind the proliferation of the story of the adoration of the magi from its Eastern and pagan roots to its current Christian interpretation. To aid his examination of this story, and to trace the changes in iconography and depictions of the kings themselves, Leslie will be illustrating it with a variety beautiful works of art, images made across many centuries that will illuminate this fascination as never before. The lecture will begin by looking at the etymology behind the term ‘magi’ and how it has come down to us and what is now means in contemporary society. This lecture will then look at the changing iconography behind the depictions of the story and the various meanings behind these changes in its iconography, not to mention the changes in the story of the adoration of the magi itself. Moving on the lecture will then look at the origin of the names of the magi and the significance of their gifts to the Christ Child. Following this exploration of the fundamental roots of the story Leslie will then come to the issue of the inclusion of the black king, where he came from, why he would be included, how significant was he and how European artists tackled the problem of depicting this magus when they themselves had little or no knowledge of such people of colour. Finally, Leslie will examine the actual origins of the story and how much of a bearing does that story, as we understand it, have on the actual story written in the Bible. To examine this final question, Leslie will contrast the relevant passages the biblical with images from many sources to help clarify the difference between those and the example images. This final part of his lecture will set out to ask what it is we want this story to mean and why do we hold on to the legendary story rather than biblical tale in our mostly Western secular society.
Our lecturer Leslie Primo holds a BA in Art History and an MA in Renaissance Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London. He was Visiting Lecturer in Art History at the University of Reading in 2005 and 2007, gave lectures and guided tours, plus special talks, at both the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery for 18 years. Currently he lectures at the City Literary Institute, Imperial College, London, and has presented a series of talks at the National Maritime Museum and the Courtauld Institute.
January 2024 Lecture Creating the Golden Era of Transatlantic Liners by Howard Smith Wednesday 10 January 2024 At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was the domination of shipping routes to and from America that was the golden prize. Here is the fascinating story of how each company positioned itself in the size of liners, the luxurious environments with posters, art, ephemera and the offerings across the Atlantic Ocean either side of the Great War. We look at the breath-taking interiors as portrayed in the Shipbuilder special supplements of the day and the Sales Brochures. What were the reasons for the tragedy of both the Lusitania and Titanic? What art was lost on Titanic? Was it just plain sailing on the Atlantic? Howard Smith’s lectures have a reputation for stunning graphics - this lecture is no exception and also has vintage film of RMS Olympic with the building and launch as well as a glimpse of the First Class dining experience - these were floating luxury hotels for the seriously rich and below decks a cramped one-way ticket for the 12 million immigrants to the States. Special Interest Morning April 12th lecture. East Surrey Area 12th April 2024. Special Interest Morning More details to follow.
The Art of Illusion: Now You See it Now You Don’t Bertie Pearce
The well-loved speaker and magic maker Bertie Pearce beguiles and fascinates us with an in depth look at the profound mystery of perception. There is a primal enjoyment in being deceived by optical illusions, as artists from the 16th century onwards, including Hogarth, Holbein and Magritte have all shown us, through double imagery, trompe d’oeil, anamorphic art and other illusions. Come and see the extraordinary ways in which paintings have hidden secrets that can only be seen from a single angle or how a sitter looks at you, wherever you stand in the room.
The second talk is takes us back even earlier to the days when sorcerer priests used scientific principles to create illusions to hold power over people. This is a whistle stop tour of the history of mystery from 3,000BC to the 21st century, taking in the earliest illusionists, through music hall, to Harry Potter and the magic of iPads. You might be amazed and bewitched.
T: 07780606091 or ace@theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk Regards, Marion |
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Tuesday 3 October 2023 |
AGM Chairman's Report Oct 2023 |
AGM Committee Report 2023 Dear Art Society Horsley Members, Chairman’s Report Since we resumed live lectures in October 2021 the quality of the lectures has been amazing. None of this, of course, would be possible without the help our Committee. There will not be any changes to our current committee. Marion Wiggins - Chairman and Registrations. Mark Reason- Treasurer. Marianne Andrews - Programmes and advertising. Jody Fern- Young Arts and Refreshments. Nancy Tribe- Secretary. Nancy will be retiring at the end of this year. We are in need of volunteers and committee members to help reduce the workload of the current committee. If you feel that you can help please let us know. Our IT wizard Trevor, stepped in to help us again this year with all things sound and vision. Membership is down again from last year from 120 to 97 members. We need to increase our membership to 160 +. Our membership for year 2024 will be increasing to £48 from £45. We pay for the village hall, storage and chairs. Lecturer costs, are often around £400 per time and also lecture travel expenses are added. We put up the lectures in our own homes and provide an evening meal for those that travel a long way by way of reducing and keeping our costs as low as possible. We hope our membership will increase next year and allows us to keep our membership fee as low as possible. We are again also again adding an optional donation box to our membership application form. We think we provide good value for money and that a small donation in addition to the membership fee could help us greatly. This is purely at your discretion as we are a charitable organisation. Our committee members generally do not claim expenses for fuel to training courses, paper printing ink, postage and other incidentals. The costs difference between one society and another is not significant but some societies have over 400 members, so they have cash in the bank.
The Arts Society is looking at charging all society groups an additional fee to cover the expenses of travel and hotels etc. This is for those societies that have to travel a long way. If a training course starts at 10am in London and a society has to travel from the north of England or Scotland they would have to arrive the day before. This fee would help with their costs. We do not know yet how much we will be charged. Increasing our membership is a priority so please help if you can, encourage your best friend to come too and become a member. In addition due to the reduced membership across the surrey area the East Surrey area is looking at reinstating an area charge to each society. We are intending to absorbed this cost within the stated 2024 Horsley membership Free tea and coffee will continue to be provided prior to our lectures. Thank you to Jody, Nancy and Perry who work hard in the Kitchen. We do not have a Trips and visits Secretary. We have not arranged any visits in 2023. We have been worried about enough members attending to cover costs. We have been lucky enough for you to have been invited to attend trips with other local societies. As these other societies have been struggling with numbers. Details of these trips have been included on our website emailed or included in our newsletter. This procedure will continue for 2024. We are looking for someone to take on our PR campaign. Displaying our posters in local locations, magazines and free press. In the hope of attracting members and Guests. A guest fee is normally £6 per lecture. We received no “against” votes for the AGM minutes issued last year. The 2022 minutes are therefore approved.
Future Lectures Link below. Marion Wiggins Chairman
Treasurers Report Treasurer’s Report 2023 For the nine months to 31 st December 2022, the Society received total income of £4,970 and had expenditure of £3,644 creating a surplus for the nine month accounting period of £1,326. To put this into context the Society had a credit balance with its Bank of around £9,000 at the last year end. This position as at the end of 2022 is slightly misleading in that it includes significant subscription income in respect of 2023. The projected financial picture for the full year of 2023 reflects a significant fall in membership from the previous year, down from some 132 members to around 95. This fall in income will lead to a deficit being incurred during 2023, in the order of £2,000. The Society continues to monitor and manage its income and expenditure with a view to maintaining- an equilibrium position each year wherever practicable. However, unless membership numbers increase or other funding sources are identified, the Society will start to consume its reserves andits long term future put into question. In accordance with our constitution, the annual accounts have been examined, reviewed and approved by an Independent Financial Examiner, Mr. Peter Morgan. The full report of the Independent Financial Examiner is available for review on our website. Mark Reason, Treasurer (Designate)
Programme Secretary’s Report Dear Members, I hope you have enjoyed the past year’s varied programme. My favourites were Stone on Stone: the Men who built the Cathedrals; The Art of The River Thames and Bach and Handel-Separated at Birth.These lectures were entertaining, instructive and richly illustrated. Thank you for the feedback after each lecture. Here are a few of the comments received. Bach and Handel... “What a privilege to hear Patrick sing in Horsley Village Hall. I was enchanted. The lecture was so informative and very interestingly put together.” Stone on Stone .... “This was a superb lecture, very informative and especially at times humorous and entertaining. What an incredible knowledge Imogen has, so a big thank you to her for coming to share this with us all.” Art of the River Thames.... “Thoroughly enjoyable lecture with many images I have not seen before. Alexandra kept the lecture really interesting and entertaining.” I am sure you all have your own top three! We still have three more lectures from the 2023 programme which I trust will be prove to be as equally enjoyable and memorable. Marianne Andrews, Programme Secretary |
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Sunday 1 October 2023 |
October 2023 Newsletter |
We have come to the end of our summer break. We are looking forward to our next lectures. We will be issuing to our website our AGM information. Everything is remaining as last year with regard to our committee members.
We are looking for a Secretary, Membership Secretary and help with IT such as Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites. Please help if you can
We are having printed our new programme leaflet for 2024 and hope to have this at our next lecture on 11th October. ___________________________
Raffle We will be having a raffle again in December and are asking for any bottle donations you are able to make. We can accept donations in October and November as we have a storage cupboard at the Hall.
_______________________________ Membership Renewal Attached below our renewal of membership documentation for 2024 Our fees will be £48 for the year. Please re join as we have some wonderful lectures booked for 2024.
Dear Member MEMBERSHIP Jan 2024- Dec 2024 Total joining fee £48.00 per person. Please complete this form for each joining member. We regret that we are no longer able to offer joint membership discounts. Please tick as appropriate. I am a new member ? I am a returning member ? Please send a cheque or complete a Bacs Transfer and return a copy of this renewal form to - . Marion Wiggins, Membership Secretary TASH. The Kimbles. August Lane. Farley Green. Surrey. GU5 9DP. Or email info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk The Arts Society Horsley membership £ 48.00 (Please add if you can, any additional donation will be appreciated) Optional Additional Voluntary Contribution/ Donation £
TOTAL £ I have paid my/our subscription by bank transfer to ? BACS Sort code: 40 52 40 Account no: 00009106 PLEASE PUT YOUR INITIAL AND SURNAME NAME, AS REFERENCE on the BACS or ? I enclose a cheque payable to The Arts Society Horsley Please complete below. Name_________________________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Postcode:___________________ Tel:____________________________ E-mail:________________________________________ GDPR Compliance: - Members’ details will be processed fairly and lawfully in order to satisfy the agreement entered with you on your admittance to membership. This will ensure that you receive the latest news and information about all upcoming events.
- Members’ details will be passed to “The Arts Society” to enable inclusion on the mailing of the quarterly magazine and other communications including information about any upcoming national events or items of legitimate interest
- Members’ details may be passed to “The Arts Society Area”, or other affiliated societies for the purposes of disseminating relevant information of legitimate interest
- Your details will be kept safely and securely and you have the ability to opt out of our communications at any time
_______________________________ Special Interest Morning Invitation 1 THE ARTS SOCIETY REIGATE Special Interest Morning - The Art of India – Georgina Bexon Thursday 16 November 2023 – Woodhatch Place, Cockshot Hill, Reigate RH2 8EF
Timetable 09.45 – Assemble 10.00 - Hindu Art in India 11.00 - Coffee break 11.30 – Art of the Mughal World 12.30 – Questions and close £30 per head
To book, please email info@theartssocietyreigate.org.uk India has a long and fascinating history and on this special interest morning we will look at two aspects of how this has impacted on art in the sub-continent. The first lecture will consider Hindu Art in India and the second will look at art of the Mughal world. Hindu Art in India: Throughout history, Hinduism has been woven into the very fabric of life in India - it is both religion and culture. This talk explores the fascinating temple tradition of India which began 2,000 years ago, including exquisite sculpture and paintings created by talented master craftsmen. Art of the Mughal World: The 16th to 18th centuries in India witnessed the golden artistic period of Islamic Mughal rule, marked by a unique flowering of art and architecture and unrivalled in luxury and opulence. We look at remarkable miniature painting, beautiful artefacts of court life and breathtaking monuments and palaces. Our lecturer will be Georgina Bexon, art historian specialising in South Asian art who has lived and worked in the UK, USA and Singapore. Her practice includes lecturing, writing, consulting and collecting and she has developed a network of gallery and artist connections in Europe, the USA and India, which she visits regularly. She is a Consultant Art Historian at the Oriental Club in London and an official tour guide at Tate Modern, She holds a BA in Art History from Southampton University, an MA in Arts Management and Policy from City, University of London and an MA in Art History from SOAS, University of London. Georgina is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Asiatic Society. Please note that the fee is non refundable unless we are able to resell your ticket to someone on the waiting list.
---------------------------------- Special Interest Morning Invitation 2
Japanese Art and the West From Namban to Japonaiserie
Lecturer – Marie Conte-Helm 10 November 2023 (Friday)
10 am – 1 pm
The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d!Abernon, Cobham Road, Cobham KT11 3QQ
Photo courtesy of Marie Conte-Helm © a broad introduction to the arts of Japan and historic encounters between Japan and the West beginning with the 16th century depictions of Portuguese traders and missionaries in namban screen paintings to
the Dutch presence in Japan during the Edo Period.
To book:
Email: esaartssociety2020@gmail.com Eventbrite: JapaneseArtandtheWest
Ticket - £22 Leatherhead Trails of Discovery QR code. Just point your phone camera at the code and you will be linked to the information.
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Sunday 1 October 2023 |
AGM Agenda 2023 |
The Arts Society Horsley October 2023 The 30th Annual General Meeting to be held in 21 days. Dear TASH Members, Please find below the agenda for our AGM, together with the minutes of last year’s AGM. To give the committee sufficient time to put in place the procedures for renewing our annual subscriptions we have decided to follow last year’s precedent and issue our AGM documentation by email. The Committee does recognise that the AGM is an important event and is keen to ensure you are able to exercise your right to vote. Therefore, we will be emailing you the reports and documents and also uploading them on to the Society’s website at The Arts Society Horsley, for you to submit your votes can be returned either by email or post. You will receive the Chairman's annual report by separate email. info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk Agenda >Welcome and opening remarks by Chairman >Adoption of 2022 minutes, confirmed. >Treasurer’s report >Programme Secretary Report Current committee members returning for 2024 Chairman – Marion Wiggins Programme Secretary -Marianne Andrews. Treasure – Mark Reason Young Arts- Jody Coe Secretary- Nancy Tribe Positions Vacant. Vice Chairman- Vacant Communications and Advertising - Vacant External Examiner of Accounts – Vacant Membership Secretary- Vacant 1. Approve 2023 AGM Minutes. Please tick and sign as appropriate. In the absence of votes the decision of the committee will be applied. Yes______________ No ________________ Abstain_______________ __________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Adoption of Accounts 2023. Yes______________ No ________________ Abstain_______________ __________________________________________________________________________________ 3, We currently have no Independent Examiner of our Accounts for 2024. If anyone is available from our membership and would wish to assist, we would greatly appreciate your help. If no TASH member becomes available we reserve the right to appoint an external accountancy firm to carry out this audit. All appointments in this respect will be made at the discretion of the Treasurer and Chairman. Confirm ______________ ________________ Abstain_______________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Date______________ Signature _____________ Name________________ 1, Approve the minutes 2024. 2, Approve the adoption of the Accounts. 5 Approve an external Audit of Accounts If you have any questions in relation to the business of the AGM in advance of the meeting - please send them to, info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk Or post to The Chairman TASH, The Kimbles, August Lane, Farley Green, Surrey GU5 9DP. we will ensure these are answered directly and, where practicable, answers published on our website. The minutes will be uploaded on to our website within two weeks of the AGM, as well as being sent to members with our October Newsletter. Chairman’s Annual Report will be circulated to members by email. Marion Wiggins Chairman The Arts society Horsley. |
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Wednesday 12 July 2023 |
Newport Lecture Reading list |
Paul F Miller, Lost Newport: vanished cottages of the resort era, Applewood Books, 2008 Amanda Mackenzie Stuart, Consuelo and Alva Vanderbilt, Harper Collins, 2005 Hermione Lee, Edith Wharton, Pimlico, 2013 Eileen Warburton, In Living Memory: A Chronicle of Newport, Rhode Island 1888-1988 Tom Gannon, Newport, Rhode Island: A Guide to the City By the Sea, Countryman Press Vermont, 1992 Terrence Gavan, The Barons of Newport, Pineapple Publications Newport, 1998 Eric Homberger, Mrs Astor's New York: Money and social power in a Gilded Age, Yale University Press, Yale University Press, 2004 Johanna Neuman, Gilded Suffragists, New York University Press, 2017 Deborah Davis, How Newport became America's Richest Resort, John Wiley, 2009 (an entertaining and fun read with emphasis on personalities and gossip) Memoirs and Novels Elizabeth Drexel Lehr, "King Lehr" and the Gilded Age, (first published 1935) Published in cooperation with The Preservation Society of Newport County, Applewood Books Massachusetts Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan, The Glitter and the Gold: the American Duchess in her own words, Hodder & Stoughton, 2011 Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence (first published 1920, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 1921, written looking back at Gilded Age New York and Newport). Available in many paperback versions. Also The Custom of The Country, 1913. Both are gems! |
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Sunday 2 July 2023 |
July 2023 Newsletter |
July 2023 Newsletter. We have arrived in July. This is the last lecture before our summer break. We do not have any lectures in August or September, We will meet again in October. We wish everyone a lovely summer. We are coming up to our AGM and documentation will be emailed to you nearer the time (Oct). If we do have anyone that would like to volunteer to help our committee please let us know. Over the years our committee members have dropped and many of us are doing double duty's. We are looking for someone to do the meeting minutes and also someone to become our membership secretary for next year. We are also looking for someone to do the door entry at our lectures. You do not have to be on the committee if you prefer not to be. We would like to welcome Julia as a new member. Please don't forget July is a raffle month so please bring a £1, all prizes donated. _________________________ Next Lecture Summering in Newport: Cottages, Celebrities and Suffragettes Mary Alexander Wednesday 12 July 2023 -10.30 During the Gilded Age the historic port of Newport, Rhode Island, was often referred to as the 'Queen of Resorts' or 'New York By the Sea' where the social elite of New York relocated in the summer season. The new palatial mansions were quaintly referred to as 'cottages', whereas quiet 'old money' continued its cultural activities and social exclusion alongside the new arrivistes. Taking a carriage ride along Bellevue Avenue, using my vintage postcard collection, we will meet the movers and shakers, recreate the experience of cultural life in Newport and the role played by artists and designers. This will include watching tennis at the stunning new Casino building by celebrity architect Stanford White; planning a ball to be held in the glorious ballroom overlooking the cliffs at Rosecliff mansion (film set location for The Great Gatsby 1974). John Singer Sargent was a frequent visitor and his international friendships and correspondence will throw light on the links between artists, designers, patrons and collectors in Paris, London, New York and Newport at this time. We will also view the social scene through a very different lens - one of huge generational change when daughters demand the right to vote, to dine together, to play sports in radical new fashions, to sail a boat solo, or even to bathe on a private beach without stockings! Daring plans hatched in Newport one summer, lead to the founding of the first women only club in Manhattan.
Our lecturer Mary Alexander has: Thirty years' experience as a lecturer, with a BA in History and History of Art and a MA with distinction in History of Art from University College London. Experience includes public lectures in museums, tutoring for the Open University, visiting lecturer at Christie's Education in London, museum curator at Platt Hall, the Gallery of Costume, Manchester. Now a freelance lecturer to various arts, heritage and antiquarian societies. She also worked in Pentagram design consultancy in London and New York, organising conferences and special events. Author of various articles on design and visual awareness issues, her background combines an unusual blend of academic and visual communications skills. Lectured for ADFAS Australia and New Zealand in 2011, 2013 and 2016. Mary is an enthusiastic member and President of The Arts Society Glaven Valley.
Next Two Lectures 11th October 2023 Rembrandt: Chiaroscuro and the Autumn Palette 8th November 2023 The Cenotaph- Armistice Day Further details on our website.https://www.theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk/ ------------------------------------- Special Interest Morning
Riviera Paradise: Art, Design and Pleasure in the 1920’s Mary Alexander Thursday 17 August 2023
The morning consists of two lectures with a break for coffee in between. We will be taken back to the newly established ‘summer seasons’ in the South of France – when suntans became fashionable and swimwear less enveloping. In the arts there was an explosion of new ideas, led by luminaries such as Diaghilev, Matisse, Picasso, Dufy, Cocteau and Chanel, whilst from America came Cole Porter and Scott Fitzgerald. With a line up like that, this special interest morning has something for everyone. Hopefully, our lecturer, Mary Alexander, will be able to bring along items from her own collection of ‘20s memorabilia for us to enjoy. Venue – The Dell Centre, St Giles’ Church, Park Lane, Ashtead KT21 1EJ Doors Open - 10.00am for a 10.30 start, with a coffee break at 11.30
Event ends - 1.00pm Cost - £25 per person
Book your place(s) at our June or July meetings, alternatively contact Roger Steel on rogerandprue@gmail.com or 01372 272083 Our preferred method of payment is by card at our meeting or bank transfer to The Arts Society Ashtead, Sort Code 23-05-80, Account No 27830226, using your surname followed by ‘SIM’ as the reference Cheques payable to ‘The Arts Society Ashtead’ (no abbreviations or variations please, as our bank will not accept them). Please note that no physical tickets will be issued. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Arts Society Chipstead Visit to Arundel Castle Friday 21st July 2023
This towering stately home, with it’s fortified medieval castle and stunning gardens has been the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and their ancestors since 1067.The staterooms have been renovated in the Gothic style and contain a wealth of fine art, collections of 16th and 17th century furniture, tapestries and portraits. Coach to Arundel: Assemble 8:30 a.m. for prompt 8:45 a.m. departure from Banstead Community Hall. Please leave your car at the far end of the car park. If you have a problem on the day please call Sheila Vallance 07947 410964 or Tim Murari 07934 729730. Morning Coffee: 10:15 a.m. We will have a 30 min comfort stop for coffee (included in ticket price) at the White Swan Hotel about 5 mins drive from Arundel castle. Arundel Castle: 11:00 a.m. We should arrive by 11:00 a.m. It is a 500 metre uphill walk to the castle entrance. There are two buggies available to transport visitors with walking difficulties. Please add a note on the booking form should you require one. Your ticket provides access to the castle (no bedrooms), keep, gardens and Fitzalan Chapel. Please note there is no wheelchair access to the chapel. The staterooms on the first floor are open from 12:00 noon. You may explore these at your own pace with room guides on hand to provide information. Accessibility: The castle is on three levels. There are steps and a lift in the foyer which take visitors to the lower-ground and ground floors which contain coffee shop, toilets, Servants’ Restaurant and Castle shop. There are steps leading up to the state rooms on level 1 and a small (24” wide) wheelchair lift. There are about 60 steps to the inner gatehouse and walkway to the keep, which offer beautiful views of the castle grounds. Another 70 steps take you to the top of the keep which provides stunning views of the town and towards the sea. Lunch: Lunch is not included in the ticket price. The main restaurant and coffee shop offer hot and cold dishes, drinks and snacks. There is a kiosk in the gardens which sells drinks, snacks and ice-cream. You may prefer to bring your own picnic to enjoy in the gardens or walk the short distance into town to visit a café or restaurant. Return journey: Assemble 3:45 p.m. for a prompt 4:00 p.m. departure. Please meet by the coach which will be parked at the back of Mill Road car park directly opposite the castle entrance. We expect to arrive in Banstead at about 6:00 p.m. Price £45.00 includes coach travel, driver’s gratuity, morning coffee and castle entrance ticket. Please complete the booking form and send it with payment by cheque, cash or online transfer to: Tim Murari 9, Mimosa Close, Fir Tree Road, Epsom Downs KT17 3FF Please note that your booking is not confirmed until payment has been received.
The Arts Society Chipstead Visit to Arundel Castle Friday 21st July 2023
Departing 8:45 a.m. from Community Hall Banstead Note: Please park cars at the far end of the hall car park
£45.00 per person
Please complete this form and send to Tim Murari 9, Mimosa Close, Fir Tree Road, Epsom Downs KT17 3FF
I/We wish to join the visit to Arundel Castle on Friday 21st July 2023 Name --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Address ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Telephone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emergency Contact (name and telephone no.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Either * I enclose cash (exact amount please) or a cheque £45.00 (per person) for £ ____________ payable to The Arts Society Chipstead Or * I have made a bank transfer of £ ____________ to Account name : The Arts Society Chipstead Account number : 00503758 Sort Code : 30-90-44 Reference : AC2023/Surname Please notify Tim Murari timothytm.murari@gmail.com if you pay by bank transfer ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TASHL outing to Dorney Court
On Friday, July 7th
Tickets £34 including coach Details on our website www.tashl.org
This remarkable and characterful house is Grade 1 listed and designated as being of outstanding architectural and historical interest. Little changed in 600 years, bar the inhabitants. Dorney Court has a rare and enchanting character. The Estate has been the home of the Palmer family for nearly half a Millenium passing from father to son through the generations. Dorney Court has always been the manor house of Dorney village which was first recorded in the Doomsday Book. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THINGS TO DO "Dancing on sunshine"...what better way to celebrate summer in the vineyard! Pop the cork. Free your spirit! Join us at High Clandon with sparkling wine, views to die for and Sculptures in the Vineyard as we launch.... THE GLORIANA CUVÉE Prestige Vintage 2018 Brut The Quintessence of English Quality Sparkling Wines at ART & SCULPTURES IN THE VINEYARD 2nd - 16th July 2023 11am - 4pm Wander through the wildflowers meadow. Idle down the shaded avenue. Saunter through the vineyard. Savour our newly released gorgeous Gloriana Cuvée 2018 vintage - already the proud winner of Medals galore. Our lovely gardens will be embellished with dazzling creations by artists near and far. Put a date in your diary - we are open daily! If a summery, refreshing G&T is your preference, take a seat below the spreading Beech and indulge in High Clandon's very own gin, perfectly mixed, Cupid Blue ... made from the second pressing of our deliciously ripe berries, distilled and infused with Surrey Hills botanicals by our wonderful friends at The Gin Kitchen. We are fizzing with excitement to introduce you to The Gloriana Cuvée. Join us, Bruce and Sibylla Tindale, at High Clandon and walk on sunshine!
Please do pass our news on to your friends about our OPEN DAYS from: 2nd - 16th July form 11:00am - 4:00pm Entrance donation of £7.50 invited - all goes to Cherry Trees charity as well as a percentage of all art sales too. Sculpture & Art: exhibiting over 180 works by many new and favourite artists of the Surrey Hills and beyond A voluntary donation of £7.50 per person is requested and a percentage of every purchase of Art goes to support our chosen charity Cherry Trees - Child First, Disability Second Please note that Sunday 9th July we are open to the National Gardens Scheme (NGS) and expect to be busy! Delicious Cuvée and Cream Teas will be available through Cherry Trees charity and volunteers on this NGS Day. There will be a £7.50 per person charge for the NGS and tickets for this are pre-bookable HERE We welcome you to High Clandon and the Glass Barn. No pre-booking is required. On arrival, please register at the Reception Table if you would like to be on our mailing list. Our sparkling Quintessence (Cuvée) is available by the glass or bottle!
Best Regards Marion -
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Thursday 1 June 2023 |
June 2023 Newsletter |
June 2023 Newsletter. I was so sorry to have missed our May lecture. It had wonderful feedback. We are coming to the quieter time of year and we have two lectures before our summer break of August and September. As I was unable to attend our last lecture the proposed raffle. I am now proposing to hold an end of season raffle at our July meeting. I am pleased to announce that we have some new member and would like to welcome Susan, David, Angela and Sylvia.
Next Lecture
William Morris's Red House - "The Most Beautiful Place on Earth "Fiona Rose Wednesday 14 June 2023 Red House was the only home William Morris (1834-1896) ever owned and helped design. When the house was completed in 1860, Morris’s friend Edward Burne-Jones described it as, “the beautifullest place on earth”. The challenge of furnishing his new home inspired Morris to start his decorating company Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co. Often described as ‘the cradle of the Arts & Crafts Movement’, Red House is one of the most important and influential buildings in the history of domestic architecture. This talk is copiously illustrated by beautiful photographs, internal and external, of Red House and Morris furnishings.
Our lecturer Fiona Rose: Fiona Rose has been lecturing about topics she feels passionately about since 2010 including William Morris and his circle, the Arts & Crafts Movement, Frida Kahlo and Frank Lloyd Wright. She has a BA in Social Psychology and aims to include the human story behind the artistic endeavours of her subjects. After an early career in public health Fiona founded and runs a home interiors business featuring the work of the great C19th designers such as Morris, Dearle, Voysey and Mackintosh. Fiona is a member of the museum Collections committee for The William Morris Society where she served as a Trustee. She is also a contributor to the Society’s Magazine and Journal of William Morris Studies. Fiona is a volunteer Tour Guide with the Arts & Crafts gem The David Parr House.
Next Two Lectures 12 July 2023Summer in Newport. 11th October 2023 Rembrandt: Chiaroscuro and the Autumn Palette Further details on our website.https://www.theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk/ ------------------------------------- Visits The Arts Society Ashtead - June visit We would be pleased to welcome members from other societies to join us for our visit to Goodwood next month. Please see below for basic details but do go to our website for further information. Goodwood Monday 12 June 2023 Cost £60 Depart 09.30 from Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall Woodfield Lane KT21 2BE stop on the way for coffee (at own expense) guided tour of the house substantial tea in lieu of lunch in the ballroom depart Goodwood approx. 14.30 please our website for more details tas_ashtead.org.uk or contact Linda Crook 01372 278359 linda.crook.uk@gmail.com
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Well worth a visit. The Fircroft Summer Art Exhibition is back this June, from Saturday 10th until Sunday 25th, open daily 11am - 5pm. Free of charge. More than 50 artists and makers (regular exhibitors, returners, Fircroft first timers and of course Frank Taylor) will be showing their new work in the house and gardens.
www.fircroft.info ____________________________________________________
Best Regards Marion -
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Monday 1 May 2023 |
May 2023 Newsletter |
May 2023 Newsletter. Last year I included a photo of my large magnolia tree from my front garden. This year its flowers have all been turned brown from the frost.
There have been a couple of meetings recently. One attended by me at the Art at the Station official opening, Upper Warlingham station. Michal Beach our representative is working towards art displays at many stations at Art work provided by The Arts Society Reigate. I have been working with Sharon Grey the Community Rail Development officer on an article for the press release and for British Rail magazine.
There has also been East surrey area meeting where I have been cultivating relationships with other local Arts Societies to offer trip and visit opportunities, The trips and visits will be included in our newsletters where ever possible. To avoid inundating you with emails.
Our last lecture on the Art of the Thames was fantastic not at all what I was expecting. It is always said that you cant judge a book by its cover. This is so true of our lectures too. Hope to see you all for our next lecture and anticipate some singing with the wonderful voice of the lecturer. .Patrick Craig is a Vicar Choral at St Paul’s Cathedral. For twenty years he combined this with an international career singing over a thousand concerts with the world-renowned early music consort The Tallis Scholars. He also sings with the award-winning group The Cardinall’s Musick. He founded and conducts this country’s leading all-female professional choir, Aurora Nova. He has conducted concerts for the BBC Proms, the Brighton, Lichfield and Aldeburgh Festivals, and with the City of London Sinfonia.
As you may know, there has been a project running over the last year or so to devise and implement a collective Art and Culture Strategy for Surrey. The aim is to confirm Surrey as a thriving cultural destination, as well as connecting creative individuals and organisations with others in the arts and cultural sector. With this in mind, the Surrey Culture website launched last summer, aiming to showcase the wide variety of cultural organisations, individuals and venues in our county?. _________________________
Next lecture 10th May 2023 Bach and Handel- Separated at Birth Patrick Craig Wednesday 10 May 2023 1685 was an extraordinary year for music. Two of the world’s greatest composers were born 130km and just one month apart. Much of their childhood development mirrored the other – including the tragedy of losing their fathers at the age of ten. Their careers took very different directions, and they never met, despite several near misses. Patrick will reunite these two giants, tracking their lives across six decades, with a special focus on their vocal music, which has inspired his career as both a countertenor and a conductor.
Next Three Lecturers, 14 June 2023William Morris's The Red House 12 July 2023Summer in Newport. 11th October 2023 Rembrandt: Chiaroscuro and the Autumn Palette -------------------------------------
Visits Belmont House and Faversham Magna Carta and Charters Exhibition Wednesday 24 May 2023
The Arts Society Ashtead has organised a very interesting visit in May.
To book your tickets, you can contact:
Linda Crook Visits Secretary Email: linda.crook.uk@gmail.com
Belmont House and Faversham Magna Carta and Charters Exhibition Wednesday 24 May 2023 Belmont House is marvellous example of Georgian architecture that has remained completely unspoilt. We shall start our visit with refreshments before a guided tour of the house. Belmont is a neo-classical brick country house by Samuel Wyatt, faced in pale mathematical tiles with Coade stone dressings. The light interior includes a fine staircase, hall and interesting collections of Indian and English furniture, as well as an outstanding clock collection. A lifelong passion for horology led the 5th Lord Harris to accumulate one of the largest personal collections of clocks in the country. Six generations of the Harris family have each left their mark on this lovely country house. After the tour there will be time to visit the gardens that are full of interest throughout every season. The Kitchen Garden was originally designed by Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd and has beautiful Victorian Greenhouses, along with figs, hops, soft fruits and traditional apple and pear varieties. The Walled Garden contains a pond and is adjacent to the Pinetum complete with grotto. After lunch we will travel to Faversham where we will meet our guide who will take us to see the Magna Carta and Faversham Charters Exhibition. Faversham has a magnificent series of royal charters granted to the town by successive English monarchs. The earliest surviving Faversham charter dates from the reign of Henry II in 1252, followed by eighteen more granted by 1685. Most of these were carefully kept. For a town of its size, the charter collection of Faversham is one of the finest anywhere in England. After which there will hopefully be time to visit a café before our journey home. Visit essentials: Depart APMH at 8.45am Refreshments on arrival at Belmont House before the Guided Tour Sandwich lunch at Belmont Depart Belmont for Faversham at 2.15pm Guided Talk at the Charter Exhibition Depart Faversham 4.30pm Cost - £56p __________________________________ ‘The Birth, Growth & Influence of London’s Great Auction Houses’
The Arts Society Dorking Lectures with Lunch Tuesday 30 th May 2023 Mickleham Village Hall 10.15 am (Doors open 9.45am) ‘The Birth, Growth & Influence of London’s Great Auction Houses’ Mr Grant Ford 1st Lecture The Origins of Auctions and auction houses and a Brief overview of the birth of the main houses in London - Coffee - 2nd Lecture Analysis of how powerful the main houses in London have become over the centuries and when they became more and more international, rather than just focusing on the landed gentry - Sandwich lunch and wine or soft drink – 3rd Lecture Marketing and the internet - reaching everybody in the world - Finish 3 pm - Contact: Jean Mickle Tel: 01306-881208 Ticket Price £30.00 (Non transferrable) Including lectures, coffee and lunch. PTO for bank details No.
Bank details: HSBC The Arts Society Dorking Sort Code: 40-18-22
Account No: 42444089 Reference: LwL and your surname
---------------------------------------- The Fircroft Summer Art Exhibition is back this June, from Saturday 10th until Sunday 25th, open daily 11am - 5pm. More than 50 artists and makers (regular exhibitors, returners, Fircroft first timers and of course Frank Taylor) will be showing their new work in the house and gardens. I shall send more information next month and our web page www.fircroft.info
____________________________________________________ Picasso and Cubism – Art is a lie by which we understand the truth
Our publicity partnership with the Surrey Hills International Festival is fast approaching. This exciting festival will start on 2 May and will have the finale on 13 May with An Evening with The Sitkovetsky Trio. It will also feature other exciting concerts, walks and talks around the Surrey Hills.
Please assist in promoting this event to your members so they can enjoy the concerts as ticket sales are going well and is open to the general public.
I attach the poster below in pdf file as well as Word document. The pdf file will have to be opened to go to the links.
I have also included the individual links below:
To book your tickets for An Evening with The Sitkovetsky Trio & Friends: https://tinyurl.com/bp6n6uwt Or call: The Menuhin Hall - 01932 559400
To book other events of the international music festival: https://shimf.co.uk --------------------------
2023 Banstead Arts Festival Friday 12 th May at 7.30pm The Arts Society Chipstead presents Picasso and Cubism – Art is a lie by which we understand the truth An hour’s lecture by Douglas Skeggs
Picasso is one of the most famous and controversial figures of the 20th century. 2023 marks 50 years since his death. Even today, his work triggers mixed and often violent reactions from art lovers. This lecture aims to calm those fears. It follows his early career from his childhood in Spain, where his unique talent was first recognised, to the garrets and back streets of Paris. Here, Picasso transformed the poetic and wistful images of his ‘Blue Period’ into the daring experiments with form and structure that became known as Cubism. The lecture examines the ideas and hopes that he nurtured, the friends and influences he met along the way, the technical problems he overcame and the single minded determination that enabled him to break every rule of painting, alter the course of modern art and yet remain a classical painter in the long tradition of western art. Coffee will be served after the lecture. The lecture will take place in the Community Hall, Park Road, SM7 3AJ. Tickets £10 available from www.bansteadarts.co.uk or at Banstead Library or at the door if available.
------------------------------------------------------- West Horsley Place So you’re new to opera? Or you’re not new . . . but you’ve never tried Surrey’s elegant opera house. A special price of £50, enables first-timers to have a unique opera experience at an equally unique price…and an afternoon and evening of bliss. Places and dates are limited. Take a stylish saunter through the 17th century gardens. International artists are accompanied by a 50 piece orchestra, and in the long interval you picnic or dine in the 14th century house where, in August 1559, Queen Elizabeth came to stay for a week – and where BBC Ghosts is filmed. A special price of £50 invites first-timers to a unique opera experience at an equally unique price … and an afternoon and evening of bliss. Book your tickets here. The recently built Opera House is in the grounds of a romantic Tudor manor house, West Horsley Place, where BBC Ghosts is filmed. Take a stylish saunter through the formal gardens, hear international artists accompanied by a 50 piece orchestra, and in the long interval picnic or eat in the restaurant. Please send this offer to your members, we want to encourage an many people as possible to experience opera. Dates and tickets are limited. Please forward this email to your members so they can secure their tickets. With best wishes, The Box Office Team Grange Park Opera
01962 737373
Ferenc Hepp (f.hepp@grangeparkopera.co.uk) will be pleased to help you with queries and group bookings.
Best Regards Marion -
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Saturday 1 April 2023 |
April 2023 Newsletter |
April 2023 Newsletter. Spring is here, flowers in bloom, leaves turning green and the delightful woodpecker is tapping. We have had 3 great lectures so far this year. It was great that so many were able to attend our last lecture and struggled through the snow. The lecture was quite thought provoking and as a result I followed up and watched the film mentioned " The Woman in Gold" starring Helen Mirren and the documentary The Lost Leonardo. Both worth a watch if you have time. _________________________
Next lecture 12th April 2023
Art Of the River Thames Alexandra Epps Wednesday 12 April 2023 The River Thames has inspired artists for over three hundred years and continues to do so today. Discover a selection of artists from the historical to the contemporary and experience their fascinating views of the river and interpretations of its eventful history.
Our lecturer Alexandra Epps : Official Guide and Lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and Guildhall Art Gallery. Qualified Guide to the City of London, offering lectures and walks about many aspects of the arts for societies, corporations and private individuals. Member of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association. Co-author of the book Lord Mayor's Portraits 1983-2014 (2015). Alexandra’s background is in design having practised as a graphic designer running her own design consultancy for many years. BA Saint Martins School of Art, MA London College of Printing Next Three Lecturers, 10 May 2023Bach and Handel- Separated at Birth 14 June 2023William Morris's The Red House 12 July 2023Summer in Newport.
Arts Society Head office in London Sold Detail, selection copied from the March Bulletin. Back in 2019 the Trustee Board agreed to consider the future accommodation needs of The Arts Society in London, and in particular whether the offices in Guilford Street were suitable for us in the long term. Then of course the pandemic came along, and everything changed. Moving to Zoom for many of our meetings and giving the staff flexibility as to where they worked, has generated savings of both time and funds. It was abundantly clear by the beginning of 2021, that the building was no longer a good use of our resources as a charity, and in particularly its physical restraints - the many stairs and the fragile nature of its structure, led to the irrefutable conclusion that we should sell it and find new offices more fitting for our small team. We consulted the Charity Commission who raised no objections to our decision and last autumn the property was put on the market through a specialist charity property agent. I am delighted to say that we have now completed a sale. The management team worked flat out to clear the premises and we moved out on the 16 February. In the short term we will be using serviced offices and the money released from the sale has been put into a designated “Property” fund. Over the next few months we will be considering the options for our future accommodation. In the meantime, the team are still as available to you as they always have been and work goes on as normal. Some practical details are set out below. This is an exciting time for The Arts Society and I’m sure that you will understand that it is the legal responsibility of the Trustee Board to take decisions that will safeguard our future, make the best use of our staff and our funds but primarily to fulfil our charitable objects as effectively and efficiently as we can. Best wishes Liz Woods Chair, on behalf of the Trustee Board Background As has been referred to at the AGM in 2022, Town Hall Meetings and Area meetings, the premises at 8 Guilford Street were put up for sale in July 2022. A formal offer was received and contracts exchanged on 19 January 2023, and completion took place on 16 February 2023. Although there was no requirement to do so, the Charity Commission have been informed. The main reasons for the disposal: ? Running costs (it is a costly building split over several levels which suffers from many of the issues that are experienced with older buildings); ? Level of investment required to adapt and modify (one example being that the building is not suitable for visitors with mobility concerns); ? Size and layout of the property make it not fit for purpose and creates inefficiencies; ? Cost of staffing to operate premises not deemed to be good use of charity's funds (the building requires continual building and maintenance management); ? Poor heat retention (poor sustainability rating); ? Not suitable for working practices, especially in the post COVID era. The building is split over several levels with a total size of 5,398 sqft (501.5sq metres). The average space that would be expected to accommodate ten members of staff is 1000 sqft (95 sq metres) which highlights the amount of wasted space. The Trustees, having sought the appropriate professional advice, deemed that the premises no longer provide a working environment that benefits the delivery of charitable objects. Pre-Covid footfall was in the region of 300 people (staff excluded) per annum; during Covid that reduced to 20; in 2022 some 40 guests were registered. This is against the increased use of online meetings or fully serviced and accessible meeting spaces. Only 4 rooms (out of 15) are in use on a regular basis. As a fixed asset the building incurs running costs of around £103K per annum (£1.53 per Member): whilst some office costs will be incurred in any case, a saving of 52% is envisaged. Timeline 1994 - property purchased and volunteers and office staff move in. Funds are raised through various initiatives, donations, general reserves and a loan. The building is owned by the charity and the Trustees have a legal duty to ensure that it is used to deliver the charitable objects; 2015 - Architectural feasibility studies are being conducted to establish how 8 Guilford Street could be adapted to comply with current building and office regulations. The cost for such modifications is not deemed to offer a suitable use of charitable funds; April 2019 – Following a flood which caused significant damage and expense, the Trustee Board instruct the Treasurer and Finance & Resources Director to begin exploring all possibilities around the property; May 2020 – Terms of Reference are agreed for a Premises Working Group (PWG) which is set up. Membership includes the Treasurer, 2 fellow Trustees, the Chief Executive and the Finance & Resources Director; July 2020 – Third Sector Property consultants (TSP) are appointed; August 2020 – The PWG receive a “Valuation and Feasibility Study” from TSP, and a report from Jones Hargreaves Building and Property Consultants (see below); March 2021- A special meeting of the Trustee Board meets to consider the recommendation of the PWG which is to “Sell 8 GS and buy an alternative in London. March 2022 – The Trustee Board uphold the decision of one year earlier, but with the caveat that short term flexible office space would be utilised initially until the future requirements were clearer. Once the requirements were known a long-term solution would then be secured. January 2023 - An offer is received for £2.88M which although lower than the £3M asking price, is within the range that Trustees and TSP deem acceptable. Contracts are exchanged. February 2023 - The sale is completed. TSP state “It's a brilliant result. We got a strong price during one of the quietest quarters in 25 years for office investment transactions! __________________________________
Heritage Volunteer Book Conservation Workshops 2023 I would like to inform you that the Heritage Volunteer Book Conservation Workshops are now taking bookings for 2023.
The two dates are scheduled this year are 17th April and 10th October, with both workshops running in person at The Art Workers Guild, 6 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AT from 10.30am until around 3.30pm.
Both dates have a maximum capacity of 10 with reservations ran on a first-come-first-served basis. The booking form is available at this link.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at training@theartssocety.org.
With best wishes, Joe Little Training & Content Manager
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Hughenden Manor Trip Wrest Park & Thursday 27th April 2023 Hughenden Manor Wrest Park &
Thursday 27th April 2023 Departing Brockham 08:30 sharp and returning by about 6:30pm WREST PARK (Beds) Near unique example of 19th-century English architecture following the style of an 18th-century French chateau, set in a restored garden landscape originating in the 1600s.
Photographs © English Heritage Optional tour of wallpaper rooms (maximum 12 people per tour) available subject to demand Refreshments and lunch (not included) available in the café Depart Wrest Park 1:15pm for the drive (over an hour) to Hughenden Manor HUGHENDEN MANOR (Bucks) Restored country home of Benjamin Disraeli, which was a top-secret map-making facility during WW2.
© National Trust Images/Andrew Butler © National Trust Images/James Dobson https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ Refreshments (not included) available in the café Depart 5:00pm for return to Brockham £45 each (English Heritage members £35), including transport and entrance fees, but no refreshments or meals (plus £10 surcharge for non-members of National Trust) National Trust and English Heritage members must bring their membership cards and may otherwise be subject to additional non-refundable charges!
Departing Brockham 08:30 sharp and returning by about 6:30pm WREST PARK (Beds) Near unique example of 19th-century English architecture following the style of an 18th-century French chateau, set in a restored garden landscape originating in the 1600s.
Photographs © English Heritage Optional tour of wallpaper rooms (maximum 12 people per tour) available subject to demand Refreshments and lunch (not included) available in the café Depart Wrest Park 1:15pm for the drive (over an hour) to Hughenden Manor HUGHENDEN MANOR (Bucks) Restored country home of Benjamin Disraeli, which was a top-secret map-making facility during WW2.
© National Trust Images/Andrew Butler © National Trust Images/James Dobson https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ Refreshments (not included) available in the café Depart 5:00pm for return to Brockham £45 each (English Heritage members £35), including transport and entrance fees, but no refreshments or meals (plus £10 surcharge for non-members of National Trust) National Trust and English Heritage members must bring their membership cards and may otherwise be subject to additional non-refundable charges!
____________________________________________________ THE ARTS SOCIETY ASHTEAD VISIT TO BELMONT HOUSE AND FAVERSHAM MAGNA CARTA AND CHARTERS EXHIBITION Belmont House and Faversham Magna Carta and Charters Exhibition Wednesday 24 May 2023
We have been asked if any of our members would like to join Ashtead on a trip detailed below. Belmont House is marvellous example of Georgian architecture that has remained completely unspoilt. We shall start our visit with refreshments before a guided tour of the house. Belmont is a neo-classical brick country house by Samuel Wyatt, faced in pale mathematical tiles with Coade stone dressings. The light interior includes a fine staircase, hall and interesting collections of Indian and English furniture, as well as an outstanding clock collection. A lifelong passion for horology led the 5th Lord Harris to accumulate one of the largest personal collections of clocks in the country. Six generations of the Harris family have each left their mark on this lovely country house. After the tour there will be time to visit the gardens that are full of interest throughout every season. The Kitchen Garden was originally designed by Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd and has beautiful Victorian Greenhouses, along with figs, hops, soft fruits and traditional apple and pear varieties. The Walled Garden contains a pond and is adjacent to the Pinetum complete with grotto. After lunch we will travel to Faversham where we will meet our guide who will take us to see the Magna Carta and Faversham Charters Exhibition. Faversham has a magnificent series of royal charters granted to the town by successive English monarchs. The earliest surviving Faversham charter dates from the reign of Henry II in 1252, followed by eighteen more granted by 1685. Most of these were carefully kept. For a town of its size, the charter collection of Faversham is one of the finest anywhere in England. After which there will hopefully be time to visit a café before our journey home. Visit essentials: Depart APMH at 8.45am Refreshments on arrival at Belmont House before the Guided Tour Sandwich lunch at Belmont Depart Belmont for Faversham at 2.15pm Guided Talk at the Charter Exhibition Depart Faversham 4.30pm Cost - £56p --------------------------
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Wednesday 1 March 2023 |
March 2023 Newsletter |
View this email in your browser March 2023 Newsletter. ----------------------------------------------- Hi I have recently attended an area meeting with a couple of interesting items regarding our spring lecture bookings. Ian Swankie is our lecturer on the 8th of March. Many comments were that he was one of the best speakers and all his lectures were highly recommended .
Our booking with Patrick Craig on the 10th of May, Bach and Handel. Apparently this speaker has a magnificent singing voice. it is reported that he often uses his wonderful voice to entertain us where appropriate to his lecture. Keeping our fingers crossed that we will be treated to this experience. Further details next month on his singing career.
Thank you to all those that bought raffle tickets the money raised will help towards our costs of running our society. We will be having a further raffle in a May. --------------------------------------------------------------- Next Lecture The World's Most Expensive Art - Where Leonardo Meets PicassoIan SwankieWednesday 08 March 2023 In the last few years the top end of the art market has flourished, and collectors have been prepared to pay astonishing amounts to own a modern masterpiece. This lecture is about the works that have sold for over $100 million and is an excuse to examine some beautiful and varied art. These works would not achieve such sky-high prices if they were no good. So, we’ll see some wonderful paintings including those by Picasso, Cézanne, Leonardo, Rembrandt, Modigliani, Klimt, Bacon and Pollock, all held together by the common thread of their extraordinary commercial value. But we will also look at the buyers and sellers, the stories behind the works, the reasons for changing hands and I will try to answer the question “Are they really worth hundreds of millions of pounds?”
Our Lecturer Ian Swankie: A Londoner with a passion for art and architecture, Ian is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery and St Paul’s Cathedral, and gives tours around each venue. He is also a qualified and active freelance London guide and leads regular tours for various corporations and organisations. Since 2012 he has led a popular weekly independent art lecture group in his home town of Richmond in West London. He is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars, one of the City livery companies. ------------------------
Next lectures
8 March 2023The World's Most Expensive Art - Where Leonardo Meets Picasso 12 April 2023Art Of the River Thames 10 May 2023Bach and Handel- Separated at Birth --------------------------
The Creative Dimension Trust (TCDT)
Is offering Arts Society Members 5% off its new adult workshop and lecture programme. Workshops and lectures will be led by specialists who are acknowledged as leaders in their field, including the Director of The Royal Collection Trust Tim Knox, haute couture embroiderer Amy Burt, ex-Head Pastry Chef to The Royal Household Kathryn Cuthbertson MVO, Deputy Surveyor of The Queen’s Works of Art Caroline de Guitaut, and world-renowned fresco and mural painter Sarah Hocombe.
As a fundraising initiative, all proceeds will go towards TCDT’s charitable work, which enables less advantaged young people to work with global specialists, developing fine hand skills to inspire future careers. TCDT offers free online and in-venue workshops, with world-class tuition and materials, to young people who wish to develop their hand skills. TCDT demonstrates the wide range of career paths available and equips its students with valuable transferrable skills. TCDT aims to have 80% of participants from less advantaged backgrounds. Alumni have pursued careers in architecture, engineering, fine art, jewellery making, art conservation, glass working, theatre design, fashion and costume design.
Use code ART5 to claim your 5% discount! To browse upcoming workshops see: www.thecreativedimension.org/adult-workshops/ -------------------------------------- 4 BRILLIANT THINGS TO DO THIS MARCH 27 Feb 2023 From exciting cinema to creative workshops, these are our top picks for the month
Try your hand at life drawing. Image: Royal Academy of Arts
Get sketching with online workshops Ignite your creativity with the Royal Academy of Arts’ monthly online sketch club, designed for both professionals and amateurs. Each session is led by a different artist, who guides students through a different theme. From drawing geometric patterns to rendering landscapes, you are sure to learn something new, and all that is needed is a pencil, paper and a rubber. Book tickets at royalacademy.org.uk
Rudyard Kipling’s study at Batemans. Image: National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel
Discover the tools of a famous writer Join the conservation team at Bateman’s in Sussex as they begin work on Rudyard Kipling’s study. The famed writer lived here for over 30 years, amassing a wonderful collection of books and other objects that sparked his imagination. At special ‘show-and-tell’ events you can observe as conservationists handle, clean and reveal the stories behind objects such as an engraved inkwell and a Scottie dog-themed ashtray, as well as books that hold pressed flowers and annotations. The Writer’s Home: Show and tell – Kipling’s desk and study, at Bateman’s on various dates from 9 March nationaltrust.org.uk
The poster for Roman Holiday. Image: courtesy Glasgow Film Festival
Celebrate female-focused cinema in Glasgow The Glasgow Film Festival returns with a focus on women’s narratives, including a celebration of Lee Grant’s work. This acclaimed actor and director was already Oscar-nominated by the time she fell victim to the anti-communist blacklist of the 1950s. The festival will focus on the innovative and compassionate documentaries she made in the 1980s, which shone a light on social inequality and prejudice, including the Oscar-winning Down and Out in America. Other highlights include ‘In The Driving Seat’, a programme that highlights stories of women’s journeys of self-discovery, from Roman Holiday to It Happened One Night. Glasgow Film Festival, 1–12 March glasgowfilm.org
Artist Sophia Moffa with a young pupil at a clay workshop. Image: courtesy Warwick Arts Centre
Try your hand at clay This three-week course organised by Warwick Arts Centre invites you to get your hands dirty and create your very own clay sculpture. With expert tuition from environmentally focused artist Sophia Moffa, the sessions include learning initial techniques such as coiling and modelling, harnessing ideas inspired by the natural world, and decorating finished creations. It is an amazing opportunity to experience the wonders and possibilities of the medium. Adult short courses: Clay with Sophia Moffa At Warwick Arts Centre, 15, 22 and 29 March Book via warwickartscentre.co.uk
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Our mailing address is: The Arts Society Horsley East Horsley Village Hall Horsley, Surrey KT24 6QT United Kingdom Add us to your address book
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Wednesday 1 February 2023 |
February 2023 newsletter |
View this email in your browser February 2023 Newsletter. Looking forward to seeing you all on the 8th of February for our next lecture. As a potential fundraiser we are doing a raffle. There should be some wine as a prize. We are going to be romantic and call it our Valentine Raffle. We hope this will be a success and something that we can do a few times a year. If you would like to take part please bring a few pounds to our February meeting. Each ticket will be £1 ----------------------------------------------- Membership 2023 Thank you to all that have re-joined us. So far we have had approximately 88 people join us for 2023. This is substantially below the number of members we require to be viable so please encourage a friend to join us too. Details on how to join have been added to our website. You can also obtain a token or two to bring a friend as a free taster session. Please ask me for tokens.
If you wish to attend as a guest the fee is £6 per lecture. ----------------------------- Charitable Grant We have received a charitable donation from both Head Office and Area- East Surrey. A donation of £500 is to be given to needy cause. We have found out that Horsley Towers has a number of unaccompanied refugee children under 18. We intend to donate Art Supplies to these children. We are currently in talks with Horsley Towers, management to establish what items are most likely to benefit the children. It initially was our intention to provide Christmas gifts to the young people, but at the request of the HT management they have requested that we hold the donation to spring this year. We will let you know when the donations have been handed over. We thank both London and Area for their support with this donation. -----------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------- Next Lecture Stone on Stone: The Men Who Built The Cathedrals Imogen Corrigan Wednesday 08 February 2023 In this lecture we meet the Master Masons who both designed the buildings and ran the site. They commanded everything whether it was sourcing the vast quantities of wood and stone, recruiting the workforce or knowing enough about their various trades to be able to create heaven on earth out the cacophony of thousands of chisels and hammers. These men were charismatic leaders, but they were continually checked by their fellow Master Masons in the interests of making a building as strong as possible - we only see their successes, after all. They were real people who got into trouble with the law, who occasionally cheated on contracts, who liked to start a job but not to finish it. On the other hand, their creations remain to this day, some breathtakingly beautiful in their exquisite detail causing us, centuries later, to stand in a nave and wonder.
Our lecturer Imogen Corrigan: After nearly 20 years in the British army, went to the University of Kent to study Anglo-Saxon & Medieval History and Art, graduating with 1st class honours, followed by an MPhil from the University of Birmingham. Works as a freelance lecturer across Britain and Europe as well as lecturing on small cruise ships and running study tours and courses on land. Has written Stone on Stone: the Men Who Built the Cathedrals, published 2019. A Freeman of the City of London, being a Member of the Company of Communicators. ----------------------------------------------- Up and Coming Lecture Dates 8 February : Stone on Stone: the Men who built the Cathedrals 8 March : The World's Most Expensive Art. 2 April: Art of the river Thames
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BRILLIANT THINGS TO DO THIS FEBRUARY 31 Jan 2023 Music for Valentine’s Day, starry night skies and a new animated film are all on our list this month
Inspired by the creatures that, 65 million years ago, formed the foundations of the North Downs Way, you can take a seat in Coccolith, designed by artists INSTAR. Image: John Miller
Encounter new art in the outdoors The newly updated North Downs Way Art Trail promises to enrich your country walk with wonderful permanent sculptures. The 153-mile-long journey runs from Dover in Kent to Farnham in Surrey, with a special focus on the ancient pilgrimage route known as Via Francigena. The pieces on show celebrate both the joys of nature and local history and heritage, including the wonders of Palladian architecture and the legacy of mining communities. Participating artists include James Tunnard (whose work Radius was first installed in 2021), Will Nash and Polysemic, a design practice established by Christopher Daniel. nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/north-downs-way/art-trail
Singers at St-Martin-in-the-Fields. Image courtesy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields
Enjoy a romantic concert by candlelight Goodnight Sweetheart will be a special Valentine’s Day event at St-Martin-in-the-Fields. Among the musical pieces planned is Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, with pieces, too, from Debussy, Brahms and Elgar, all performed by the church’s choral scholars. This candlelit performance promises to be a truly romantic event, held in the stunning surroundings of the classically inspired house of worship. Goodnight Sweetheart, St Martin-in-the-Fields, 14 February, 7-8pm stmartin-in-the-fields.org
A still from Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. © Pierre Földes
Experience an original cinematic experience A stunning new animated film by artist, director and composer Pierre Földes takes three short-story collections by renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami as its starting point. Blending 3D motion capture and traditional 2D animation, as well as a pinch of surrealism befitting the author’s signature style, it tells the story of multiple characters’ lives following the devastating Tohoku earthquake of 2011. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, at cinemas nationwide from 17 February pierrefoldes.com
Sky by Aaron Crowe. Courtesy of Wales Dark Skies Week
Celebrate dark skies across Wales Make the most of these dark days and celebrate the wonders of the night sky with Wales Dark Skies Week. Discover a host of events across the country’s national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons, which are both official International Dark Sky Reserves. Organised events include astrophotography and stargazing, biodiversity and heritage talks, pop-up planetarium shows and guided nocturnal nature walks. Welsh Dark Skies Week, 17–26 February discoveryinthedark.wales/darkskieswalesweek _____________________ On line items _______________________________
A NEW ARTS MURAL FOR GUILDFORD For more information see https://theartssociety.org/arts-news-features/new-arts-mural-guildford 25 Jan 2023 A mural at Guildford station brings messages of local pride to commuters – and it couldn’t have been made without the support of the local Arts Society. Anna Lambert explores its making
Public art: from Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North to the changing installations on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth, if we’ve encountered it, we’ll have a reaction to it. And even if those reactions differ, what we are likely to agree is that, at its best, such art reflects a sense of place, gets people talking and makes us feel more engaged with where we live. That has certainly been the response generated by Host, unveiled at Guildford station earlier this year – a public art project spearheaded by Network Rail and The Arts Society Guildford, led by Co-Chair and Arts Volunteer Coordinator Liz Collins. more details on __________________________________
Winter Art Inspiration For winter art inspiration see The Main Arts Society web pages. https://theartssociety.org/arts-news-features/become-instant-expert-%E2%80%A6winter-paintings-----------------------------
ANNOUNCING 13 MAY 2023 SPRING CONCERT (SATURDAY)
AN EVENING WITH THE SITKOVETSKY TRIO & FRIENDS With Talk by music writer and presenter Katy Hamilton
The Arts Society East Surrey Area, in a publicity partnership with the Surrey Hills International Music Festival, is offering members and friends the opportunity to attend the Festival’s 2023 season finale, taking place at The Menuhin Hall on Saturday 13 May.
The evening will start with a talk by the ‘erudite, funny...’ Katy Hamilton – one of the UK’s most sought-after speakers on music - who will delve into the historical context and musical detail of the evening’s programme, with live illustrations on stage from the Sitkovetsky Trio.
Enjoy a complimentary drink and a breath of fresh air in The Menuhin Hall’s beautiful grounds during the break.
The concert follows with the Trio performing Beethoven’s famously atmospheric ‘Ghost’ Piano Trio. They will then be joined by two of The Menuhin School’s gifted students to perform Dvor?ák’s chamber masterpiece - his sublime second Piano Quintet.
“Like three good friends enjoying a glass of wine and a natter, the Sitkovetsky Trio sparkle with conviviality. It’s wonderfully uplifting.” BBC Music Magazine.
Saturday, 13 May 2023
Programme for the Evening:
6:00 pm - Pre-concert talk by Katy Hamilton 6:45 pm - Break with a complimentary drink 7:30 - 9:00 pm - Concert
Beethoven - Piano Trio in D Major Op. 70 No. 1 ‘Ghost’ Interval Dvor?ák - Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major Op. 81
Performed By:
Alexander Sitkovetsky - Violin
Isang Enders - Cello Wu Qian - Piano The Yehudi Menuhin School pupils - violin & viola
Priority Tickets available to members and friends from 9 January, 2023 (Monday)
To book: Online - using the following link and entering booking code TAS23 when prompted: https://tinyurl.com/bp6n6uwt
By phone from The Menuhin Hall on 01932 559400 quoting code TAS23
Tickets £40 including talk, concert, complimentary glass of wine during break & programme book
For queries and to claim your free programme book which includes details of all the Festival’s 2023 events - please be in touch with the Festival at hello@shimf.co.uk
The Menuhin Hall Cobham Road Stoke D'Abernon Great Bookham Cobham KT11 3QQ
Please see more festival information in the attached document below.
Contact: Jo Edna Corbyn Area Coordinator for Education The Arts Society East Surrey Area
Email: esaartssociety2020@gmail.com Tel.: 01737 932274
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ZOOM ACCESS SCHEME We are pleased to report that several Societies have added their online events to the Zoom Access Scheme. We will be contacting your Members shortly to invite them to take part in the scheme by completing a simple online form. Members that sign up to the scheme will receive a monthly email containing an exclusive link to the web page containing the details of the Zoom lectures available.
This scheme is only available to current Society Members who have paid a subscription to their local Society. Should their membership cease, they will be removed from the scheme.
For more information please visit the resources area of the website at https://theartssociety.org/resource/zoom-access-scheme
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Sunday 1 January 2023 |
January 2023 Newsletter |
View this email in your browser January 2023 Newsletter. Happy New Year. We had some wonderful lectures in 2022. Some of which were surprising. You can not tell a lecture from its title. We have some great lectures lined up for you in 2023. We look forward to seeing you on the 11th January for our next lecture. ----------------------------------------------- Membership 2023 Thank you to all that have rejoined us. So far we have had approximately 50 people join us for 2023. This is substantially below the number of members we require to be viable so please encourage a friend to join us too. Details on how to join have been added to our website.
Membership forms will be available at our next lecture.
If you have not rejoined this will be your last newsletter. Sorry if this is an unwanted document received. if you have decided not to return.
For those still to rejoin your membership renewal can still be completed on the 11 January. Mark will be at the front table to assist those who still need to renew or require assistance. Please arrive a little early to complete your renewal, if you have not already done so. If you wish to attend as a guest the fee is £6 per lecture. ----------------------------- Charitable Grant We have received a charitable donation from both Head Office and Area- East Surrey. A donation of £500 is to be given to needy cause. We have found out that Horsley Towers has a number of unaccompanied refugee children under 18. We intend to donate Art Supplies to these children. We are currently in talks with Horsley Towers, management to establish what items are most likely to benefit the children. It initially was our intention to provide Christmas gifts to the young people, but at the request of the HT management they have requested that we hold the donation to spring this year. We will let you know when the donations have been handed over. We thank both London and Area for their support with this donation. ----------------------------------------- Potential Fund Raiser
As a potential fundraiser we are proposing a raffle a in February. We are going to be romantic and call it our Valentine Rafael. We hope this will be a success and something that we can do a few times a year. If you would like to take part please bring a few pounds to our February meeting. --------------------------------------------------------------- Next Lecture
Churchill : An Inspirational Life in Photographs, Words and Paintings Mark Cottle Wednesday 11 January 2023 From the 1890s to the 1960s, Winston Churchill’s life was captured in countless photographs. He was a prolific writer and speechmaker - the definitive edition of his speeches alone runs to four volumes. He was a successful and enthusiastic artist, producing some 500 paintings in a span of over fifty years. Churchill was a complex and sensitive man of many parts and many interests – a discriminating contemporary, Kenneth Clark, was to write of him, “I have never been frightened by anyone except Churchill … he was a man of a wonderful and very powerful mind”. The aim of this lecture is to try to capture the richness and diversity of this great man’s life and character which can still inspire us today
Our lecturer, Mark Cottle, was born on the Isles of Scilly and educated at Truro School, Cornwall, and Birmingham University. His career has been spent in education and training at home and abroad. He has lectured at Exeter College on Medieval and Tudor history, St Mark's & St John's University College, Plymouth, and at Bath University on Anglo Saxon and medieval England. ----------------------------------------------- Up and Coming Lecture Dates 11 January, Churchill : An Inspirational Life in Photographs, Words and Paintings 8 February : Stone on Stone: the Men who built the Cathedrals 8 March : The World's Most Expensive Art. ------------------------------------------------- The Arts Society Limpsfield Trip Notification
The Arts Society Limpsfield has organised a 6 day trip to Italy "The History and Art of Hidden Umbria" from the 7 to 12 June, 2023 for our members. However, we do have some spare places and I wondered if you would be prepared to publicise it to your members in case any of them would like to join us. Please find below a copy of the details from our website with the link to the details and the booking form.
The History and Hidden Art of Umbria 7th June to 12th June 2023
07/06/2023 Link to Tailored Travel, the tour code is limd231 https://www.tailored-travel.co.uk/view_your_tour GENERAL - Central 4* Spoleto hotel • Four dinners included • All excursion travel, entrance fees & guided tours included • Direct flights from Gatwick to Rome • Tour manager throughout • Executive coach in Italy • Gratuities included • Audio headsets included on Days 2 to 5
WHAT WE WILL SEE - Spoleto – guided tour • Spello & Santa Maria Maggiore church – guided tour • Sansepolcro – guided tour • Museo Civico • Arezzo & the Church of San Francesco • Casa Di Vasari – guided tour • Bevagna • Ancient Workshops at Bevagna • Olio Marfuga at Trevi • Basilica of St Francis at Assisi – guided tour • Museo Civico at Montefalco – guided tour • Caprai Vineyard – wine tasting • Orvieto
ACCOMODATION - We stay five nights at the centrally located 4* Hotel dei Duchi (www.hoteldeiduchi.com) in Spoleto. Facilities at the hotel include a bar and restaurant. All rooms are en suite and feature television, telephone and a mini bar. A set three course dinner without drinks is included on evenings 1, 2, 4 & 5, as detailed in the itinerary. The third night is on a bed and breakfast basis.
- Cost per person £1,329 for 6 days, based on two people sharing a room.
EXTRAS TO YOUR TOUR - Single room supplement £99 • Insurance (including Covid cover) £56 • Local accommodation tax to be paid directly to the hotel (approximately €2 per person per night)
- Any air flight and holidays are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority tailored Travel's ATOL number is 5605
- View and share this tour online - click on View Your Tour at www.tailored-travel.co.uk and quote limd231
- For more information please contact your Group Organiser Seanne Giddy Tel: 01883 713205 Email: visits.limpsfield@theartssociety.org 36 Silkham Road, Oxted RH8 0NY
Thank you very much.
Kind Regards
Seanne Giddy Visits and Programme Secretary The Arts Society Limpsfield
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Jill Bray, Chair of Walton on the Hill Arts Society, has asked us to circulate to our members the details of the Zoom lecture entitled: “The British in Rome - Tourists - Over the last 600 years.” This will be delivered by Stuart Harvey and will take placed by Zoom on Thursday 12 January 2023 at 10.30am for an11am start The cost will be £5 and if any one is interested please contact info@theartssocietywaltononthehill.org.uk Happy New Year
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Thursday 1 December 2022 |
December Newsletter 2022 |
December 2022 Newsletter. Hello everyone. We hope that you are all safe and well able to attend on December 14th. We look forward to seeing you all.
Please come a few minutes early as we will be having Mince Pies with our coffee. before the lecture. I have heard this lecturer before, at an area meeting and he was excellent. So it should be well worth attending.
We received a few comments regarding the lack of lighting on the stage at our last lecture. I do apologize if it affected your enjoyment. This was done at the lecturers request, as the film content was black and white and the lack of stage lighting allegedly enhanced the viewing. ----------------------------- Thank you to Robert who will be doing the sound and visuals for us this December. ---------------------- It seams too early to be wishing you a wonderful Christmas and Happy new Year. Our next newsletter will be in January 2023. I cant believe where the time goes. ----------------------------- Happy Christmas from your TASH committee and volunteers.
--------------------------------------------------------------- With Thanks This month is fairly quiet with news. However I would like to say a huge thank you to the hard work of Nancy Tribe. Through her volunteering with us, as our secretary and one of the team serving teas and coffee at our meetings. The Mercers Society have made a donation to our funds, which go some way in covering our financial shortfall for 2022. We have written to the Mercers expressing our thanks. ----------------------------------------- Potential Fund Raiser As a potential fundraiser we are proposing to provide a Raffle in February. We are going to be romantic and call it our Valentine Raffle. We hope this will be a success and something that we can do a few times a year. If you would like to take part please bring a few pounds to our February meeting. We will include a reminder next month.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Payments Received Membership Renewal
Thank you to all our members that have renewed their membership either by cheque or by Bacs payment. I attache below our renewal form for 2023 for those still to renew. This can be can be completed and emailed back to me. If you have already renewed you membership please ignore. The Cheques received will be paid in later this month so please do not worry if it is not yet indicated on your bank statement. Our bank only allows a limited number of cheques to be paid in each month without charge to us.
During our January 2023 Lecture, Mark our treasurer will be available at our front desk to answers any queries you may have regarding your membership payments. ------------------------------------- October 2022 Dear Member MEMBERSHIP Jan 2023- Dec 2023 Total joining fee £45.00 per person. Please complete this form for each joining member. We regret that we are no longer able to offer joint membership discounts. Please tick as appropriate. I am a new member ? I am a returning member ? Please send a cheque or complete a Bacs Transfer and return a copy of this renewal form to . Marion Wiggins, Membership Secretary TASH, The Kimbles, August Lane, Farley Green, Surrey, GU5 9DP. or email info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk The Arts Society Horsley membership £ 45.00 (Please add if you can, any additional donation will be appreciated) Optional Additional Voluntary Contribution/ Donation £
TOTAL £ I have paid my/our subscription by bank transfer to BACS : Sort code: 40 52 40 Account no: 00009106 PLEASE PUT YOUR INITIAL AND SURNAME NAME AS REFERENCE on the BACS or ? I enclose a cheque payable to The Arts Society Horsley Please complete below. Name______________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________ ___________________________________ Postcode:__________________ Tel:____________________________ E-mail:________________________ GDPR Compliance: - Members’ details will be processed fairly and lawfully in order to satisfy the agreement entered with you on your admittance to membership. This will ensure that you receive the latest news and information about all upcoming events.
- Members’ details will be passed to “The Arts Society” to enable inclusion on the mailing of the quarterly magazine and other communications including information about any upcoming national events or items of legitimate interest
- Members’ details may be passed to “The Arts Society Area”, or other affiliated societies for the purposes of disseminating relevant information of legitimate interest
- Your details will be kept safely and securely and you have the ability to opt out of our communications at any time
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Leaflets for our 2023 season are available at the front desk prior to our lecture. Membership Renewals will also be available at the front desk. Your Membership expires in December 2022 .
------------------------- If you belong to another group such as a Book Club, Bridge Club, Gardening Group, Church Group, Music Group, or any other club or society and would like the opportunity to invite up to 10 people to join us at a date to be agreed, attending a lecture next year. Please see me and arrangements can be made and tokens issued. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The Power of PhotographyRoger MendhamWednesday 14 December 2022 Photographs have the ability to stop time, to provide a freeze-frame of a moment in time and space. They give the observer the opportunity to think, to react, to feel and to soak in the details of the circumstances surrounding the image. This talk examines some the most important images and photographers of the past century. It explores why these images are so powerful and influential in our understanding of history.
Our lecturer Roger Mendham A keen and accomplished photographer Roger has gained Distinctions from the Royal Photographic Society and is currently the President of the Surrey Photographic Association. A scientist by background, his interest in art was sparked by his wife’s academic studies into the History of Art and he has a particular interest in 20th century art. With his focus on the visual aspects of art he has studied the evolution of photography from its earliest days in the early 1800s to becoming a major art form in the late 20th and now 21st centuries. An experienced public speaker, his talks are all richly illustrated with both his own and images from some of the leading photographers in history. ----------------------------------- ARTVENT Following the success of the inaugural series in 2021, The Arts Society is delighted to announce that Artvent will run again this December. An innovative take on a traditional advent calendar, each day up until Christmas a new window will open to reveal that day's 'gift.' This year's theme of celebration coincides with what we hope will be a more joyful festive period for everyone this year. Together we'll celebrate art anniversaries and achievements, and explore topics such as feasts, festivals and fireworks. Our Accredited Lecturers will present mini lectures and readings. Each day's virtual gift will be different and surprising.
We would appreciate any help promoting the Artvent via your newsletters and social media, so we've created a promotion pack, with social media assets and suggested text for social media and newsletters. Sign up now for free. We'll send you the first window on 1st December ZOOM ACCESS SCHEME Following our announcement about the Zoom Access Scheme in last month’s Bulletin, if your Society is going to continue to offer lectures and other events via Zoom and would be prepared to open these to members from other Societies, please email membership@theartssociety.org and we will send you details of how to add your events to the Scheme. A few Societies have added their online events to the Zoom Access Scheme already and we will be contacting Society Members shortly in order to make them aware that the Scheme is available. The Zoom Access Scheme is a pilot scheme aimed at those Society Members unable to attend lectures in person. The Scheme will be reviewed at the end of the 2022/2023 season. -------------------------------------- GRANTS 2022/23 Following the success of the Community Grants last year, it has been decided to re-introduce them this autumn.
The Community Grants are designed to help Societies support arts causes in their local area. The £250 grant may be used for any purpose provided that it is arts or heritage based. We are looking into providing art supplies to local disadvantaged children and child refugees. We are in the process of submitting our application request. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Thursday 3 November 2022 |
A Virtual Visit with Leatherhead |
Virtual Walk exploring the Treasures of the Borghese Gallery in Rome with Stuart Harvey on Thursday 3 November 2022 from 10.15am for 10.30am start on Zoom Following the popularity of Stuart Harvey’s Virtual Tour of Rome last Spring, we have invited him back to take us on a virtual tour of his most popular destination, The Borghese Gallery in Rome, where he will show us some wonderful treasures. Stuart is a qualified Tourist Guide of Rome and the Vatican, and an Accredited Lecturer for The Arts Society. He lives in Rome, but he grew up in Ashtead and still has family living locally. The Borghese Gallery houses what is arguably one of the greatest collections of art in the world. In the early 1600s Cardinal Scipio Borghese, the nephew of Pope Paul V, amassed an incredible collection of ancient sculptures and renaissance art, including works by Titian, Botticelli and Raphael. Scipio added to this by commissioning statues from Bernini and buying up works by Caravaggio, Domenichino and other contemporary artists of the day. The Borghese Gallery is set in the Villa Borghese gardens, until a century ago the private gardens of the Borghese family, and today one of the most beautiful public parks in Rome. This is a Zoom-only event. On receipt of the £5 fee for the use of your computer, you will receive the logon registration. Guests and friends are also very welcome. The cost is £5. For further details please contact Paula Reglar at : theartssocietyleatherhead@gmail.com . |
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Tuesday 11 October 2022 |
AGM Minutes |
Minutes of the 29th AGM October 3rd 2022 Minutes of the 29th Annual General Meeting of The Arts Society Horsley held by postal ballot and email on October 3rd 2022. Chairman: Marion Wiggins 1: There being no questions raised on the Minutes of the 28th Annual Meeting which had been previously circulated, these were adopted. 2: The Chairman’s Annual Report had been previously circulated by email and posted in advance of the date of the meeting. Marion welcomed us all back from the summer break and thanked members and especially the committee for their support during her first year. Marion has really enjoyed the lectures and meeting so many new people. Marion has been asked to join the East Surrey area committee, so we congratulate her. We were in deficit last year and so we need new members and we would like you to bring a guest for free to the November lecture. The Arts Society will again make a £250 donation to a charity of our choice so if any members have a good idea where the money might go please let us know. The society is back doing Church Recording along with church volunteers so please look on the website if you are interested or give us your name to pass on. 3: The Annual Statement of Accounts together with the Treasurer’s Report had been made available to members on the website. No questions or objections had been raised and the subscription fee for 2023 of £45 together with the Accounts were adopted. The subscription remains the same as last year but we had a deficit so we will be asking if anyone can make an extra optional voluntary contribution. We are investigating contacts for an External Audit of Accounts. We are moving to a calendar year and so 2022 will only be 9 months. 4: The appointment of Mark Reason as Treasurer was proposed and there being no other nominations was duly carried. 5. The appointment of Marion Wiggins as Membership Secretary was proposed and there being no other nominations was duly carried. 6. Matters Arising. We need more people to assist the committee and please note you do not have to come on the committee full time. We have a great need for a meeter and greeter. The current committee is Chairman – Marion Wiggins Programme Secretary – Marianne Andrews Treasurer – Mark Reason Young Arts – Jody Coe Membership Secretary – Marion Wiggins Secretary – Nancy Tribe The AGM minutes will be posted on our website. 7 There was no further business and the AGM was declared closed Nancy Tribe Secretary |
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Saturday 1 October 2022 |
October 2022 Newsletter |
I hope you all enjoyed the two months without lectures. There has been a lot to think about, happening in the world and at home. Some sad times, times to be thoughtful, times for reflection and consideration. Our autumn lecture program is about to start, on the 12th October. We are looking forward to seeing you all.
Just a reminder that we need to increase our membership. If you are able to bring a guest to our November lecture. It will be free of charge for your guest to attend with you at that time. We hope your guest will be impressed and wish to join us in 2023.
Our 2023 program has been printed and copies will be available at our October Lecture. The lectures are also on our website. An email will be sent later in October for members to rejoin for 2023. If you can rejoin ASAP this enables us to budget for next year.
October Lecture. The Bayeux Tapestry: 950 years of Propaganda, Intrigue and Spin Timothy Wilcox Wednesday 12 October 2022 10.30am. The Bayeux Tapestry is instantly recognisable and one of the most outstanding cultural objects to survive from the early Middle Ages. Long admired for its vivid narrative, today it is the unanswered questions that most intrigue modern audiences: was it made in England or France? Was it stitched by men or women? This sparkling lecture looks not only at its creation, but also at its more amazing afterlife. Displayed by Napoleon to bolster French ambitions for a new cross-channel invasion; cherished by Victorian embroiderers as an icon of women’s heroic joint efforts; hunted down by Hitler, who was outwitted by bureaucratic obfuscation. A fluent French speaker, Timothy Wilcox brings a lifetime’s interest in Anglo-French relations to bear on a famous object set to become even more celebrated as it enters its next, surprising chapter. Our lecturer Timothy Wilcox is a writer, lecturer and exhibition curator with special interests in British art, in landscape and in watercolour painting. He was a museum curator in the British Museum Department of Prints and Drawings following positions at the V&A, in Liverpool and Hove. As a freelance curator and lecturer since 1997, he has organised exhibitions on Laura Knight, Hilda Carline, John Sell Cotman and John Constable, at venues including Tate, The Lowry, the Wordsworth Trust and Dulwich Picture Gallery. He contributes regularly to the educational programmes at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and lectures at museums and galleries in Britain, Europe and the USA.
Youtube lectures. The Arts Society ran a series of Youtube lectures. These are still available to view on Youtube. If you have a spare hour or two have a look. Just search the Arts Society and look for our logo.
The Arts Society Chipstead invitation
SPECIAL INTEREST DAY – SATURDAY OCTOBER 22nd
9.30 am – 3.0 pm
Venue - The Community Hall, Banstead.
Cost £36 per person
including morning coffee and biscuits and a packed lunch.
The Housekeepers Tale –
The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House
Lecturer: Tessa Boase
Tessa is a freelance lecturer for The Arts Society along with other organisations such as the V&A, English Heritage and the National Trust. She’s the author of two books of social history: The Housekeeper’s Tale – The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House, and Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather – Fashion, Fury and Feminism, Women’s Fight for Change. Tessa will focus on uncovering the fascinating stories of invisible housekeepers from the Victorian/Edwardian era right up to contemporary and very different country housekeeper of today. She will delve into secret diaries, unpublished letters and neglected service archives of our stately homes. As the most senior of upper servants, the housekeeper typically carried a family’s secrets with her to the grave. She ran the English country house, controlled its female servants and conserved its many treasures – and yet she has not been remembered history. Using old letters, secret diaries and neglected archives, Tessa has resurrected a series of fascinating stories from 19th and 20th century domestic service, at some of our most prominent households. ALL ARE WELCOME
The Housekeepers Tale –
The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House
Please return this completed form to: Katherine Goldsmith, Court Lodge Farm, Star Lane, Chipstead, CR5 3RA
I/we wish to attend the special interest day on Saturday 22 nd October 2022
Name(s)................................................................................................................................................
Address...............…………………...................................................................………...........................
Email..........................………………….............................……………...................................................
Telephone....................………………………………..............................................................................
Contact in case of emergency....................................................................... (name and telephone no)
I/we enclose cheque (£36 per person) for £........ payable to The Arts Society Chipstead OR I/we have paid £.............. by bank transfer to Account 00503758, sort code 30-90-44 (Lloyds Bank), Account name - The Arts Society Chipstead. PLEASE QUOTE AS REFERENCE: HOUSEKEEPER plus INITIAL and SURNAME for each member applying.
Should you require a packed lunch which is Vegan ________ Gluten free _______ Please tick the appropriate line above.
Guildford Cathedral visit opportunity. Free ‘Threads through Creation’ is a spectacular sequence of twelve huge textile panels. It’s an exuberant retelling of the creation story in the book of Genesis, a retelling which many visitors will find both moving and breathtaking. Viewers are treated to a wonderful variety of colours, shapes, patterns – and of course lots of creatures! The exhibition is one of the largest textile projects by a single artist, ever. It has taken Jacqui nearly three years. It follows on from ‘Threads through Revelation’, her first huge exhibition which visited 14 cathedrals from 2016 to 2018, and was seen by more than 500,000 visitors. An extensive tour of UK cathedrals is being planned from 2021 to 2024. CATHEDRAL -Planned Touring Dates Please check dates on cathedral web sites as they might change. 2022 10th September to 16th October – GUILDFORD CATHEDRAL
East and West Surrey Workshop I recently attended a workshop with west surrey on developing closer links between our society areas. West Surrey has kindly invited us to a Getting to Know the Arts Society, morning intended for committee members. I will be attending on behalf of Horsley. I will report anything of interest in our next news letter. |
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Monday 1 August 2022 |
TASH 2022 AGM Agenda and Voting |
The Arts Society Horsley The Twenty Ninth Annual General Meeting AGM to be held on the 5th September 2022 Dear TASH Members, Please find below the agenda for our AGM, together with the minutes of last year’s AGM. To give the committee sufficient time to put in place the procedures for renewing our annual subscriptions we have decided to follow last year’s precedent and issue our AGM documentation by email. The Committee does recognise that the AGM is an important event and is keen to ensure you are able to exercise your right to vote. Therefore, we will be emailing you the reports and documents and also uploading them on to the Society’s website at The Arts Society Horsley, for you to submit your votes can be returned either by email or post. You will receive the Chairman's annual report by separate email. The Treasurer’s report and accounts will be uploaded on to our website. In order to vote on the different items, please email by the 14th August 2022 at the latest to, info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk Agenda >Welcome and opening remarks by Chairman >Adoption of 2021 minutes >Matters Arising >Chairman’s Report >Treasurer’s report Current committee members returning for 2023 Chairman – Marion Wiggins Programme Secretary -Marianne Andrews. Young Arts- Jody Coe Secretary- Nancy Tribe Retiring Committee Members Our thanks go to the retiring committee members below. Thank you for all their efforts and hard work given in some cases for 6 years. Membership secretary- Dr Chris Noon Programme secretary- Sally Ollett. Treasurer- Alen Fern Positions Vacant. Vice Chairman- Vacant Outings Secretary - Vacant Communications and Advertising - Vacant External Examiner of Accounts - Vacant New committee Members to be appointed. Please tick the appropriate box below and email or post to:- The Chairman TASH, The Kimbles, August Lane, Farley Green, Surrey GU5 9DP. Please date and sign in space provided. Stating that you appoint the Treasurer as your proxy and putting Yes, No or Abstain against each of the following agenda items: 1. Approve 2021 AGM Minutes. Yes______________ No ________________ Abstain_______________ 2. Adoption of Accounts. Yes______________ No ________________ Abstain_______________ 3. Treasurer – Mark Reason Appoint Yes______________ No _______________ Abstain _______________ 4. Membership Secretary – Marion Wiggins Appoint Yes______________ No ________________ Abstain_______________ 5, We currently have no Independent Examiner of our Accounts for 2023. If anyone is available from our membership and would wish to assist, we would greatly appreciate your help. If no TASH member becomes available we reserve the right to appoint an external accountancy firm to carry out this audit. All appointments in this respect will be made at the discretion of the Treasurer and Chairman. Confirm ______________ ________________ Abstain_______________ Date______________ Signature _____________ Name________________ Should there be no other nominations for items 3 and 4 received 21 days in advance of the AGM meeting date, they will be deemed as carried. 1, Approve the minutes. 2, Approve the adoption of the Accounts. 5 Approve an external Audit of Accounts If you have any questions in relation to the business of the AGM in advance of the meeting - please send them to, info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk Or post to The Chairman TASH, The Kimbles, August Lane, Farley Green, Surrey GU5 9DP. we will ensure these are answered directly and, where practicable, answers published on our website. The minutes will be uploaded on to our website within two weeks of the AGM, as well as being sent to members with our October Newsletter. Chairman’s Annual Report will be circulated to members by email. Marion Wiggins Chairman The Arts society Horsley. |
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Monday 1 August 2022 |
TASH AGM Chairman's Report |
AGM Committee Report 2022 Dear Art Society Horsley Members, My first year as chairman has nearly come to an end. As I stepped into this role as a fairly new member and it has been a bit of a learning curve. The biggest difficulty is managing our email programme through Mailchimp. I have loved almost every minute of working with the Arts Society and our members. I have enjoyed the learning process and lecturers, absorbing facts. I have been stunned by the intricacies of many of the works of art. Since we resumed live lectures in October 2021 the quality of the lectures has been amazing. Prior to October and lockdown restrictions we were offering zoom lectures for your viewing, at home. We were thereby able to offer our full lecture programme. None of this, of course, would be possible without the help our Committee. Three of the Committee are retiring, Dr Chris Noon, Sally Ollett and Allen Fern. After their years of service they all took home a small wine selection, with our thanks. We REALLY need some more help on the Committee. With three leaving and only one joining we are having to double up responsibilities. Our IT wizard Trevor, stepped in to help us this year with all things sound and vision. He is not a member, but is known to me and has worked with the BBC as an electronics specialist. Without his help our lectures would have been doomed especially in the early part of 2022. We wish our other IT wizard Robert all the best and look forward to his return. The membership numbers are, unfortunately, lower than last year. We are now down to around 120 members, with only about 60 attending lectures regularly. We need to increase our membership to 160 +. If you have a friend that would like to join us please encourage them to attend with you in November, when we are having a Bring a Guest for free. Our membership for this year was £42 per person. With £14 of that being the affiliation fee for each member to the Arts Society. So the amount we receive is £28 per person for 10 lectures. We pay for the village hall, storage and chairs. Lecturer costs, are often around £400 per time and also lecture travel expenses are added. We put up the lectures in our own homes and provide an evening meal for those that travel a long way by way of reducing and keeping our costs as low as possible. Our fees unfortunately will have to rise next year. We are looking at £45 per person on the hope our membership will increase. We are also planning to add an optional donation box to our membership application form, next year. We think we provide good value for money and that a small donation in addition to the membership fee could help us greatly. This is purely at your discretion as we are a charitable organisation. Our committee members generally do not claim expenses for fuel to training courses, paper printing ink, postage and other incidentals. The costs difference between one society and another is not significant but some societies have over 400 members, so they have cash in the bank. The Arts Society is looking at charging all society groups an additional fee to cover the expenses of travel and hotels etc. This is for those societies that have to travel a long way. If a training course starts at 10am in London and a society has to travel from the north of England or Scotland they would have to arrive the day before. This fee would help with their costs. We do not know yet how much we will be charged. Increasing our membership is a priority so please help if you can, encourage your best friend to come too and become a member. Free tea and coffee will continue to be provided prior to our lectures. Thank you to Jody, Nancy and Perry who work hard in the Kitchen. We do not have a Trips and visits Secretary. We have not arranged any visits in 2022. We have been worried about enough members attending to cover costs. We have been lucky enough for you to have been invited to attend trips with other local societies. As these other societies have been struggling with numbers. Details of these trips have been included on our website emailed or included in our newsletter. In 2021 we were able to secure an Arts Society grant of £250 and an Area Grant of £250. Our previous Chairman, Ann Simons. Who arranged for the donation to help the restoration of the Medieval Art found in St Mary’s Church. A great local cause. There will not be a grant available for this year. We are looking for someone to take on our PR campaign. Displaying our posters in local locations, magazines and free press. In the hope of attracting members and Guests. A guest fee is normally £6 per lecture. Future Lectures 12 October 2022 The Bayeux Tapestry: 950 years of Propaganda, Intrigue and Spin 09 November 2022 Hitchcock: Master of Suspense 13 December 2022 The Power of Photography 11 January 2023 Churchill : An Inspirational Life in Photographs, Words and Paintings 08 February 2023 Stone on Stone: The Men Who Built The Cathedrals 08 March 2023 The World's Most Expensive Art - Where Leonardo Meets Picasso 12 April 2023 Art Of the River Thames 10 May 2023 "Debo" - Mitford, Cavendish, Devonshire Duchess, Housewife 1920- 2014 14 June 2023 William Morris's Red House - "The Most Beautifullest Place on Earth" 12 July 2023 Summering in Newport: Cottages, Celebrities and Suffragettes 11 October 2023 Rembrandt: Chiaroscuro and the Autumn Palette 08 November 2023 The Cenotaph- Armistice Day 13 December 2023 The Journey of the Magi: Origins, Myth and Reality-The True Story of the Three Kings Marion Wiggins Chairman |
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Monday 1 August 2022 |
TASH Treasurers Report 2022 |
The Arts Society Horsley Treasurer’s Report 2021/22 For the year to 31st March 2022, the Society received total income of ~£5,840 and had expenditure of ~£6,580 creating an in-year deficit of nearly £740. To put this into context the Society has a credit balance with its Bank of around £7,700. The Society continues to monitor and manage its income and expenditure with a view to maintaining- an equilibrium position each year wherever practicable. In accordance with our constitution, the annual accounts have been examined and reviewed by an Independent Financial Examiner, Mr. Chris Tailby CBE, who concluded that “I am satisfied that the accounts accord with the Society’s ledgers and the bank statements.” The full report of the Independent Financial Examiner is available for review on our website. Mr.Tailby is resigning from this role, having done it for a number of years. The Society would like to record its thanks and gratitude to Mr.Tailby for his support over that time. Further thanks need to be recorded in respect of Mr.Alan Fearns who kindly stepped in to cover the position of Treasurer for the last couple of years. …………………………………………………….. Mark Reason, Treasurer (Designate) Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2022 IncomeExpenditure Subscritions £ 5,340.00Affiliation Fee £ 1,967.03 Bank Interest £ 1.02Bank Charges £ 122.80 Arts Grant £ 500.00Arts Grant £ 500.00 Lectures £ 3,125.00 Hall & Storage £ 497.43 Expenses £ 159.39 Website £ 90.00 Area Meeting £ 34.00 Refund £ 84.00 Total £ 5,841.02 £ 6,579.65 Annual Balance-£ 738.63 Bank Account Balances as at 31st March 2022 Gold Account £ 5,703.20 Cash Account £ 2,000.00 |
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Friday 1 July 2022 |
July 2022 Newsletter |
TASH Newsletter July 2022 Hello members. We have a couple of bring a guest for free dates coming up. These dates are in the hope of attracting some new members to our society. We try to keep our membership costs as low as possible. Along with everything else our cost are increasing, as are the fees requested by the lecturers. If you have a friend who you think might be interested in joining us for next year, please bring them along to one of the following dates. We need to attract members in order to keep our fees low. We are a small society and do not have reserves of funds. Our overall costs are the same as the larger societies which in some cases have hundreds more members. I think we have produced some excellent lectures for you. The monthly cost of our membership is not much more than one cup of coffee. We would love to set a target to attract 30+ more members for 2023. Please help if you can and bring a friend.
Bring a guest for free July 13th November 22nd
For our December lecture we are going to offer a Buck-fizz and Mince Pie for those arriving early and do not mind a small celebratory tipple. Normal tea and coffee will still be available.
At our July lecture we will be saying goodbye to Chris Noon, Alan Fern and Sally Ollett who have all been on your committee for some time. Chris has been Membership Secretary and normally found managing the front door on lecture days together with keeping attendance records. Alan stepped in as our treasure for the last 12 months and has worked behind the scenes for many years. Sally has booked your lecturers and kept statistics on lecturer performance. They will all be missed.
Item of note. We do not have any lectures in August or September due to summer holidays. Please have a nice break/ holiday and we look forward to seeing you in October. There will not be any Newsletter during these two months.
Next Lecture Agatha Christie, Jane Tapley Wednesday 13 July 2022 Agatha Christie is undoubtedly the world’s greatest crime writer, her books sell over four million copies worldwide every year and there is a continual demand for new adaptations to be made of her work. She led a sheltered and privileged life in her native Torquay which was not dissimilar to the characters she invented. She was brought up in the comfort of upper middle class society and she too had mystery in her life. To find out more about this remarkable author who created Poirot and Miss Marple book this biographical talk. It will surprise and enlighten you about how she developed her talent for writing having never attended a proper school. Our lecturer: Jane Tapley lectures regularly to theatre going societies, National Trust, history and fine arts groups. She is also a Registered Blue Badge Guide and Lecturer.
Next lecture dates. Please do not come if you feel at all unwell or have been in contact with anyone with Covid. All lectures start at 10.30. Tea and coffee available before the lecture.
13 July 2022Agatha Christie AugustNo Lecture SeptemberNo Lecture 12 October 2022The Bayeux Tapestry: 950 years of propaganda, intrigue and spin 09 November 2022Who Done It? Hitchcock: the Master of Suspense 14 December 2022The Power of Photography
Volunteering Opportunities- Urgent Help Needed. Please speak to me at our July lecture if you think you can assist. You can be a new member or have been with us for some time. We are looking for a Membership Secretary, Publicity Officer this might be suit two friends and help increase our membership. You do not need to become Committee member or attend Committee meetings and each of these roles should not take more than a couple of hours a month.The publicity role can be developed by you to suit your availability. We will also be looking for someone to take over the admittance records by ticking off names as you enter, as currently carried out by Chris. Do you know someone to volunteer carry out a check on our accounts prior to submission. This role might suite someone with bookkeeping experience and should only take a few hours per year. All accounts will be completed by the treasurer ready for checking. This will avoid us the cost of outsourcing. Marion Chairman |
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Wednesday 1 June 2022 |
June 2022 Newsletter. |
TASH Newsletter June 2022 I cannot believe that we are in June, the 6th month of the year. How time flies. Our last lecture on the Grand Tour was interesting with fascinating cartoons depicting the Brits abroad. I hope some of you were able to take advantage of the Chevening house visit taking place in September, as per details in our May newsletter. New Visit opportunity. Godinton House Visit kindly arranged by Ashtead Would any of our members be interested in joining the Ashtead Arts Society for this visit? Kindly arranged by Joyce Hampton. See below for further details and booking arrangements.
Godinton House and Smallhythe Place -Thursday 30 June 2022
We leave APMH (Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall) at 9.15 am and go first to Godinton House where there will be coffee and biscuits on arrival. Afterwards, we have a tour of the house. Set in extensive parkland, Godinton is a beautiful Jacobean manor with later additions in keeping with the original building. The guided tour will explain the history of the house and the families who shaped it, as well as highlighting pieces from its fine collection of furniture, paintings, porcelain, and curios. Outdoors there are formal gardens and a large walled garden to explore. After a ploughman’s lunch at Godinton (included), we go on to Smallhythe Place. Now in the care of the National Trust, this Tudor house was for many years the home of one of the most famous actresses of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Ellen Terry. It contains a great deal of interesting memorabilia from her career, including a replica of the beetle-wing dress that she wore in her celebrated performance as Lady Macbeth. There will be a short talk about her life, held in the Barn Theatre. Tours of the house are free flow but there are knowledgeable guides in the rooms to bring its story to life. The gardens are also charming. Please be aware that there are some grassy banks that may be slippery if wet. Currently the tearoom at Smallhythe is open and provided there is no change, tea can be purchased at your own expense before we leave for home at approximately 4.15. Cost - NT members £52, non-members pay an additional entrance fee at Smallhythe Place To purchase tickets via Eventbrite click here SPONSORED CONTENT SPECIAL OFFERS ON SELECT HEBRIDEAN ISLAND CRUISES FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARTS SOCIETY
HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS – THE ULTIMATE ESCAPE FROM THE EVERYDAY WORLD
Experience the magic that is Hebridean Princess as she reaches the unreachable and brings the dream to reality when visiting distant, off-the-beaten-track places. Join us to witness the magnificent Highlands and Islands of Scotland, steeped in history and abundant in wildlife, with dramatic scenery and peaceful lochs.
Hebridean Princess combines the atmosphere of a fine country house with its renowned level of service and attention to detail that our guests have come to expect over the years.
The 2023 Hebridean Princess Cruise Collection sees this multi-award-winning ship embark on a series of 39 extraordinary cruises, remaining mainly in her home Scottish waters, offering endless opportunities to get close to local culture and discover hidden gems.
The ‘Footloose’ walking programme has been a feature of our sailing calendar for many years now. Other themed cruises for 2023 include food and drink, gardens, nature and wildlife, world and highland heritage, historical and architectural interest – and even a cycling cruise accompanied by Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman.
Our knowledgeable onboard guides accompany every itinerary and bring each one to life. Our guest speaker programme will continue to enrich selected departures, and Arts Society Accredited Lecturer Janet Brennan will accompany the Historic Houses and Castles of the Clyde cruise commencing 31 October 2023.
Your Hebridean Princess escape awaits. We very much hope that we can welcome you on board in 2023.
To request a brochure or make a reservation, please call 01756 704704 or visit www.hebridean.co.uk.
Members of The Arts Society receive a 5% saving on the full brochure fares.
Next Lecture Seaside Modern: Art & Life on the Beach James Russell Wednesday 08 June 2022 10.30am Between the wars something extraordinary happened to the British seaside: it became glamourous, exciting... modern. Enticed by eye-catching railway posters, holidaymakers grabbed their new cameras and slinky new bathing suits, and headed for the coast. Meanwhile artists galore found inspiration on the beach, from Laura Knight in Lamorna and Eric Ravilious in Newhaven to Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore in North Norfolk. With eye-catching artworks, glorious posters and startling archive photos, this exuberant, colourful lecture explores a remarkable period in 20th century British culture. Our lecturer: James Russell - having studied History at Pembroke College, Cambridge, enjoyed a lengthy stint selling contemporary paintings and sculpture in Santa Fe, New Mexico, an experience that inspired him to begin writing and lecturing on 20th century art. Of his dozen or so books, one was a Sunday Times book of the year, while his writing has been described by critics as 'insightful', 'informative' and 'enjoyably readable'. James has curated major exhibitions at Dulwich Picture Gallery and for museums around the country.
Next lecture dates.
Please do not come if you feel at all unwell or have been in contact with anyone with Covid. All lectures start at 10.30. Tea and coffee available before the lecture. 08 June 2022 Seaside Modern: Art & Life on the Beach 13 July 2022 Agatha Christie August No Lecture September No Lecture 12 October 2022 The Bayeux Tapestry: 950 years of propaganda, intrigue and spin 09 November 2022 Who Done It? Hitchcock: the Master of Suspense 14 December 2022 The Power of Photography Volunteering Opportunities- Urgent Help Needed.
Good news we have a volunteer -Mark Reason to take over as treasurer, Thank you Mark for agreeing to help us for the remainder of this year and many more years. Alan Fern has been our volunteer treasures for the past years and now feels it is time to step down We thank you Alan for all your work on our behalf, Our Volunteers do not get enough recognition for the work they do. So a big thank you. We are looking for a new Membership Secretary. If anyone would be interested in organising trips and visits. Please let me know if either job sounds if it could be for you. Marion Chairman
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Sunday 1 May 2022 |
May 2022 Newsletter |
TASH Newsletter May 2022 I hope you enjoyed our April Lecture on Easter Island. I thought it was fascinating. With the island being so isolated and thousands of KM away from the nearest island. It was no wonder that the native people believed they were all there was in the world. So sad how the population was devastated by Smallpox and Tuberculosis .I wonder what their thoughts were on meeting the first outsiders. The Lecturer Paul Bahn occasionally acts as a guide on themed holidays associated with cave art. I did manage to find him online regarding his tours. Visit opportunity. I hope you all received the email regarding the Chevening house visit opportunity. Details again below. Just in case there are still places available. Chevening House Sevenoakes Tuesday 27 September 2022 Please see the below document outlining an opportunity to visit Chevening House in Sevenoaks in Kent on the afternoon of Tuesday September 27th, 2022. Chevening is a large country house built between 1617 and 1630 to a design reputedly by Inigo Jones. Formerly the principal seat of the Earls Stanhope, the house and estate now serve as a furnished country residence for a person nominated by the Prime Minister, currently the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The house is opened a very limited number of times each year to interest groups and the East Surrey Area Team have secured a guided visit on Tuesday 27 September. The cost will be £30 per head, which includes a two-hour tour of the house followed by tea with sandwiches and cake in the drawing room. We will have to travel independently as coaches cannot gain access to the Estate. Places are strictly limited to 25 persons and will be allocated in the order received. If you would be interested in joining the group, please e-mail junerobinson9@btopenworld.com to receive a booking form. Please indicate whether you will be applying for one or two places. Payment by BACS will be due with than return of the booking form (we regret this is non-refundable). No photography will be permitted in the house.
Next Lecture Please do not come if you feel at all unwell or have been in contact with anyone with Covid.
The Grand Tour was a trip through what is now Europe during the 17th and 18th C. Mostly by the young upper classes. Milord Abroad...The British Grand Tour William ForresterWednesday 11 May 2022 The story of the British Grand Tour... the perils and pleasures of the journey via Calais, Paris and the Alps, to the delights of Florence, Venice and Rome, where we meet the unmissable events of the Venetian tourist calendar, and the tutors, tour guides, art dealers and swindlers of Rome. We examine the (sometimes dubious) purchases of paintings and antiquities that filled the country houses of the time, and return home to see how the tour influenced the exterior and interior of the British Town and Country House. Our lecturer, William Forrester, has written and presented programmes for Central TV, Thames TV and BBC Radio 4, as well as lecturing for the National Portrait Gallery, the British Museum, the National Gallery and the National Trust
Next lecture dates.
All lectures start at 10.30 11 May 2022
Milord Abroad...The British Grand Tour 08 June 2022 Seaside Modern: Art & Life on the Beach 13 July 2022 Agatha Christie 12 October 2022 The Bayeux Tapestry: 950 years of propaganda, intrigue and spin 09 November 2022 Who Done It? Hitchcock: the Master of Suspense 14 December 2022 The Power of Photography
Volunteering Opportunities- Urgent Help Needed.
Sorry if I sound like a broken record. Please help if you can or job share with a friend. Our Volunteers do not get enough recognition for the work they do. So a big thank you. We are looking for a new Membership Secretary and Treasurer. Both Chris and Alan will be stepping down. If anyone would like to provide IT back up in case of emergencies please let me know. Marion Chairman
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Friday 1 April 2022 |
April 2022 Newsletter |
TASH Newsletter April 2022 Our March lecture was something a little different. The proposed lecture on Rembrandt unfortunately hand to cancel at short notice. Marianne was able to engage John Snelson ‘West End Winners - The Rise of the British Musical from Noel Coward to Lionel Bart' This was a memory jogger with songs and sounds from the past. The lecture introduced us to the change of styles through the 1940’s, 50’s and 60s. All quite different to what we would expect today. John also provided us with some live music played expertly on the piano. The lecture was well received. Spring has sprung Spring is has well and truly arrived. The lovely light mornings filled with bird song. I have a Magnolia tree in bloom in my front garden. I think the tree is about 100 years old and about 20ft. in diameter in its canopy. This is the first time in two years that the flowers have survived for more than a couple of days. The flowers were caught by frost or heavy rain in 2020 and 2021. It is a shame that the flowers only last a week, but it is defiantly one of spring’s joys along with daffodils, tulips and bluebells. I hope you are enjoying your spring too. Next Lecture Please do not come if you feel at all unwell or have been in contact with anyone with Covid. Next lecture dates. All lectures start at 10.30 13 April 2022 What really happened on Easter Island 11 May 2022 Milord Abroad...The British Grand Tour 08 June 2022 Seaside Modern: Art & Life on the Beach 13 July 2022 Agatha Christie 12 October 2022 The Bayeux Tapestry: 950 years of propaganda, intrigue and spin 09 November 2022 Who Done It? Hitchcock: the Master of Suspense 14 December 2022 The Power of Photography I had to check the location of Easter Island and look up a few facts all curtesy of the internet. This is a lecture I am looking forward too. It is the easternmost outpost of the Polynesian island world. The island stands in isolation 2,200 miles west of Chile. It has an area of 64 sq miles. Peruvian slavers brought smallpox to the island. It was islanders, however, who brought the tuberculosis to Easter Island. They had been slaves in South America and when freed, returned home, bringing the disease with them. The maximum population is reported at being 20,000. This is a huge number for such a small island. In later years the population was reported as being 700 men and 30 women. What really happened on Easter Island Paul Bahn Wednesday 13 April 2022 Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is the most isolated piece of permanently inhabited land on the planet, and yet it produced a most extraordinary Stone Age culture: hundreds of sophisticated coastal stone platforms, more than a thousand enormous stone statues, the richest rock art in the Pacific, and a unique writing system. This talk will provide an introduction to the history of the discovery of this culture; to its principal features; and to what archaeology, oral traditions and, more recently, palaeobotanical evidence have combined to teach us about the island’s cultural rise and decline, its environmental crisis, and the lessons all this can teach us about how we look after the Earth as a whole. Our lecturer, Paul Bahn has studied archaeology at the University of Cambridge, and completed a PhD thesis (1979) on the prehistory of the French Pyrenees. Has held post-doctoral fellowships, at Liverpool and London, plus a J. Paul Getty postdoctoral fellowship in the History of Art and the Humanities. His main research interest is prehistoric art, especially rock art of the world, and most notably Palaeolithic art, as well as Easter Island. Volunteering Opportunities- Urgent Help Needed. Sorry if I sound like a broken record. Please help if you can or job share with a friend. Our Volunteers do not get enough recognition for the work they do. So a big thank you. We are looking for a new Membership Secretary and Treasurer. Both Chris and Alan will be stepping down. Trevor has again stepped in to help with the IT and projection at our lectures. Without his help we would be in severe difficulties. We hope that Robert will be able to return soon. If anyone would like to provide IT back up in case of emergencies please let me know. Next Newsletter. Do not forget to send me photos of your art for inclusion in the May newsletter. I have no photos for this month. Marion Chairman |
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Monday 7 March 2022 |
March 2022 Newsletter |
Newsletter March 2020
Last Lecture. A superb lecture by Jane Gardiner on Louis XIV and the creation of Versailles. Poor Jane attended with a newly broken arm. Louis XIV did not spare any expense on the opulence and grandeur of Versailles. All funding raised through taxation.
Having completed some reading. Louis had five children. Only one reached adulthood. Three others died at a very young age only weeks old. Louis was jeered during his funeral procession by his disgruntled people. Louis was considered owner of all french property and its 19 million people. If visiting France, a visit to Versailles might be worth considering especially with the history referenced by Jane.
IT Volunteer Required Urgent On a separate note do we have anyone with any IT specialities as we are currently without a computer person to attend our Lectures, possibly for a few months. It will involve an hours work before each lecture and 20 minutes afterwards. If you have not been with us for long it will not matter we would be happy for your help. Or perhaps work with a friend. If you are able to help please come an hour early to our February lecture to learn the ropes.
Other Volunteering Opportunities Now Urgent. We have from time to time requested help for Volunteers. This is now becoming urgent. Our Membership Secretary will be stepping down in July 2022 having remained for many months beyond his tenure. Our Treasure will also be retiring from his role in April 2022. If either of theses roles are something you might be interested in taking on please contact us or speak to me at our next lecture. The Arts Societies are all manned and run by volunteers, It is rewarding to be involved and you would be welcome. Next Lecture Wednesday 09 March 2022. Change to planned lecture. Rembrandt by David Cross- Regretfully he is unable to carry out this lecture. In its Place WEST END WINNERS – THE RISE OF THE BRITISH MUSICAL FROM NOËL COWARD TO LIONEL BART By John Snelson The British musical grew in its own unique way, with style, heart, guts and masses of fun. We are still entertained by revivals of Me and My Girl, The Boy Friend and Oliver! But what of the many more hit shows, such as Noel Coward’s Bitter Sweet, Ivor Novello’s King’s Rhapsody and the bitingly satirical Expresso Bongo, that are no longer staged? This lecture rediscovers a distinctive West End story to give a new perspective on the shows and the people who made them. It’s an aspect of culture and personality unique to Britain – and fascinating in variety and success.
April lecture Wednesday 13 April 2022 What really happened on Easter Island Paul Bahn Wednesday 13 April 2022
Art Projects I am still looking for photos of your family's art projects to include in our newsletters. Below some Barge Paintings by our member Jody Coe.
2022 Grant Please let me know if you have any recommendations for the 2022 grant. The 2021 grant went to the St Mary's Restoration fund for the medieval paintings.
Covid Update Please follow the latest Government Guidelines. Wearing of face masks is again optional within the Main Hall We will continue to ventilate the hall by opening doors to the outside. It could be cold so please bring a coat. We are also requesting that you take a Lateral Flow Test within 24 hours prior to our lecture. This is to ensure that you all remain as safe as possible, as some of our members are vulnerable.
Please do not attend if you feel unwell or have a positive test result. |
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Tuesday 1 February 2022 |
February 2022 Newsletter |
Newsletter February 2022.
For those that have missed our last few lectures, they have been fantastic and it is well worth attending, if you can. We can not guarantee that each lecture will be to your taste but you can not always tell by the description or title. Each of the lectures since our return to live lectures have been amazing and well worth the visit to our hall. We would love to see you soon.
Last Lecture. Following on from the fantastic January Lecture by Andrew Prince, The Glamour Years. It was wonderful to receive so many lovely comments. We had a good number of attendees.I found the jewellery based on the industrial fascinating. Who would have thought a broach based on a V8 Engine, or a bracelet based on Roads Railways and Bridge, could look so gorgeous. My favourites were based on the leaking pipes, nothing to do with the diamonds, emeralds and ruby's used in the construction. I am so sorry I can not include more photos, for those who missed the lecture.
The preparations before the meeting were quite fraught. Our usual projector and IT specialist was not available at short notice. I roped in a friend to help and we managed to cobble things together. Without Trevor's help we would have been in a complete pickle. Also thank you to Robert, who we were able to talk to over the phone for advice.
February- Members Can Bring a Guest for Free. Following on from the success of our December bring a guest for free. We have decided to offer each of our current membership the opportunity to bring a guest, free of charge to our February Lecture. This opportunity is only available those that have completed their 2022 membership. Please ensure your guests abide by the Covid regulations. Tea and Coffee will be available before the lecture until 10.15 am. We look forward to welcoming you all.
IT Volunteer Required Urgent On a separate note do we have anyone with any IT specialities as we are currently without a computer person to attend our Lectures, possibly for a few months. It will involve an hours work before each lecture and 20 minutes afterwards. If you have not been with us for long it will not matter we would be happy for your help. Or perhaps work with a friend. If you are able to help please come an hour early to our February lecture to learn the ropes.
Other Volunteering Opportunities Now Urgent. We have from time to time requested help for Volunteers. This is now becoming urgent. Our Membership Secretary will be stepping down in July 2022 having remained for many months beyond his tenure. Our Treasure will also be retiring from his role in April 2022. If either of theses roles are something you might be interested in taking on please contact us or speak to me at our next lecture. The Arts Societies are all manned and run by volunteers, It is rewarding to be involved and you would be welcome.
Next Lectures Louis XIV and the creation of Versailles Jane Gardiner Wednesday 09 February 2022 10.30am. Of all the things the great Sun King created, he is best remembered for Versailles, the immense palace he caused to be built on the site of his father’s old hunting lodge which became the seat of French government, the setting for all great court ceremonial and the envy of all other European monarchs. This lecture will be an introduction to the grand state apartments, the vast gardens, the spectacular entertainments and the whole etiquette of life at one of the greatest courts of Europe. Wednesday 09 March 2022. Rembrandt David Cross
Wednesday 13 April 2022 What really happened on Easter Island Paul Bahn Wednesday 13 April 2022
Please see our website for more information.
Cartoon Opportunity. 1 Free Class. Hello The Art Society Horsley I wanted to reach out with a free art class offer for your members. I teach Discover Your Inner Cartoonist - online cartooning classes for adults. It’s quite different than other drawing classes. You don’t need to be an amazing drawer. This is about taking a break, sharing a laugh and getting creative as you learn to draw fun cartoons. In each session we draw on a new topic. You can attend single or multiple classes. It’s all very creative, collaborative, informal and fun. And of course it’s easily accessible for anyone who struggles to attend live classes. If you think your members might be interested they are more than welcome to try a free class or they can learn more by visiting Discover Your Inner Cartoonist for Adults. If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch. Thank you for helping me to spread the ageless art of cartooning! Kind regards Sarah
The Arts Society Betchworth Opertunity
Chinese Imperial Court Costume of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)The Arts Society Betchworth Monday 07 February 2022 The Arts Society Betchworth Invites you to join us for a live Special Interest Event in The Masonic Hall at Dorking Halls, Reigate Rd. Dorking RH4 1SG on Monday 7th February 10 am to 2 pm (registration from 9.30 am) Chinese Imperial Court Costume of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Three lectures by David Rosier together with a display of Chinese textiles and insignia
Session 1 explores the origins and development of Court Costume and dress accessories that were worn by the Emperor and Empress. Session 2 considers the education, careers and Insignia of Rank and Costume that were mandatory for Civil Officials (Mandarins) and Military Officers at both the Imperial Court and the Provincial Government of the Chinese Empire. Session 3 contrasts mandated wear with informal dress worn by Chinese High Society, once they were free from Costume Regulations. The focus will be on the clothing and dress accessories for the ladies of the court and the wives of the officials. A Q&A session will be included, together with an opportunity for those attending to view David’s collection and discuss any Chinese textiles or works of art which they would like to bring. David is a Chartered Insurer who lived in Hong Kong for many years and spent over 25 years focusing on business in Asia and China. He is an accredited Arts Society lecturer. Cost per person is £20, payable by internet banking (BACS) to The ASB, Sort code: 40-38-10. Account Number: 71415190 (Please give the bank your surname, initial, and quote ‘SIE FEB’ as reference for your payment). Then email John Bloomfield to confirm your payment – kjbloomfield@btinternet.com. Thank you. If you wish to pay by cheque, please phone John on 01737 842980 for the organiser’s address. Cost per person will be £20.50 per person, to include bank’s charges. Cheques payable please to ‘The ASB’. All payments will be acknowledged by email and you will be given the number(s) of your booking. We look forward to seeing you! Numbers will be limited to 65 people to comply with health regulations. Coffee will be provided after Session 1. Lunch – please bring your own lunch or purchase from Dorking Halls café, but check it will be open. For more information, phone Christine Smart on 01737 841597. Dear Arts Society members. We are being given the opportunity to attend the Leatherhead Institute. They have 3 Lectures that may be of interest to you. Please see below for details. FRIDAY TALKS AT THE INSTITUTE Friday illustrated talks, followed by tea and biscuits take place at 2.30 pm in the Abraham Dixon Hall at the Institute. Members and non-members are very welcome, so do bring along your friends. 11 February: Ashtead Pottery - Dr Anne Anderson The main driving forces behind the creation of the company were Sir Lawrence and Lady Weaver, a highly influential couple of the time. The factory was in Ashtead village from 1923 to 1935; it was set up with the aim of providing employment for disabled ex-servicemen and, at its busiest, it gave work to up to forty men. Anne will tell us about the pottery and how it came to be so collectible. 18 March: Everyone has a Book in Them – David James Dixon Everyone has a book in them – but Christopher Hitchens’ witticism continued “and, often, that’s where it should stay”. Come along and listen to someone who ignored that put-down and went on to write two successful novels. Hear about it from the writer’s voice and get tips on getting your own masterpiece published. 29 April: Women Gardeners in the 20th Century - Cherrill Sands The twentieth century brought emancipation for women, horticultural colleges and, for some, artistic fulfilment in the garden. Hear about creative women and their gardens, including Gertrude Jekyll, Margery Fish, Vita Sackville West and Beth Chatto amongst others. ?- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Please complete and return booking form to Friday Talks, The Institute, 67 High Street, Leatherhead, KT22 8AH Or by e-mail to LCA1@leatherheadca.org.uk with subject heading ‘Friday Talk Booking’ Name(s) Address Postcode Phone: E-mail
Jokes
My wife is complaining that I never buy her jewellery... In my defence, I didn't even know she sold jewellery. I spent all my money on jewellery Now I’m baroque It is my wife's birthday tomorrow. She's been leaving jewellery catalogues all over the house.
So I've bought her a magazine rack.
Covid Update Please follow the latest Government Guidelines. Wearing of face masks is again optional within the Main Hall We will continue to ventilate the hall by opening doors to the outside. It could be cold so please bring a coat. We are also requesting that you take a Lateral Flow Test within 24 hours prior to our lecture. This is to ensure that you all remain as safe as possible as some of our members are vulnerable.
Please do not attend if you feel unwell or have a positive test result.
Next Newsletter. We regret that we will no longer be able to post Newsletters to those without email. We propose to bring copies to our lectures for your collection. |
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Saturday 1 January 2022 |
January 2022 Newsletter |
Newsletter January 2022. Welcome to our 2022 Newsletter. We hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and were able to meet up with friends and family.
Covid Update This will be a shorter newsletter as we are awaiting any changes to the Government Guidelines or restrictions relating to Covid. We are anticipating new announcements any day and do not know what this will do to our proposed 12th January Lecture.
There has been one change so far, whereby, face masks are to be worn within the Hall and all other areas unless exempt for medical reasons. This is a Government requirement so please insure that you bring a face mask with you. We will continue to ventilate the hall by opening doors to the outside. It could be cold so please bring a coat.
We are also requesting that you take a Lateral Flow test within 24 hours prior to our lecture. This is to ensure that you all remain as safe as possible. Lateral Flow tests are available from your local pharmacy or chemist at no cost and they usually come in packets of 7.
Please do not attend if you feel unwell or have a positive test result.
Watch This Space Should there be any changes to our proposed programme or we have to cancel the lecture we will issue an email to you prior to the lecture.
IT Volunteer Required On a separate note do we have anyone with any IT specialities as we are currently without a computer person to attend our Lectures, possibly for a few months. We are looking at outsourcing this, if we have no volunteer. Please email us if you are able to assist.
December Lecture The Giles His Life and Times was very well received. Unusually we received several emails confirming your enjoyment of the lecture,. Barry Venning was informative and humorous. I was able to find a copy of the 2015 annual from Oxfam online. Below images curtsy of Pintrest. I did try to find a copy of the Cat and Robin Christmas Card, without success. Next Lecture The Glamour Years: Jewellery & Fashion 1929-59 Andrew Prince Wednesday 12 January 2022
We look at how the Great Depression and the Second World War had such an extraordinary impact on fashion and jewellery design with the rise of Cinema and Hollywood. With the development of advertising, labour saving devices and leisure time, people had more opportunities to enjoy themselves and spend money on the finer things in life. From the likes of Marlene Dietrich to Grace Kelly, we see how the various Screen Goddesses were portrayed and what they gave to such dazzling effect. We also show how The Belle Epoque and Art Deco styles did not end at the outbreak of the Second World War, but combined, to flower again with Christian Dior’s “New Look”.
Marion Copyright © 2021 The Arts Society Horsley, All rights reserved. March 2019 TASH membership list
Our mailing address is: The Arts Society Horsley East Horsley Village Hall Horsley, Surrey KT24 6QT United Kingdom Add us to your address book
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Wednesday 1 December 2021 |
Lecture Programme 2022 |
See Image on lower left. |
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Wednesday 1 December 2021 |
December 2021 Newsletter |
TASH Newsletter December 2021
It was nice to see so many of you attending the November lecture on Dresden. The talk was given By Clare Ford Willie. I think she should get a payment from the Dresden Tourist Board, it is defiantly a city I want to visit. It is amazing that there is a difference in architecture between the European countries each with its own distinct style. It is astounding what can be built, painted, and crafted. I am in awe of the treasures, bearing in mind that everything was hand built without the aid of modern technology, computers and mechanisation. I think we tend to forget how wonderful our own cities are, as they are so familiar to us. It was appropriate that we had this lecture on the 10th of November the day before Armistice Day. It is this time of the year when we remember the sacrifice both military and civilian through the worlds conflicts.
We were introduced to several from the "Augusts The Strong" dynasty and his collections within the Green Vault.
Next Lecture Please do not come if you feel at all unwell or have been in contact with anyone with Covid.
8th December Lecture and Bring a Guest. Please come early for Christmas Mince Pies which will be available before the start of the lecture. We have the hall from 9:30am. Lectures start at 10:30am. In addition all our current members can invite free of charge 1 guest by way of our Christmas gift to you. "Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday". So please come early and enjoy a Mince Pie with us.
Membership Renewal 2022 Reminder Please do not worry if you have already replied then please ignore the reminder sent out on the 11th November. A copy is also be included on our website. Please renew ASAP as we need to know our expected membership for 2022. We have great lectures arranged for you for 2022 and 2023. If you have not yet renewed your membership for next year, please could you let Chris know ASAP. He is also usually located at the desk prior to the start of lectures. We do appreciate all the support from our members. I will bring some blank forms to our December meeting for those encountering difficulties. Next lecture dates. All lectures start at 10.30.
08 December 2021Giles: His Life, Times and Cartoons 12 January 2022The Glamour Years: Jewellery & Fashion 1929-59 09 February 2022Louis XIV and the creation of Versailles 09 March 2022Rembrandt 13 April 2022What really happened on Easter Island 11 May 2022Milord Abroad...The British Grand Tour 08 June 2022Seaside Modern: Art & Life on the Beach 13 July 2022Agatha Christie 12 October 2022The Bayeux Tapestry: 950 years of propaganda, intrigue and spin 09 November 2022Who Done It? Hitchcock: the Master of Suspense 14 December 2022The Power of Photography Giles: His Life, Times and Cartoons Barry Venning Wednesday 08 December 2021 Please Come early for a Coffee/ Tea and Mince Pie, doors open at 9.30. The cartoonist, Carl Giles, once said that he loved his creation, Grandma Giles – that fearsome, black-clad, gambling, drinking battleaxe – because she allowed him to say things through his cartoons that he was too polite to say in person. She helped him to poke fun at authority in all its forms, from Hitler to traffic wardens and even his employers at the Daily Express, who didn’t trust him and had sub-editors scouring his cartoons for subversive background details. His admirers included Prince Charles, Sir Malcolm Sargent and Tommy Cooper, and it was no surprise when he was voted Britain’s best-loved cartoonist in 2000. Few people realise, however, that this likeable and humane satirist was also a war correspondent who witnessed the horrors of Belsen, where he found that the camp commandant, Josef Kramer, was also a great fan of his work. Giles gave us a remarkable picture of a half-century of British life. He was also, as his editor John Gordon put it “a spreader of happiness’ and ‘a genius…with the common touch’. Our lecturer, Barry Venning, is currently an Associate Lecturer with the Open University and lectures on a freelance basis for The Arts Society, Christie's Education and other organisations
Volunteering opportunities Our Volunteers do not get enough recognition for the work they do. So a big thank you. We are looking for a promotions and media volunteer. This could be great fun. Training courses with ideas are provided by The Arts Society. This would involve placing local advertisements for up and coming lectures in the locality and free press. Writing small articles for the local press on the hope it is published. Also local promotions of our up and coming lectures. We need to increase our membership and your assistance would help. We would consider a pair of members for this role.
We are also looking for a new membership secretary. This position becomes vacant in February 2022. So its an ideal time to put your name forward. Most of the work will be between October 2022 and January 2023. In addition the checking off names at each meeting for health and safety reasons.
Next Newsletter. Do not forget to send me photos of your art for inclusion in the January newsletter.
Jokes.
How do poets say hello? *Hey, haven’t we metaphor* In his later years Bruce Wayne retired and became a famous poet *Apparently, he went from bat to verse*. What do you call an amateur sports team made up entirely of poets? *semi-prose* I'm writing a book about poets who have been jailed *It's called prose and cons* Why are Poets Who Write Idylls So Good? *They have to be well-versed in their field* See You on the 8th December. Marion Chairman View this email in your browser |
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Monday 8 November 2021 |
November 2021 Newsletter |
TASH Newsletter. November 2021 It was nice to be back in our village hall, for our first lecture since lock-down. Tony Rawlins gave an interesting and humorous lecture on Art in Advertising. What a fantastic way to kick of our return, as this was amongst one of my favourites. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. It confirms that you cannot tell the content from a title. Tony has other lectures to his arsenal and we think he will be someone we invite back in the future. It was fantastic that so many of you were able to attend. We also had new seats which were comfy, with a blue fabric covering. Please remember to socially distance. It is still the halls policy to wear masks in the corridors and toilets. The wearing of masks remains optional within the Main Hall. We are proposing to have the double doors open, weather permitting and the single front door will also be open. Please bring a coat as the doors being open will affect the temperature within the hall. We have additional seats put out to allow you to social distance, in your friendship groups.
Please do not come if you feel at all unwell or have been in contact with anyone with Covid.
I had a brief opportunity to have a chat with a few of the early attendees before the lecture started and it was great to meet you. Hope to meet more of you at our next lecture.
Tea and Coffee Tea and Coffee will resume for the November Lecture. Thank you to Jody who has agreed to continue running this concession with the help of Nancy.
8th December Lecture and Bring a Guest. Please come early for Christmas Mince Pies which will be available before the start of the lecture. We have the hall from 9:30am. Lectures start at 10:30am. In addition all our current members can invite free of charge 1 guest by way of our Christmas gift to you. "Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas". So please come early and enjoy a Mince Pie with us.
Membership Renewal 2022 Please complete the renewal document- A copy was sent by email on the 19th October . A copy is also be included on our website. Please renew ASAP as we need to know our expected membership for 2022. We have great lectures arranged for you for 2022 and 2023. If you have not as yet renewed your membership for next year, please could you let Chris know ASAP. He is also usually located at the desk prior to the start of lectures. Booking of lectures needs to be done well in advance to ensure we are able to obtain the lectures that we think our membership will enjoy. For this reason we need to know our anticipated membership.
Leonardslee Last month some of your committee were given the opportunity to preview the Leonardslee new Sculpture Park. All the sculptures were by a South African, Anton Smit. There are over 50 monumental sculptures on view throughout a woodland and lake trail. Each sculpture has a poem specially selected, mounted adjacent to the piece. The sculptures are made using expanded foam, wax and clay prior to casting in bronze or resin. The largest sculpture is could Faith and is 7.5m tall. I understand that you can order it in various sizes including 20m tall. Further details https://issuu.com/aapublishing/docs/the_walk_of_life_online. If you wish to visit arrangements can be made to use a free of charge Buggy Shuttle Service. This i recomend for the less mobile AS THE GARDENS ARE HUDGE. Please check availability of the buggy with Leonardslee first. www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk. Lower Beading Horsham RH13 6PP tel 0871 8733 389 Sorry for the size of the photos I wanted to make them smaller and include more but i am still coming to grips with the new computer programmes.
Next lecture dates 10 November 2021Dresden: Art and Architecture 08 December 2021Giles: His Life, Times and Cartoons 12 January 2022The Glamour Years: Jewellery & Fashion 1929-59 09 February 2022Louis XIV and the creation of Versailles 09 March 2022Rembrandt 13 April 2022What really happened on Easter Island 11 May 2022Milord Abroad...The British Grand Tour 08 June 2022Seaside Modern: Art & Life on the Beach 13 July 2022Agatha Christie 12 October 2022The Bayeux Tapestry: 950 years of propaganda, intrigue and spin 09 November 2022Who Done It? Hitchcock: the Master of Suspense 14 December 2022The Power of Photography Volunteering opportunities Our Volunteers do not get enough recognition for the work they do. So a big thank you from me. We are looking for a promotions and media volunteer. This could be great fun. Training courses with ideas are provided by The Arts Society. This would involve placing local advertisements for up and coming lectures in the locality and free press. Writing small articles for the local press on the hope it is published. Also local promotions of our up and coming lectures. We need to increase our membership and your assistance would help. We would consider a pair of members for this role.
We are also looking for a new membership secretary. This position becomes vacant in February 2022. So its an ideal time to put your name forward. Most of the work will be between October 2022 and January 2023. In addition the checking off names at each meeting for health and safety reasons.
Next Newsletter. Do not forget to send me photos of your art for inclusion in Decembers newsletter.
Jokes. What did the artist draw before he went to bed? – The curtains! Why was the artist afraid he might go to jail? – Because he’d been framed! What does Salvador Dali have for breakfast? – A bowl of surreal! Why shouldn’t you trust an artist? -Because they are a bit sketchy!
See you hopefully on the 10th November. Marion Chairman
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Tuesday 19 October 2021 |
Membership Renewal |
18th October 2021 Dear Member(s) MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL Jan 2022- Dec 2022 Your committee do hope you have enjoyed the 2021 programme before we were sadly stopped by the Corona Virus pandemic. The committee hope you will want to subscribe for the coming year. The Jan 2022 to Dec 2022 programme summary is attached to this email. To continue your membership either: Send your cheque (£42 individual membership or £84 joint membership), payable to The Arts Society Horsley, with the completed slip at the bottom of this letter, to the address below, before our meeting on 7st of January .Please send to: Christopher Noon Purbeck House Silkmore Lane West Horsley, Surrey KT24 6JQ ?? 01483 285770 ??chris@famnoon.com
Or You may also pay by BACS : Sort code: 40 52 40 Account no: 00009106 PLEASE PUT YOUR NAME AS REFERENCE
Once you have chosen which method of payment you wish to use, please could you email me at: chris@famnoon.com to indicate which method of payment you have chosen. If you do not wish to continue your membership, please contact me so that we do not inconvenience you with reminders. If you wish to pay by cheque --?-- Please cut here and return this completed slip to the above address ---?-- Please complete the following details and return with your cheque payable to The Arts Society Horsley, for £42 or £84, as appropriate. Member's Name (please print):………………………………………………………………………. If paying for joint membership: Second Member’s Name (please print):.............................................................. If there have been any changes to your home address, telephone number or email address, please put the new details in the section below: Address:……………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………….. Phone number:……………………………………………………………………………………. Email address (First Member):……………………………………………………………….. Email address (Second Member):…………………………………………………………….
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Friday 8 October 2021 |
Minutes of the AGM 30th September 2021 |
Minutes of the 28th Annual General Meeting of The Arts Society Horsley held by postal ballot on 30th September 2021. Chairman: Ann Simons. 1. There being no questions raised on the Minutes of the 27th Annual Meeting which had been previously circulated, these were adopted. 2. The Chairman’s Annual Report had been previously circulated by email and post in advance of the date of the meeting and thanked members and especially the committee for their support throughout lockdown. Relief that we are now able to plan for a return to the village hall in October was expressed. No comments were received although several members had expressed thanks to Ann for all her efforts during her period as Chairman. 3. The Annual Statement of Accounts together with the Treasurer’s Report had been made available to members on the website. No questions or objections had been raised and the subscription fee for 2022 of £45 together with the Accounts were adopted. 4. The appointment of Chris Tailby as Honorary Examiner of Accounts was proposed and there being no other nominations was duly carried. 5. Following the retirement of Ann Simons as Chairman the committee proposed Mrs Marion Wiggins as Chairman and since there were no other nominations her appointment was carried unopposed. 6. There being no other business and no matters arising the AGM was declared closed. Nancy Tribe Secretary |
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Friday 1 October 2021 |
October 2021 Chairman's Newsletter |
TASH Newsletter. October 2021 As most of you will know Ann Simons has retired as Chairman of TASH. I am sure we would all like to thank her for all her hard work. She will be speaking to us and saying goodbye in our October meeting. The voting requirements as our AGM documentation has all been issued. It is with great delight that we are able to return to our hall this October. I hope you have all stayed safe and well through the lockdowns. I look forward to meeting you all for our next lecture. I hope you have enjoyed the zoom lectures that have continued throughout lockdown. This has evolved a lot of work behind the scenes. Zoom lectures will not be continuing, as we are able to return to our Village Hall. We will be follow national guidelines regarding Covid and its updates. We will also be following the Halls Covid protocols, so please bring a mask, as they must be worn in communal areas such as corridors and toilets. Currently the wearing of masks in the main hall is optional but recommended. Please see below extract from the East Horsley Village Hall website regarding Covid precautions. East Horsley Village Hall - Covid-19 Secure Guidelines These guidelines are current at the time of booking and may be changed without notice in the event of Government guidelines changing Use of the Village hall, and the facilities within it, is at the users’ own risk. The Management Committee of the Village Hall will not accept responsibility for infection allegedly arising from attendance at the hall and/or use of the hall facilities. The following key points must be followed by anyone entering the Hall for any purpose, and hirers are responsible for ensuring these guidelines are followed by the members of their groups. Existing Symptoms: Nobody should attend the Hall if they have Coronavirus symptoms or are self-isolating social distancing: Social distancing should be maintained throughout the building. Maximum numbers for rooms are intended to enable this. Hall Managers Office: The office is now back open on certain mornings in the week. If needing to make a booking, please contact the Hall Manager by email/post or by phone when the office is open. If a meeting is considered necessary, please make an appointment. Hand Cleaning: Hand sanitisers are provided at entry and exit points Face Coverings: These must be worn in communal areas, and their use is encouraged within the hired spaces, the exception being for indoor sports, leisure or adventure activities, and when the activity prevents this, including when eating/drinking Arrival and Departure times: Users should ensure prompt arrival and departure times to avoid possible contact with preceding or following groups. If queueing to enter or exit a room please maintain social distancing. Access to Rooms: A one way system is in operation and all users should follow this. Users are required to go directly to the room booked for their activity or event on arrival and remain there until the end of the hire period unless it is necessary to use the toilets. Toilets: Paper towels are provided, and these should be disposed of in the bins provided, never flushed down toilets. Use of Kitchens: If providing refreshments is an essential part of the event or activity, the Hirer must ensure that all crockery and cutlery used is washed in the dishwasher (main hall) or in hot water and washing up liquid and dried using the paper towels provided. Social distancing should be maintained within the kitchen and the serving area. It is recommended that those working in the kitchen should wear face coverings and disposable gloves. Ventilation in rooms: Hirers should ensure rooms are kept well ventilated by keeping windows and exit doors open where possible. Cleaning: Wiping of door handles, handrails, tables and kitchen surfaces and equipment must be done by the hirer before the end of their hire period. Storage areas: Hirers must ensure that when accessing the storage area social distancing is maintained and any touch points are wiped clean after access. Unfortunately we may not be serving refreshments for this meeting and we will be reviewing this month by month. We will be endeavouring to keep our website up-to-date with information for those with online access. See www.theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk or just search for The Arts Society Horsley. All upcoming lectures are posted well advance, as well as a monthly newsletter, together with regional information. Items have been added with further information on the following Area items of interest:- Girls Behaving Badly- 26th October From Downton to Gatsby- 12th November The Area Arts Society has produced a booklet of 50 local Treasures which is for sale at £5. If you would like to purchase a copy, we can place an order for you. Contact us after our next lecture or by email. It might make a stocking filler this Christmas. I thought it might be exciting to include some photos of your works of art within our future newsletters. This could be something produced by you, a son, daughter or a grandchild. We would love to see your art works. It could be an original poem too. Ann regularly included a poem within her newsletter. We may have to include your submissions throughout the year’s newsletters if there is a demand. You can send me an emailed photo/ JPEG at any time there is no time or quantity limit. Just include a name and age if under 18. It is a shame we can’t include music. The Arts society has a Community Grant of £250 available and this can be matched by a Regional Grant. Ann has worked tirelessly this year to achieve agreement for the Arts Society to consider St Marys Church and help towards the restoration of the amazing medieval wall art dating from around 1200. The paintings were found beneath centuries of paint. The AS originally declined the grant but have now reconsidered. This was is a local cause that Ann is passionate about and spent many hours negotiating. Do you have any recommendations for our committee’s consideration for next year? This could be given to a museum, school or gallery for an arts project. A student going to Art College, or provide art materials for a special cause. We would ask for an update from the recipient on how the grant is used and to keep in touch with future art projects within our newsletter. We would love this grant to be used though a connection with one of our members at TASH. Next three lecture dates 13th October - Art in Advertising. 10th November - Dresden Art & Architecture. 8th December – Giles: His Life, Times and Cartoons Volunteering opportunities We are looking for a promotions and media volunteer. This could be great fun. Training courses with ideas are provided by The Arts Society. This would involve placing local advertisements for up and coming lectures in the locality and free press. Writing small pieces for the local press on the hope our article is accepted and published. |
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Friday 17 September 2021 |
Special Announcement |
17th September 2021 Dear Members When I wrote my Chairman’s Report for the AGM, I thought it would be the last communication from me that you would receive before my retirement. However, at that time I didn’t realise that I would have some excellent news to tell you. The Arts Society have been offering a grant “The Community Grant” of £250 to any of their societies who could identify a community project connected with the Arts. Area also said they would match that amount with another £250 to any society in the area who managed to convince headquarters that their suggestion was suitable for this grant. With the support of my committee, I am now delighted to let you know, after working very hard on the subject matter, that I have been successful in persuading the Arts Society in London to award our society a grant. This means that we are now able to donate £500 towards the restoration of St. Mary’s wall paintings. Many of you will be aware of the 13C wall paintings in St. Mary’s, West Horsley and that the church is crowdfunding to raise £12,000 so that these medieval paintings, particularly the one of St. Christopher which is desperately in need of conservation, can be preserved. You can view these paintings and find out more about them by going onto St. Mary’s Church website at www.stmaryswesthorsley.co.uk. We are extremely fortunate in this area to have such national treasures and hopefully we can preserve them for future generations. It is rewarding to know that we at The Art Society Horsley are doing our share by being involved in such a project. With my best wishes to you all for the future Ann Chairman. |
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Sunday 4 July 2021 |
July 2021 Chairman' Newsletter |
CHAIRMAN’S NEWSLETTER JULY 2021 Every blade of grass, each leaf, each floret and petal, is an inscription speaking of hope. Consider the grasses and the oaks, the swallows, the sweet blue butterfly – they are one and all a sign and token showing before our eyes earth made into life. RICHARD JEFFERIES The Life of the Fields. Dear Members I can hardly believe that this will be the last newsletter which I will write to you. During August and September there is a break and the newsletter is not normally sent out during this period. Therefore, the next one will be sent to you in October when, of course, I will no longer be your Chairman. You will, however, be receiving other correspondence and relevant papers regarding the AGM which we will be holding by correspondence and a postal vote in September, and then I shall hand over the reigns to your new Chairman. I sincerely trust that members who have continued to watch our Zoom lectures will have enjoyed them. It was such a beautiful day when the last lecture took place. I did wonder how many people would be able to resist going outdoors that morning. Anyway, quite a number of people did tune in to our last joint Zoom lecture with Lovelace. The next lecture by Zoom will be held on Wednesday 14th July starting at 10.30 a.m. This will not be a joint lecture with Lovelace but will be entirely a Horsley event. Please do note that it will be held on the second Wednesday of the month, our usual Horsley Society day. The lecture is entitled Balls and Parties: Legendary Festivities and the lecturer will be Benjamin Wild. It sounds as if it could be fun. This lecture will also be the last one before, hopefully, we will return to the Village Hall in October all being well. It will be great when we can meet up with one another again and have some sort of normality. There are also some excellent lectures lined up. Area have asked me to inform you about a wine tasting event they have arranged, although there is not a lot of time to consider whether you would like to be involved. The following link will give you all the details but if you do have any problems I am afraid I will not be able to offer any assistance. the-brief-story-of-wine-with-wine-tasting-tickets-153279313553
I am pleased to also incorporate in this newsletter an item from Marion Wiggins which she has written for me. Subject to your approval at the AGM, Marion will be our next Chairman. It is lovely to have Marion on our Committee and I am sure she will make an excellent Chairman. I think we are extremely fortunate that Marion has offered her services to the Society.
"My name is Marion Wiggins and I will be your new Chairman from October 2021. A huge thankyou to Ann who thinks she will be stepping down towards the end of the year. Little does she know how much I will be relying on her for help and advice, certainly for my first few months. Ann has worked very hard throughout the difficulties and uncertainties during the Covid Pandemic, along with all your TASH committee. Ann you will be a hard act to follow and a big thank you for all you have done. I have been asked to write a few words about myself, so here goes. I have retired from the Mechanical Services Industry earlier this year having started my engineering career in 1976, at the very start of equal opportunities in employment. I believe I was one of the first women to be trained and employed in this industry. I have enjoyed my career immensely, although often stressful. I am a mother of three children, they are all in their thirties and they are the loves of my life. They all have their own homes, two live in Surrey and one in Sheffield. I have one grandson and a second grandson due in September. Being a grandmother is wonderful. I have three rescue dogs and twelve chickens. Lovely fresh eggs daily is a real treat, most are given away to family and friends. I enjoy all crafts, painting, printing, pottery also my dogs, gardening and natural history. Recently I have hand built a few ceramic bowls, experimenting with melting glass beads to form part of the glaze, with some mixed results. It is definitely worth noting down each experiment so it can be repeated. My only arts claim to fame is on my maternal side. I am half Dutch. Some distant ancestors were painted by Rembrandt. My mother’s maiden name was Trip. Margaretha Trip and Jacob Trip, currently hang in the National Portrait Gallery. I wanted to include a couple of photos for you but they won’t come out on our email programme so have attached a link. www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/rembrandt-portrait-of-margaretha-de-geer-wife-of-jacob-trip I look forward to meeting you all, when we are able. Stay safe and enjoy art in all its forms. Best regards Marion."
One disappointment I do have is that we still have not received any offers from our members to be the Membership Secretary or Publicity Officer. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having someone to volunteer to be Membership Secretary. Also, we are going to need someone to help with publicity after all the disruption and constraints of this challenging year. We will need to build our Society up again. Your new Chairman will need all the support you can give. I will finish now and hope that you will find the rest of the Summer enjoyable and return to us refreshed in the Autumn. With my best wishes Ann Our England is a garden that is full of stately views, Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues, With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by; But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye. RUDYARD KIPLING The Glory of the Garden |
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Wednesday 2 June 2021 |
June 2021 Chairman's Newsletter |
JUNE 2021 CHAIRMAN’S NEWSLETTER Sunbeam of summer! Oh, what is like thee? Hope of the wilderness, joy of the sea! - One thing is like thee to mortals given, The faith touching all things with hues of heaven! FELICIA HEMANS The Sunbeam Hello Everyone I cannot believe that we are now in June. Time has just gone by and we are nearly halfway through the year. Most of you I am sure will now be catching up with family and friends, thinking of holidays and making plans which we have not been able to do for such a long time. It is wonderful to be able to do this again and hopefully we can go forward for the present time at least enjoying our newfound freedom. However, it is increasingly worrying about the Indian variant and hopefully the Government will be able to get the virus under control. I feel particularly sad for the people of the North West. Bolton is the place where I spent most of my youth and I still have family and friends living in the area who have really suffered with lockdown previously. We are fortunate in this country where vaccines have been available to so many of us. I am sure all members who zoomed in May enjoyed the lecture given to us by Lars Tharp which was an interesting and informative talk on Hogarth. It was also good to have some background information on how Lars got involved with ceramics and what happens in preparation for the BBC Antiques Roadshow. Lars also answered some questions which had been sent in beforehand by a few members. It made a change from the usual format and our thanks must go to Sally for doing all the technical work on her own. Our next lecture will, of course, be another joint Zoom with Lovelace when we shall hear all about Caravaggio’s revolutionary art style and why the establishment was prepared to accept him and his outrageous lifestyle. The lecture is entitled Caravaggio: A Rebel with a Cause and will be given to us by Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe. This will be held on Wednesday, 16th June at 10.30 a.m. (Third Wednesday of the month). Your Zoom link will be sent to you separately. We still have not received any enquiries about the Membership Secretary’s post which certainly does need to be filled in preparation for starting at the beginning of 2022. Dr. Chris Noon will have finished his commitment to the Society at the end of 2021. Please will someone volunteer to do this job. The sooner you volunteer the more information you can receive before the end of the year which will be, of course, both beneficial to the volunteer and the committee as well. Please give Chris a ‘phone call on 01483 285770 if you would like to talk this through before volunteering. I think this is one of the best positions on the committee, one of the jobs being able to welcome people when they are booking into the lecture which would normally be in the village hall. As I keep stating we are also in need of a Publicity Officer especially if we are going to attract new members to our Society. I have not got any more to write about to-day only to wish you all happy times as we come out of lock-down. Best wishes Ann Strawberries that in gardens grow Are plump and juicy fine, But sweeter far, as wise men know, Spring from the woodland vine. ROBERT GRAVES Wild strawberries |
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Saturday 1 May 2021 |
May 2021 Chairman's Newsletter |
MAY 2021 CHAIRMAN’S NEWSLETTER May is a green as no other, May is much sun through small leaves, May is soft earth, And apple-blossoms, And winds open to a South wind. AMY LOWELL Lilacs Hello Everyone What beautiful weather we have been having recently although it looks as if this Bank Holiday weekend will be showery. I sincerely hope that you have been able to enjoy the sunshine and the light nights now that we have more freedom. Some of you may have taken a few days away. I was fortunate enough to go to Devon where it was great to be by the sea again, walk on the sand, see the wonderful sunsets over the water and be blessed by such glorious days. In fact, I had to Zoom from there for our last lecture meeting. I hope you all enjoyed the last lecture and are looking forward to our next shared lecture with Lovelace on Zoom to be held on Wednesday, 19th May. This lecture is entitled “Hogarth: Harlots, Rakes and Crashing China” and will be given to us by Lars Tharp and will show us how Hogarth captures the china and ceramics mania of his age. Most of you will have seen Lars before, either lecturing or on Antiques Roadshow. This lecture will take on a different format and Lars is prepared to answer questions from members in a chat session at the beginning of the lecture. If any of you have questions you would like us to ask Lars then please send them as soon as possible to marianneandrews@hotmail.com and although there will be a selection process your question may be one of those chosen to put to Lars. Obviously, time will only permit a small number of questions to be asked and unfortunately your question may not be chosen. We have now finalised the programme for the rest of this year and I am sure you will find the lectures interesting and entertaining. To enable you to view the programme please click onto the link which can be found at the bottom of this newsletter. You will notice that in July we will be back to normal with our lecture on the second Wednesday of the month. Remember also you can always find details by accessing our website. I am delighted to tell you that we have found a replacement for Chairman when I leave my position. Mrs. Marion Wiggins will be stepping into my shoes at the AGM. However, it is still necessary to find someone to take over as Membership Secretary to replace Dr. Christopher Noon. Chris will be responsible for membership renewals for 2022 but, in order to have a straightforward transition, when he finishes at the end of the year it would be good if someone could step forward now to be ready to take over from him at the beginning of 2022. The society cannot function without a Membership Secretary. As I have said before we are also in need of a Publicity Officer, never more so than now, after losing members for various reasons during Covid. Please could members also think about whom they could get to join our society. Do try to introduce a friend or neighbour to our lectures when we start up again in the Village Hall in the Autumn but in the meantime ask around and try to get others to take part in our Zoom lectures. We need all hands on deck! This is your society who needs HELP. If any of you have been taking advantage of other societies’ lectures then I must remind you that the collaboration between the Area Societies has now finished. I am sure, however, if you did want to attend another society’s lecture and got in touch with the society in question then they would allow you to take part. I assume that nearly every one of us has now had at least one inoculation and sincerely trust that you will all remain safe and well. In the meantime, I shall look forward to you joining our next Zoom lecture on the 19th May which is, of course, the third Wednesday of this month. With my best wishes, Ann As it fell upon a day, In the merry month of May, Sitting in a pleasant shade, Which a grove of myrtles made, Beasts did leap, and birds, did sing, Trees did grow, and plants did spring. RICHARD BARNSFIELD The Nightingale Click here below to see our updated 2021 lecture programme: https://mcusercontent.com/6103054896bff8ca6462a8b9f/files/1aefc185-f71a-498e-a5f9-5f8c40afdbf5/Updated_TASH_lecture_list_2021_Apr21.pdf |
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Thursday 1 April 2021 |
April 2021 Newsletter |
APRIL 2021
CHAIRMAN’S NEWSLETTER
See the yellow catkins cover All the slender willows over; And on mossy banks so green Star-like primroses are seen.
MARY HOWITT A Spring Song
Hello Everyone
Another on-going April lockdown although we can now see the exit in sight. I am sure everyone of our members will be looking forward to more freedom soon, even though we still need to be very cautious. The thought of being able to meet one another again soon and to be able to enjoy one another’s company is great news. I desperately hope that the few do not spoil this freedom for the rest of society. I am sure eventually there will be many celebrations to catch-up with friends and family.
From what I hear our members have been enjoying our Zoom lectures which we, of course, now share with Lovelace in these unusual circumstances. I wonder if a few of you have been taking advantage of the Area idea of sharing other societies lectures, if any have appealed to you. There has been collaboration with Lovelace because both of our societies had lecturers who could not use the Zoom facility and it has been good for us both to share in order to please all of our members. Our thanks must go to Chris Tailby and Sally Ollett who have been involved in the technical side of things. So far, the technical side has gone very well for which we must be grateful. I am sure we have all been involved with other Zooms, from other sources, that have not gone according to plan.
This month’s lecture will be held by Zoom on Wednesday, 21st April (third Wednesday in the month) and is entitled “A load of Old Balls” about the history of design of balls used in sport and recreation, and the accredited lecturer will be Simon Inglis. The committee hope that you will find it enjoyable and interesting. We have been pleased with your feed-back whilst holding Zoom lectures and thank all of you who have bothered to let us know how you rated each of the lectures which we have been having to hold since last October.
I sincerely trust that you will take my next comments seriously. As you should be aware when I offered to be Chairman back in December 2018 I made it perfectly clear that I would only hold the office for two years. By the end of July this year I will have fulfilled that obligation as well as six months as Acting Chairman. The ideal time for me to leave my position would have been in July but I will continue until the AGM which will be held a little later in the year. As no one on the committee will be taking my place we have been fortunate enough to have found a replacement for me who will become Chairman on my departure and has offered to help in the meantime. I will give you all the details when everything has totally been sorted out. We will also need a Membership Secretary at the end of the year. Therefore, we need a member to step forward to fill this vital role as soon as possible. If you think you could offer your services please do get in touch with Dr. Chris Noon at info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk who would be able to explain to you all that would be involved with the job and would enable a smooth transition. We still need a Publicity Officer to help to give us a higher profile in the community. Covid has also reduced our membership and we really do need another fifty members to keep the Society running as it has been in the past. Perhaps some of you could think of other people you might introduce to our Society to help the membership. Please do give this urgent thought as the Society will not be viable unless we can overcome these problems which would be a sad occurrence as we all derive so much pleasure from our monthly meetings.
Area will be holding a Special Interest Morning as an on-line event. The title of the lecture will be “Castles – Ancient and Modern and Creating Windsor Castle”. This will be held on Friday 7th May at 10.30 a.m. – 12.30p.m. You can find more details of this event by clicking on the link below which contains a link to enable you to book tickets at £10 each. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/castles-ancient-modern-and-creating-windsor-castle-tickets-142914191193 Apparently, you will be sent the link to join the meeting the day before the event.
Remember also that if you want to partake as a visitor to any other meeting run by one of our Area societies you may do so at the present time for a £5 fee. Please go into the Arts Society Horsley website, click on East Surrey Area and then Area Zoom Events where you will find the full details regarding all the lectures being held by the local branches who are taking part in this collaboration.
At our last committee meeting we decided that the sensible thing to do was to defer any thought of returning to the village hall before the Autumn. This decision was taken as it is difficult to predict whether or not there will be restrictions in place beforehand and in any event if we were to return to normal lectures we may be faced with having to hold our meetings socially distanced and perhaps still having to wear masks. Also, doubt was expressed that some of our members would not be comfortable returning to the hall in July. It was essential that we came to a decision so that we could confirm our programme with others involved. The end result is that we will not meet in the village hall until October and the committee and, I assume, most members cannot wait to resume our lectures in the normal way.
That is all for this month apart from to say I trust you will all remain safe and well and begin to enjoy your newfound freedom. I would also like to wish you all a Happy Easter.
With my best wishes Ann
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough And stand about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide.
A. E. HOUSMAN A Shropshire Lad
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Monday 1 March 2021 |
March 2021 Newsletter |
MARCH 2021
CHAIRMAN’S NEWLETTER
The stormy March has come at last, With winds and clouds and changing skies; I hear the rushing of the blast That through the snowy valley flies. WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT March
Dear Members
Another Spring is here. Do let us hope it is the start of a better time ahead. Covid has affected all age groups, in fact everyone, in many different ways. It will be great when we eventually get back to normal whatever normal will be in future. I sincerely trust that all our members who have been offered an inoculation have taken the opportunity to receive the vaccine or are about to have it.
Our next lecture which will be held jointly with Horsley Lovelace is entitled “The Sea in Danish Painting” and will take place on Wednesday 17th March at 10.30 a.m. by Zoom. No doubt it will make us feel more like holidays by the sea which hopefully we will be able to take this year. I will reiterate what I said at the last Zoom meeting in February, that this lecture is being held on the third Wednesday of the month. The accredited lecturer will be Magdalen Evans.
As I mentioned in my last newsletter Area thought it would be a good idea for societies from all over the area to be able to access one another’s lectures for a fee of £5. They have decided to carry this idea forward at least over the March period. For anyone who did not keep my instructions in the previous newsletter this is what you need to do. Please go into the Arts Society Horsley website, click on East Surrey Area and then Area Zoom Events where you will find the full details regarding all the lectures being held by the local branches who are taking part in this exercise.
Area also have asked me to send information about a session on Zoom to try to help members who find Zoom difficult to operate. You will find information about it at the end of this newletter. I do trust that some members may find this helpful. Unfortunately, it is happening in the afternoon of the day when we have our March Zoom lecture.
There is nothing else for me to say apart from the fact that I shall look forward to you joining us on the 17th and I am sure we will have a good lecture. Something to look forward to. If you have not yet received your link to the lecture you will be receiving it shortly. I do hope that you do not have any trouble getting into Zoom on the day as I do know that sometimes technical issues can just happen. In fact, I had an awful time just before the last lecture when I had no connection at all to the internet but managed, with a lot of difficulty and my husband having to be on his hands and knees in a cupboard under our stairs with a mobile in his hand receiving instructions from BT, to get into Zoom just in time. We live in hope!
With my best wishes Ann
It was spring, and all the wonder and melody of spring were about me; the living hedges aglow with green flame, the sycamores giving promise of a glory soon to come, an emerald sheen spreading miraculously over the dark soil, and old things fast becoming new. H.L.GEE Always it is Spring.
A Zoom Session on Zoom Basics: Wednesday 17th March 2.30 pm
We’re aware that some members of some societies haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy our lectures and virtual walks over the past few months, because of a lack of experience with using zoom technology. You may have a desktop computer, a laptop, or an iPad. With any of these you can join in.
If this is you, and you’d like to have a short session on how to use get into zoom and use basic functions, join us on the afternoon of Wednesday 17th March, at 2.30 pm. when Roger Mendham, the expert, and I (not the expert) will explain how you can start to join in with your society and make full use of your membership. This will be a friendly session, with no tests at the end, and we hope you will find it helpful and interesting.
So how do I join a zoom session if I don’t know how? Either email me, Andrea Gabb, at andrea.gabb@btinternet.com or send me a text to my mobile phone on 07780606091, saying you would like to join in, and I will get back to you with instructions as to how to join us on the 17th.
We look forward to seeing you East Surrey
Andrea Gabb Area Team
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Monday 1 February 2021 |
February 20201 Newsletter |
FEBRUARY 2021 CHAIRMAN’S NEWSLETTER Wonderful It is to see the footmarks on the snow- beautiful ropes of rabbit print trailing away over the brows; a fox, so sharp and dainty, going over the wall: birds with two feet that hop; odd little filigree of the field-mice; it is astonishing what a world of wild creatures one feels round one, on the hills in the snow. D.H. LAWRENCE Selected Letters. Hello Everyone Here we are in February awaiting the approach of Spring. One can already see many wildflowers and bulbs coming up in preparation of the new Season. However, it was lovely to see the snow come down on Sunday 24th January and how pretty everything seemed to be covered in white. I sincerely trust that many of you have now managed to have your first dose of the inoculation against Covid and that you did not have a lot of trouble getting your appointments and at a sensible venue. I know from personal experience that it was not as straightforward in many cases as it appeared to be. Anyway, we must be thankful that the Government have ordered so much vaccine to enable this to happen. I am extremely pleased to be able to tell you that Nancy Tribe has volunteered to be the Secretary of the Society for which we are extremely grateful. It is good to know that someone has come forward to fill one of our vacancies. Please give some thought about how you could help the Society in the future. The last lecture we held seemed to have been received extremely well from our feedback and I certainly thought it was an excellent lecture delivered expertly by our lecturer, with beautiful slides. Whilst most people seem to have no trouble whatsoever getting into the link, I understand a couple of our members were not as fortunate. I have been told by others, far more technical than myself, that if you do have trouble accessing the link and are experiencing difficulties, you may have an older version of Zoom and you should perhaps try reinstalling it. Another suggestion was to try the Zoom link before the meeting. Anyway, good luck for the next attempt and I sincerely hope you will be able to join with us watching the lecture in March. We will, of course, be sharing our lecture with Lovelace and it will be about The World of L. S. Lowry by Sarah Stopford. Being a Lancashire Lass myself I do enjoy looking at his paintings and I hope most of you will too. I am looking forward to learning more about his life and work. Area have decided that it would be a good idea at present to enable members from all over the area to access other societies lectures for a small fee. If you would like to avail yourselves of any of these lectures please go into the Arts Society Horsley website, click on East Surrey Area and then Area Zoom Events. This is where you will find the full details regarding all the lectures being held by local branches. Click on the lecture you are interested in and it will open and show you what you need to do to book. That is all the information I need to tell you but look forward to you joining our next session on Wednesday 13th February at 10.30a.m. Until then I hope everyone manages some good walks during our allowed exercise time and wish you all good health. Ann A little love, a little trust, A soft impulse, a sudden dream, And life as dry as desert dust, Is fresher than a mountain stream. STOPFORD A. BROOKE Earth and Man
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Tuesday 5 January 2021 |
January2021 Newsletter |
JANUARY 2021 CHAIRMAN’S NEWSLETTER
Announced by all the trumpets of the sky, Arrives the snow, and, driving o’er the fields, Seems nowhere to alight; the whited air Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven, And veils the farmhouse at the garden’s end. RALPH WALDO EMERSON The Snow-Storm
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE
Here we are in 2021 and hopefully it will be a much better year than 2020. I sincerely trust you had a happy Christmas in these restrictive times and managed to see at least one person during the Christmas Season. As I have said on numerous occasions, we are incredibly fortunate living in this area where everyone is so very friendly and for those of us who are able to go walks it does lift one’s spirit when people give one another friendly greetings. It certainly has been, and still is, a strange period of our lives.
As we enter the New Year with The Arts Society I must thank all of you who have renewed your membership. Of course, our activities recently have not been as we would have wished them to be but your committee has really worked incredibly hard trying to get through the extreme circumstances which Covid has caused. We will continue to do our best for you all, as well as we are able, with our Zoom lectures continuing. I am disappointed that my request for help on the committee has not been answered with the Publicity and Secretary jobs still unfilled. I do fear for the future of the Society if none of our members will step forward to help relieve the burden which unfortunately will fall on a diminishing number of people.
Our next Zoom lecture will take place on Wednesday 13th January at 10.30 a.m. and a link will be sent to enable you to sit back and enjoy our lecture on The Pre-Raphaelites by accredited lecturer Rosalind Whyte. If you do link- in I am sure you will benefit from the lecture.
I really have not got any more news to report now but no doubt I will be hearing from The Arts Society headquarters as well as our Area soon. It would be nice to think that we would all be able to enjoy a change of scene, perhaps a holiday in 2021, or day trips, to cheer ourselves up when we finally get out of Tier 4.
As ever, I sincerely wish you all good health and happiness during the year and hope that as many of you as possible will be able to be inoculated with the vaccine soon. One day our lives will return to normal.
With my best wishes Ann
I hear the wind among the trees Playing celestial symphonies; I see the branches downward bent, Like keys of some great instrument. H. W. LONGFELLOW A Day of Sunshine
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Tuesday 1 December 2020 |
December 2020 Newsletter |
DECEMBER NEWSLETTER
And see the clustered berries bright Amid the holly’s gay green leaves, The ivy round the leafless oak That clasps its foliage close. ROBERT SOUTHEY Written on the First of December
Hello Everyone
As I write this newsletter I am very unsure whether or not we will be out of lockdown soon. With the dark Winter nights coming along it is not much fun is it? However, it is good to be able to Zoom and see one’s friends and be entertained. The Webinar lectures we have delivered to you have proved to be extremely interesting and it has been good to have your feedback. It is great to know that many of you have really enjoyed the lectures, as the ratings were excellent, and that you have taken the trouble to tell us. We were pleased that more of our members joined us at the last lecture, in fact we had almost 100 connections so probably about 130 people were listening. Lovelace are now also sharing with us. It is reassuring to hear that many of you are reaping the benefits of these sessions. Please continue to let us know what you think about the Zoom lectures.
The Area lecture around Shakespeare’s London also proved to be a success. I certainly enjoyed it and was so pleased that I had persevered trying to get another link from Area for the members who wished to attend the afternoon lecture but who couldn’t get through on the original link to reserve a place. It would have been such a pity to have missed this tour. I find it quite puzzling how some systems do play up whilst others seem to give no problem whatsoever. Anyway, as far as I know you all managed to get in eventually.
I really must remind you about renewing your subscription. Time is running out and unfortunately our Constitution states that if you do not renew by December 31st your membership will expire. Please do take the trouble to renew as we have got, with a lot of time and effort, what we think is a very interesting programme arranged for you but we do need to know exactly how many members the Society will have in 2021 in order for us to plan ahead. These are difficult times I know, for us all in some way or another, but life does go on and we have got to look on the bright side so that we are ahead of the game. At least now we have vaccines on the horizon.
Again, I am appealing for someone to come forward as soon as possible to replace our Secretary who is completing her duties at the end of December. We really do need someone to respond. The other vacancy we have been trying to fill for quite a while is a Publicity Officer.
Please do join us for our next Webinar lecture which will be on Wednesday, 9th December at 10.30 a.m. entitled Beethoven at 250 – Classical Music’s Greatest Revolutionary. This talk will be given by Sandy Burnett.
I cannot believe we are nearly around to Christmas, whatever that is going to be like this year. I sincerely trust that we will all be able to share Christmas Day with others however small the number may be and, in spite of everything, we can have a peaceful and happy Christmas season with perhaps some fun as well. I also trust that you will all eventually enjoy 2021 with good health and happiness coming your way. Until my next newsletter in January I do hope you will all remain safe and well and I will look forward to welcoming you back to the lectures next year.
Bye for now Ann
And pleasant to the sobered soul The silence of the wintry scene, When Nature shrouds herself, entranced In deep tranquillity. ROBERT SOUTHEY Written on the First of December.
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Sunday 1 November 2020 |
November Newsletter |
.NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER Never once, since the world began, Has the sun ever stopped shining; His face very often we could not see, And we grumbled at his inconstancy, But the clouds were really to blame, not he, For behind them he was shining. JOHN OXENHAM God’s Sunshine Hello Everyone Here we are in November with the depressing Covid 19 still around interfering with everyone’s lives, some more than others. Anyway, it would seem to me that we have just got to get on with living and making the most of every moment we can within the Government restrictions. We must try to make contact with people we know who are on their own and living a very lonely existence. We were extremely pleased to hear how much the members who watched our October lecture on Zoom really enjoyed the experience. Thank you for rating us so highly. It was good to know that the Zoom Webinar had gone so well. I would definitely urge anyone who couldn’t watch last month’s lecture because of various reasons to try to see the November one on Wednesday, 11th November at 10.30 a.m. It is entitled “The Art of Steal: Nazi Looting during World War 2” and the accredited lecturer is Shauna Isaac. It is Armistice Day so we will be holding a two minutes silence at 11a.m. to pay our respects to the men and women who gave their lives for us. Sally will send out your invitation link nearer the time. Remember we are giving these lectures to you free to recompense you for lectures missed and any inconvenience caused due to the virus as well as free membership until the end of the year with all the benefits that are involved. By the time you are reading this Newsletter you should have received your renewal letter for 2021. As you already know we changed the Constitution and the new membership year will run from January 2021 to December 2021. We still, however, need you to sign up as soon as possible in order for us to be able to plan ahead. We have reduced your subscription to the absolute minimum which will be £36 for one member and £66 for joint membership. We do value your membership and support and look forward to receiving your renewal subscription. I am still appealing for someone to come onto the committee to deal with publicity. We are also losing our Secretary at the end of the year and urgently need someone to take over this important role. We cannot ask people in person because we never see anyone as we are not meeting in the Village Hall at present, but if you feel you are able to help us in either capacity please do get in touch with a committee member and we will try to give you as much information as we can. East Surrey Area of The Arts Society are providing a virtual tour of Shakespeare’s London. This will take place on Friday, 13th November at 10.15a.m. for a 10.30 a.m. start and will last about 55 minutes. It will be led by Lance Pierson an actor who regularly leads walks around London. There is no charge for this experience since it comes as part of your Arts Society membership. It sounds very interesting and it seems quite different from the sort of lectures we are used to. If you need more information you will need to get in touch with The Arts Society using the following link:-
https://mcusercontent.com/6103054896bff8ca6462a8b9f/files/ebd7095d-d486-40a3-adea-902bca6969a9/Nov_13th_Virtual_Tour_revised_13_.pdf
I really do not have anything else to say apart from the fact that we will be having more collaboration with Horsley Lovelace during the following months and I am pleased to inform you that members of Lovelace will be joining us on the 11th November and we look forward to welcoming them. Until then, I do sincerely trust that you will remain safe, well, and happy. Bye for now Ann. End of autumn, The hop of a wild rabbit Scuttling through dead leaves. FLORENCE B. SPILGER Novembe
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Thursday 1 October 2020 |
October2020 Newsletter |
OCTOBER 2020 NEWSLETTER There is a wind where the rose was; Cold rain where sweet grass was; And clouds like sheep Stream o’re the steep Grey skies where the lark was. WALTER DE LA MARE Autumn Dear Members Now it is Autumn and we are still harassed by Covid 19. I am sure we are all trying to put a smile on our face and to act as normal as is possible but it is difficult isn’t it? Never mind, we just need to stay positive and put it down to a life experience. I would dearly have loved to have welcomed you all back to the village hall to hear our excellent lecturers and join one another in a cup of coffee or tea and biscuits, chatting about what we had all done during the Summer months but instead we can offer you the chance to see our Autumn lectures by Zoom. We will do our best to make these sessions as interesting and enjoyable as possible to make up for the missed lectures and remember we are providing the next three lectures to you free. You have already received details of our next lecture but in case you have forgotten, it will be at 10.30a.m. on Wednesday, 14th October and is entitled “Gilt and Gorgeousness”: The 200th anniversary of King George IV’s accession to the throne. The accredited lecturer is Barbara Askew. You can always find details on our web site. You should already have received an email (sent on 17th September) with a link that will enable you to join this lecture by Zoom and we will send another reminder email and link the day before. Do hope some of you will have been able to watch the other Zoom lectures that have been provided by The Arts Society Headquarters and found their magazine interesting. This comes to you free as part of the required affiliation fee, which is not unsubstantial, that our Society must pay to Headquarters. I would like to thank those members who voted at the AGM which, of course, had to be conducted by email and post and I am pleased to announce the approval of the Minutes of the AGM 2019. The Accounts for 2019/20 were approved. The appointment of Alan Fearn as Treasurer was confirmed. The change to the Constitution was also agreed. These are exceedingly difficult days for organisations and we, as ever, will be appealing for more help to get us through another year. An organisation simply cannot run without committee vacancies being filled. We have been appealing for a Publicity Officer for ages and we are now losing our Secretary at the end of December and we urgently need someone to fill this important role. Thank you to those members who give encouragement and I have been particularly pleased that you have liked the poetry I have been including in the newsletters. You will be receiving your Membership Renewal letters later this month and I do hope that in spite of the problems we have encountered this year, you will renew your subscriptions because we have an excellent series of lectures already organised for your enjoyment. We have significantly reduced subscription fees for 2021 on a one year only basis as a benefit to you because of the unusual circumstances. It is our intention to get back to the Village Hall as soon as it is safe to do so to enable us to renew social contact that makes our meetings so enjoyable. Do hope you all remain safe and well and look forward to you joining us on the Zoom Webinar on the 14th October. Bye for now Ann Whenever I have been in the woods in October and have met a squirrel, a fox, or a stag with his hinds, I have had the feeling that I had suddenly crept into some quite different world, into their world. For October belongs to them in some mysterious way, far more than any other periods of eternity. KAREL CAPEK Intimate Things.
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Tuesday 1 September 2020 |
September2020 Newsletter |
SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER At low tide the rich ochres, madders and oranges of the orderly strata of seaweed species are set against glaring vibrant whites of barnacle-covered rock and shell sand, with always beyond them the elusive, changing blues and purples of the moving water. GAVIN MAXWELL Ring of Bright Water. Dear Members This month we are in Autumn. Somehow time has gone so quickly even though we have been in lockdown. I sincerely trust that some of our members will have been able to escape from the area, however lovely it may be, and hopefully some of you may have been able to go to the seaside if not for a holiday perhaps for a day or two. There is nothing better, in my opinion, than feeling a fresh sea breeze and looking at the moving water. I always feel it is so marvellous to see beautiful sunsets by the seaside. We have been giving a lot of thought to how we can keep lectures and the Society going, whilst it is still not possible to hold lectures for large groups in the village hall. As mentioned in my previous newsletters we have already extended everyone’s membership for 2019/20 to the end of the year for free, as compensation for the lectures we have been unable to run, and we have now made the decision to run these three autumn lectures virtually using Zoom webinar, so they can definitely go ahead. Our 3 Zoom lectures will be as follows: - DateLectureLecturer Wednesday 14th October 2020 10.30amGilt and Gorgeousness’: The 200th anniversary of George IV’s Accession Barbara Askew Wednesday 11th November 2020 10.30am The Art of the Steal: Nazi Looting during World War IIShauna Isaac Wednesday 9th December 2020 10.30amBeethoven at 250 – Classical Music’s Greatest RevolutionarySandy Burnett Please see the poster on our website..
Many of you will already have used Zoom over the last few months for example, to talk to friends and family virtually, and it is now the Arts Society’s recommended method for how we should hold lectures for the time being. For anyone who has not yet used it, it is very easy to use – we will send out full details before our October lecture, but all you have to do is click on a link in an email - there is no need to download any software in advance. The lecture is likely to be a little shorter than usual to better accommodate the medium, but you will be able to “see” the lecturer and slides as usual – and from the comfort and safety of your own home!
We are of course hoping to be able to resume our normal lectures in the village hall as soon as we are advised it is safe to do so, but in the meantime, we very much hope you will join us virtually.
As you are aware, we are holding the Annual General Meeting this September by email rather than as we have done previously at the July meeting. This, of course, is because we could not hold our meeting in July because of Covid 19, I do hope that you will please cast your vote after reading the relevant papers. You will be receiving my Annual Report and other information under separate cover. It has been a lot of extra work for the committee in many ways adapting to this year’s situation. Therefore, it would be good to know that the members are doing their bit as well by responding.
I think that is all I need to say apart from trusting as always that you will keep safe and well during these trying times.
Best wishes Ann
When the harvesting is over, the fruit gathered, the last rick thatched, there comes a pause. Earth strips off her bright colours and shows a bare and furrowed face; the dead leaves fall gently and sadly through the calm, sweet air. MICHAEL FAIRLESS The Roadmender. |
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Wednesday 1 July 2020 |
July 2020 Newsletter |
NEWSLETTER JULY 2020 What drinks the dragon fly, that dart of blue light, The small, the slender one, in June late, or July, Among the irises, upon the water-lilies, by the bright rock rose? W.J. TURNER Dragon Flies Dear Members July is here already. Even though we have been in lock-down for so long the year seems to be passing very quickly. Now most of us have got the freedom we have yearned for I am sure that it will not be the same for quite a long time. I do hope that the irresponsible people who live in the United Kingdom will not spoil it for the rest of us who have obeyed all the rules and regulations that have been in place. Wouldn’t it be awful to have to go into a second large wave of the dreadful virus that is still around and about if not quite as virulent at the moment. I have not really got much to say this month apart from reminding you about what can be found on-line. The Arts Society have been producing lectures and interesting articles that can be found by going into www.connected.the artssociety.org I have heard many comments from different people who say that they are becoming “zoomed out” by spending so much time with various groups or organisations on the computer. If you are not one of those people, recently I have become aware that the Guildford Institute are running quite a few day or longer courses on-line and information about these can be found by going into www.guildford-institute.org.uk Some of these day courses include painting and pen and ink drawing etc., for the artists among you. Obviously, the committee really cannot make any concrete decisions about when we will be re-opening our lectures and this will depend on so many things associated with safety issues etc. We will however continue to monitor the situation and will update you as soon as we can regarding any further measures we will be able to take along these lines. Many of you will now be planning to spend days away from home hopefully to get a change of scene and perhaps spending time by the coast. If you do manage to get away, I trust that you will remain safe and well, finding somewhere to enjoy yourselves without being overcrowded by other people who have the same idea. Travel could be quite a problem because of many people deciding to proceed in this direction. For the others of you who will be venturing nowhere what better place can you be than in this beautiful area rather than being stuck for hours in a traffic jam. In the meantime, I send my best wishes to you and sincerely wish you all a lovely Summer catching up with friends and relatives. Bye for now Ann Our England is a garden that is full of stately views, Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues, With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by; But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye. RUDYARD KIPLING The Glory of the Garden. |
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Monday 1 June 2020 |
June2020 Newsletter |
JUNE 2020 NEWSLETTER
Ye banks and braes o’ bonny Doon, How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair? How can ye chant, ye little birds, And I sae weary fu’ o’ care? ROBERT BURNS Ye Banks and Braes o’ Bonny Doon Hello Everyone
Who would have thought at our last meeting in March that we wouldn’t be able to attend our society meetings for such a long while because of an horrific virus. It was almost inconceivable at that time to think we would be in lockdown even now. Anyway, I sincerely trust that you are managing to make the most of this unusual time we are experiencing.
I feel incredibly sorry for those of you who have had to be sheltered or those living alone. Thank goodness for modern technology with all the faults and complications that arise we can at least keep in touch with families and friends although I know it is not the same as seeing them in person. At least some of us have been enjoying the wonderful and extraordinary weather we have been experiencing for most of the time we have been in lockdown. Good things have come out of this situation, for instance seeing one’s neighbours we have never met before or discovering new areas where we can walk around. Many of my friends are becoming clones of Charlie Dymock and Alan Titchmarsh tending their gardens and vegetable plots. My only concern for them is if we do not get rain soon and the sun continues to shine every day then possibly their gardens will dry up during the Summer.
I do hope that many members have been able to avail themselves of the links previously provided for lectures and interesting talks to stimulate us all during this period.
By now hopefully anyone who had planned to go on the trip to London, which should have taken place in March, will have received the refund due to them. The postal services seem to be working efficiently now because of the wonderful people who are employed to ensure our communications continue as before. I must admit though it did take three weeks for an Easter card to be delivered to me. We had hoped to arrange a Summer trip for our members, but this too had to be abandoned.
I am sure you will all understand the confusing and difficult circumstances this lockdown has placed the committee in. I know I have had many hours of anxiety along with other members of the committee. However, I do have some good news and that is about your membership subscription which is being extended until the end of the year and by taking this action we will not be asking you to renew your subscription at the normal time. More details will follow later when major decisions have been made regarding what we can do for you but, of course, it will be dependent on Government instructions and advice etc. Please bear in mind though, that the committee are working behind the scenes to ensure that the members of the society get the best that can be offered at this time.
In the meantime, I do trust that you will remain safe and well and hope that we will see you again in the not too distant future.
With my best wishes
Ann
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society where non intrudes, By the deep Sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more. LORD BYRON Childe Harold
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Friday 1 May 2020 |
May2020 Newsletter |
May 2020 Newsletter Dear Members Hail, bounteous May, that dost inspire Mirth, and youth, and warm desire! Woods and groves are of thy dressing, Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing. JOHN MILTON Song: On May Morning Here we are in May already and unfortunately many of our members will not have been able to enjoy walks in the beautiful countryside we are fortunate to have in our area. Frustrating and sad as this may be, I do hope you have managed to at least experience something lovely about this time of year. To hear the bird song so clearly since we have been in lockdown is amazing and the quietness surrounding us has made such a dramatic change to many of our lives. Isn’t it wonderful that so many people who have never communicated with one another before are enjoying waving, smiling and exchanging greetings as we pass by on our daily exercise keeping, of course, the desired distance away. The sacrifice of those working in the NHS and other front line services has to be applauded and I am sure that most people are extremely grateful that we have such a community spirit around to help us through this major crisis. Unfortunately, as many of you will have anticipated we have had to cancel our planned June lecture due to the present circumstances. It will be good when we manage to re-open again and be able to see one another, have a chat and enjoy a morning sitting back in our chairs listening to one of our lecturers. One day this will happen again but, in the meantime, there are a lot of things on- line that you can have access to. Members who attended the January lecture will no doubt remember our lecturer Sian Walters who is now offering live free art lectures every Monday morning at 9.30 a.m. on her Facebook page (which anyone can access, and you don’t need a Facebook account to watch) and people can ask questions which Sian will answer at the end. She has people from other parts of the world viewing so anyone, anywhere can access them. Live lectures will be on the main page https://www.facebook.com/Art-History- in- Focus-169973736373556/, you will just have to scroll down the page to find it when it begins. Another link which goes directly to the Facebook live page for recorded talks already given is https://www.facebook.com/pg/Art-History-in-Focus-169973736373556/videos Other links you may also like to access are as follows: - http://theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk/CultureLinks/CultureLinks.aspx When viewing the Culture page, you should be able to link directly to the site by clicking on the URL. If this fails, then copy and paste the URL into your browser.
https://www.connected.theartssociety.org/ The above links may help inform, entertain, and amuse you and fill the gap from cultural activities that may now be missing from your daily routine. I think that is enough to keep you going at present along with your daily walks, if you are able, and the usual tasks involved with life. Amidst all the doom and gloom that has been surrounding us I have some good news for people who had booked to go on the trip in March to the Hockney Exhibition. You have not lost all your money and will receive a cheque for £33 refund which I think it a good outcome. I had hoped that you could have received the refund this month but due to unforeseen circumstances this is not possible, but rest assured they are in the safe keeping of the Treasurer. As I started with a verse, I will finish with one: - Or littering far the fields of May Lady-smocks a-bleaching lay, And like a skylit water stood The bluebells in the azured wood. A. E. HOUSMAN A Shropshire Lad Until my next newsletter I sincerely hope you all remain well and happy. All my best wishes Ann
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Wednesday 1 April 2020 |
April 2020 Newsletter |
APRIL 2020 NEWSLETTER Hello Everyone A gush of bird-song, a patter of dew, A cloud, and a rainbow’s warning, Suddenly sunshine and perfect blue – An April day in the morning. Harriet Prescott Spofford APRIL I do hope that you are all well and happy in these very worrying times. Life does seem to have many complications at present. I had to be repatriated from Madeira so only managed half of my holiday and most of that was quite an anxious time with numerous phone calls to many people about getting home. Even easy things are proving to be very difficult to accomplish. However, keeping up with old friends and new is helping to cheer us on our way. What wonderful weather we have been experiencing and most of us in our area are fortunate to have lovely gardens and those of you without gardens no doubt have a nice outlook. Wherever you live I hope you manage to enjoy the outdoors anyway. I am sure by now you are all aware that April and May lectures have been cancelled. These lectures have now been rebooked into the 2021/22 programme. We will inform you in the future at what stage we will be re-opening our society meetings. The committee have been busy trying to sort out the cancellation of our previously arranged outing to London. We expect to be able to refund the majority of the cost in due course. In fact, all the committee have been working hard behind the scenes and we will continue to do our best regarding adjustment to your renewal subscriptions for next year. The decision has been made to put back the AGM until October and the current committee will definitely continue until then. Area have asked me to inform you that the Special Interest Morning on the 1st May has also been cancelled. The lecturer has suggested perhaps moving this to Summer 2021. A new date will be announced as soon as possible. In the meantime, area is working to find the best possible way to refund or re-book tickets sold. We have had news from the The Arts Society headquarters about a new and exciting development which will allow you to watch lectures, join in forums and take part in lots of other events on a new website in your own home. You will receive details of the website called The Arts Society Connected in The Arts Society e-newsletter due on 7th April which will give you a lot more information. To me it all sounds very high- tech but I am sure many of you will be able to enjoy this significant addition to your membership benefits. I sincerely trust that all our members will remain safe and well and I am sure most people will do their best to help one another. Bye for now Ann |
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Monday 2 March 2020 |
March2020 Newsletter |
March 2020 Chairman's Newsletter
Hello everyone With rushing winds and gloomy skies, The dark and stubborn Winter dies: Far-off, unseen, Spring faintly cries, Bidding her earliest child arise: March! BAYNARD TAYLOR March I can hardly believe that we have reached the third month of the year. Spring is on the horizon but according to the meteorologists it has arrived today! This month, of course, we have a trip arranged and anyone coming with us please note that the coach will leave promptly at 1p.m. from the King George V car park arriving back around 8.30p.m. This time hopefully we will have a good and trouble-free journey to London. We still have room for others to join us on this visit to the Hockney Exhibition on March 26th and tickets cost £38 per head or £30 if Art Fund member. Please get in touch with Shirley as soon as possible if you now find that you are able to come with us as she will be making the final arrangements very soon. I am told The Guardian review said the Hockney exhibition was "Dazzling" Best ever" and "at his best". Our lecture this month is entitled “Double Dutch: Symbols, Emblems and Double-Entendre’ in Dutch paintings and this will be given by Lynne Gibson. The merchants of seventeenth century Holland filled their town houses with paintings. A favourite subject was scenes of everyday life: depicting behaviour both good and bad. But these upright Calvinist citizens rejected Catholic Baroque melodrama. They wanted nothing to alarm the in-laws or corrupt the children. Innocent objects hint at adult themes: plucked chickens and lap dogs, lutes and virginals, oysters and artichokes, foot warmers and bed warmers. This is a world of subtle hints and double-entendre, spoken through a language of symbols, emblems and motifs. Join Lynne to explore the hidden meanings in everyday scenes and become a fluent reader of ‘Double Dutch’. I want to say thank you to those who have offered the committee support over the past few months and for the encouraging personal comments I have received from members. These are much appreciated. Unfortunately, we are still in need of someone to come forward to offer to be the Treasurer when Shirley retires. Please give this position great thought as it is a critical situation and we cannot run the Society without a Treasurer. Last month I brought booking forms along with me regarding the Special Interest Morning to be held at The Menuhin Hall on 1st May. I still have some in my possession so if you would like a form please ask me before or after our meeting. The lectures are Castles – Ancient & Modern and Creating Windsor Castle. I look forward to seeing many of you at our next meeting on 11th March. If you see anyone new at our meetings, then please make them as welcome as possible. It can be quite difficult for new people coming into a room full of faces they do not know. Best wishes Ann
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Saturday 1 February 2020 |
February2020 Newsletter |
FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2020
Dear Members Here we are in February already. After all the illnesses and the miserable weather we have been having recently it is good to see the spring flowers in the gardens. Gives one hope for the coming months. Our lecturer this month is Joanna Mabbutt whom I believe is very good and the title of her lecture is The Field of Cloth of Gold. 2020 is the 500th Anniversary of this extraordinary event.
In June 1520 Henry VIII and Francis 1 meet to ratify an Anglo-French alliance and celebrate the betrothal of Henry’s daughter Mary to the Dauphin. The two handsome ‘Renaissance Princes’ are in their 20’s with similar reputations in military prowess, sport and patrons of the arts. Both have imperial ambitions and are eager to display themselves as magnificent nobleman and warrior kings. Each brings an entourage of 6,000 to a field south of Calais for 18 days of various events and entertainments staged to display the skill and splendour of each King and country. The logistics of transporting, accommodating, ordering, feeding and watering, protecting and entertaining the English contingent for this spectacular event is staggering and the supply chain, often through the City of London Guilds, is equally fascinating. 3,217 horses shipped across the ‘Narrow Sea’ to Calais; a vast quantity of wood sourced from Flanders and floated along the coast; a huge temporary palace is built on stone foundations with brick and timber-framed walls reaching to 40 feet. Royal palaces were virtually emptied of their silver, gold, tapestries and furniture to decorate the temporary palace, other principal tents and a chapel (with an organ); gold and silver cloth, velvet and sables, jewels and pearls were imported to ‘dress and impress’. How was it all achieved? Joanna will no doubt enlighten us.
Just a reminder of our Hockney trip on 26th March. Tickets will again be on sale at our lecture so please bring along your cash or cheque ((ticket price £38 or £30 for Art Fund members). If you wish to come on the trip remember we are trying to arrange for anyone who wishes to join us at Cote for a meal early evening will be able to do so. The meal, of course, is not included in the price of the ticket. It isn’t all that long before we go to London so please do decide quickly if you are coming with us. Area have asked me to inform you about a Special Interest Morning to be held on Friday 1st May 2020 at The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon. Tickets cost £20 per person and include 2 lectures, coffee/tea on arrival and during the interval. The topic is Castles – Ancient and Modern and Creating Windsor Castle. The lecturer will be Jonathan Foyle. For more information contact Jo Edna Corbyn – Tel 01737 761521 or email: ciao2005@hotmail.co.uk. I will have a few booking forms with me at our next lecture but you may wish to book ahead before that date. I look forward to welcoming you all at our next meeting, especially our new members, which will be held on Wednesday, 12th February. Best wishes Ann
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Tuesday 7 January 2020 |
January 2020 Newsletter |
January 2020 Newsletter
Dear Members, HAPPY NEW YEAR. I wish you all good health and happiness for 2020. Let’s hope that it will be a good year for our Country too. I sincerely trust you all had a very happy Christmas. For the person who thought Father Christmas had arrived early at the December lecture I have to tell you he didn’t. One of our members accidentally put her black leather gloves in someone else’s jacket pocket so if you have been puzzled all over Christmas now you know the answer. If you did find the gloves please could you return them at the next meeting or let us know so that they can be collected.
Your generous contributions to our raffles enabled us to present a cheque of £200 recently to The Grange for which they are very grateful. This money will allow them to fund materials for their young people to use in developing art work for display and use at their newly opened Cockerel Café in Dorking. Members may have already seen some of their existing art work which is both on display and for sale at their café at The Grange as well as in their two shops – Grange No.5 in Bookham and Inspirations in Dorking.
If anyone would like to visit the café in Dorking it’s situated in The Point, 4 Lyons Court. They will be open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 10a.m. – 2.30 p.m. To find out more or book Tel 01306 885081.
Simply Scones café is situated at The Grange, Rectory Lane, Bookham and is open from 2p.m. until 3.30p.m. Telephone 01372 452608 to book or for more information. Some of our Committee members went recently and we can assure you that we ate and enjoyed delicious cakes and scones. Our Lecturer this month is Sian Walters who will be presenting her lecture "Raphael-A Master in the Making" Raphael is often referred to as one of the three giants of the High Renaissance in Italy, alongside Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, yet his fame and position in the canon of art history may seem hard to explain. He made no discoveries like those of his celebrated rivals: although undoubtedly a draughtsman of exceptional talent he made no great progress in the fields of anatomy, science and construction nor did he share the wide-ranging talents which Leonardo and Michelangelo demonstrated in so many disciplines. Furthermore, his career was short-lived as he died tragically young, aged 37. Yet in this relatively short space of time Raphael managed to move from humble initial commissions in and around his home town of Urbino to the covetous position of one of the leading artists at the court of the most important patron in Italy, Pope Julius II, for whom he created some of the most sublime and influential frescoes of the early 16th century. We explore how Raphael achieved this extraordinary rise in status, tracing the development of early works and influences to the masterpieces created in Rome. Sian Williams has asked the Society if we could inform members about a course she is running very soon. I am giving all the details below:-
THE GOLDEN AGE OF DUTCH ART 10 JANUARY – 27 MARCH 2020 Dutch painting of the seventeenth-century is almost always referred to as the Golden Age, a period which encompassed some of the world's greatest and most popular Old Masters including Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Frans Hals and Vermeer. Explore their life and works in this new course led by National Gallery/Arts Society lecturer Siân Walters, with a special guest lecture by the Head of the National Trust's Painting and Sculpture Collections, David Taylor. A study day at the Wallace Collection is included as well as refreshments each week.Friday mornings from 11.15 at Churchgate House Centre, Cobham (10weeks) For further details and enrolment see www.arthistoryinfocus.com or contact 01932 267322
A reminder that we will be selling tickets at the January lecture for the March 26th afternoon/early evening outing to the Hockney Exhibition (150 of his works) at the National Portrait Gallery, followed by the opportunity to have a meal in and around Sloane Square (not included in ticket price), before the return coach journey, arriving back by 8:30pm. Ticket price is £38 (£30 if Art Fund member). We will be reserving a number of tables at Cote Brasserie on Sloane Square so, if travelling alone and would like to reserve a seat on one of these tables, please let us know. I look forward to seeing you all again at the next lecture on Wednesday, 8th January. Regards Ann |
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Monday 2 December 2019 |
December Newsletter |
Dear Member Christmas is fast approaching and I certainly hope that our trip to St. Paul’s in November to hear the wonderful music has put some of you in the right mood for the Season. Most of us are incredibly busy at this time of year so why not take time out to relax and enjoy our next lecture on the 11th December entitled “Art Inspired by Wine” given by John Ericson, an apt title as we will be celebrating afterwards with Christmas drinks etc. In this lively presentation John shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for wine and the contribution that ‘wine art’ makes to our colourful world. Wine can be a civilising influence upon us and it is made to be shared and enjoyed. As a consequence there are numerous wonderful paintings of wine being made and wine being drunk in celebration but it also lends itself to wicked cartoons and striking posters. In addition we shall examine wine labels from around the world which now display such style and creativity. I would like to thank anyone who has offered help during the past few months. This has been much appreciated. Currently we have a vacancy for a publicity person which we would like to fill and at the end of our Society year we will be looking for a new Treasurer. If you feel you could offer your time to help the Society then the committee would be grateful to hear from you. The good news is we are organising another outing in March. This is to National Portrait Gallery to see the first major exhibition devoted to David Hockney’s drawings in over twenty years, ‘David Hockney: Drawing from Life’. It will feature around 150 works from the 1950s to the present day, that are currently held in public and private collections across the world, as well as from the David Hockney Foundation and the artist himself. Highlights will include a series of new portraits; coloured pencil drawings created in Paris in the early 1970s; composite Polaroid portraits from the 1980s; and a selection of drawings from an intense period of self-scrutiny during the 1980s when the artist created a self-portrait every day over a period of two months. The coach will leave at 1pm from the KGV car park in Effingham, and then after the exhibition the coach will transfer us to Sloane Square so that you can have a meal in one of the restaurants there before the coach brings us back home, arriving back at the car park by 8:30pm. This way we avoid the rush hour traffic, and it also means that you don’t have to start preparing an evening meal when you arrive home! It also gives time to chat with each other about the exhibition, amongst other things, and socialise with other members.There are a number of restaurants in and around Sloane Square, which you would need to pre-book yourself. But if you would be travelling on your own, please let us know, as we will be booking a number of tables at Cote Brasserie on Sloane Square. Of course you may prefer to take yourself off elsewhere after visiting the exhibition, and just arrive back at Sloane Square for the return coach home. Ticket price is £38 (£30 if you are an Art Fund member), and tickets will go on sale at the January lecture. At the December meeting we will be selling raffle tickets and the prizes will be presented to the winners straight after the lecture. The proceeds of the raffle will go towards a Special Needs Young Arts Project for young people from the Grange. You will be hearing about this in the future but please give generously if you are able. I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting but understand for various reasons some people will not be able to attend. I therefore sincerely wish you all a very Happy Christmas whether you will be spending it with family, friends or even on your own, as so many families are scattered around the Country and World. I do hope that 2020 will be a happy and healthy year for you. Regards Ann |
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Friday 1 November 2019 |
November 2019 Newsletter |
Hello Everyone, What a splendid lecture we had last month and I’m sure this month’s lecture will be just as good. As many of you already know I spend quite a large amount of my time on the Exe Estuary where there are magnificent sunsets and I’ve often said if I were to paint the colours which I see when I'm there then people would think I was exaggerating the colours not only of the sky but also the water. Turner was such a fantastic painter of both the sea and sky so I am really looking forward very much to the November lecture to be given by Douglas Skeggs about the life and art of this outstanding English painter. At the age of ten Turner travelled out to Brentford to stay with his uncle. It was the first time he’d seen the open countryside. Born in 1775, the son of a barber, he was brought up in the bustling market place of Covent Garden; the only landscape he knew as a child was the misty reaches of the Thames. That first, momentous vision of nature set the course of his career and, as a young man, he walked hundreds of miles across southern England, the Lake district and Scotland, recording his observations in rapid drawings and watercolours that he worked up later into full scale paintings. At the turn of the century he became the youngest member of the Royal Academy and his romantic interpretations of stately homes and sweeping parkland became the cherished possessions of the English aristocracy. His love of travel took him to Europe and, at the age of 44, he made his first trip to Italy in search of the clear light he’d seen in paintings by Claude Lorrain. It made a powerful impression on him and from then on the mountain passes of the Alps, the pines of Rome, the canals of Venice became part of his mythical world of mist and vapour, shimmering light and deep shadow. At the time of his death in 1851, Turner stood alone in English painting; a master of technique, colour theory and perspective with a near spiritual comprehension of nature - the giant of Romantic Art. Our trip to the John Rutter Concert is almost upon us and I am sure everyone who booked on time is anticipating a wonderful experience as I am. At Christmastime last year I went to a John Rutter concert which was excellent but this year I am really looking forward to being in St. Paul's Cathedral with the combination of fantastic music in such an iconic place. Just a reminder that the concert is on the 14th November and the coach will leave promptly at 5.30p.m. from the King George V playing field car park. I would suggest that you arrive about 5.15p.m. You will already have your ticket receipts and you will be given your actual concert seat tickets on the coach. Look forward to seeing you all at the next lecture on Wednesday, 13th November. Best wishes Ann |
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Tuesday 1 October 2019 |
October Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I sincerely hope that you have had a wonderful Summer relaxing and enjoying yourselves in the beautiful weather we have experienced recently. At times far too hot for me. Well here we are at the start of another Arts Society year and what a treat we have in store for you all. I am sure those members who have read the programme leaflet will have realised the interesting and varied lectures we have arranged for you to appreciate. In October our lecture is 'Royal Collectors: Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their Art'. Our lecturer is Susan Owens who will tell us about how Queen Victoria and Prince Albert expressed their love for each other through art. Every birthday and Christmas they exchanged gifts of paintings, sculpture and jewellery, and they commissioned artists to record their lives together at Balmoral and Osborne House. They were keen amateur artists, sitting side-by-side to draw and to try their hand at etching. And they took pleasure in arranging their collection of portrait miniatures, drawings and prints in a special room the prince designed at Windsor Castle. We will look not only at glamorous paintings by Landseer and Winterhalter, but also at the lesser-known watercolours the couple took pleasure in arranging in their treasured ‘souvenir albums’. This lecture tells the story of these royal patrons and collectors who were every bit as passionate about art as they were about each other. Susan is an art historian, writer and curator. She has worked as a curator for the Royal Collection and has been Curator of Paintings at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Susan has written or co-authored books on decadent interiors, natural history illustration, watercolours, drawings and self-portraits, and is a regular contributor to publications including the Times Literary Supplement and The World of Interiors. You are also invited to an evening lecture by Lars Tharp on ‘Hogarth: Harlots, Rakes & Crashing China’ at East Horsley Village Hall on Tuesday 22nd October, organised by our fellow Arts Society (Horsley Lovelace), when you can enjoy a glass of wine or soft drink from 6.45pm, followed by the talk which starts at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £15. To book please contact Clare Hewlett on 01483 283635 or email: tas.lovelace@gmail.com. I also wanted to tell you about the Area's Special Interest Morning on Friday 8 November (10am-1 pm), when Denise Heywood will give two talks on 'Sir Stamford Raffles - Art Collector & Discoverer of Singapore'. The meeting will be held at The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon, Cobham Road, Cobham KT11 3QQ. Tickets cost £20, and this includes coffee/tea both on arrival and during the interval between the two lectures. To book please contact Jo Edna Corbyn, via email (ciao2005@hotmail.co.uk) or telephone (01737 761521 or 07758 097003). Over the two lectures, Denise will tell the story of Raffles, a scholar, polymath, and colonial administrator of Java, whose name is synonymous with a luxury hotel rather than the greatest Buddhist temple in the world, Borobudur, which he discovered hidden under volcanic ash. She will also show us the wondrous artefacts he acquired from Indonesia such as shadow puppets, sculptures and textiles, now in the British Museum, and tell us how he founded Singapore, and about its architectural heritage, inspired by his vision, with botanical gardens, historic shophouses and Victorian architecture. It concludes with Raffles’ return to London and reflects on his legacy. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Singapore. I am looking forward to welcoming you all back at the meeting on Wednesday, 9th October and especially any new members who have joined our society. Please also take time to think about helping the committee as we are only a small group of people trying to do our best to give you an excellent society. Even if you feel you cannot be on the committee perhaps you could volunteer to do one thing for us from time to time to help in some way. It would be lovely if I didn’t have to stand up at the beginning of every meeting requesting help. Bye for now Ann |
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Monday 1 July 2019 |
July Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well it’s our last lecture of the year - and its title ‘Postcards from Far and Near: Picturing the 20th Century’ makes it very apt as we all head off for our summer break. Of course, with our mobile phones, postcards have become somewhat redundant nowadays - we take and send images in an instant, along with our text messages of ‘wish you were here’! But, for over a century, postcards pictured our shared history across the globe. They documented the changing seasides, cities and architecture of different countries; they revealed social changes, fashion trends and new celebrities (especially with the rise of cinema); and they recorded developments in forms of travel (through aviation, trains and the automobile); as well as much much more. Many of you will have heard our lecturer, Chloe Sayer, on previous occasions. Chloe has curated exhibitions, and assisted on TV documentaries for BBC and Channel 4, as well as lecturing in many other countries, including Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. And she will use this experience to celebrate with us the history of picture postcards - those bearers of news and repositories of memories - sharing a wide range of examples of these from across the world. And talking of celebrations, please don’t forget that we will have our summer party directly after our lecture - where we will be serving wine (soft drinks also available), together with bowls of strawberries and cream. But before our lecture we will have our AGM, starting at 10:15am - you will have received the agenda for this with your subscription renewal letters, together with the programme leaflet for next year, which, I hope you agree, looks really attractive and interesting. And if you bring your signed forms and cheques along to the lecture, you will be given your programme card for next year, instead of having to wait for it to be posted to you. We will also be selling raffle tickets (£1 for a strip of five tickets), and the winners will be announced immediately after the lecture - the proceeds from the raffle will help us support a young arts project involving youngsters with special needs. Well, am looking forward to seeing you on 10th July - let’s hope the weather will have improved by then! Best wishes Shirley |
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Saturday 1 June 2019 |
June newsletter |
Hello Everyone Before telling you about our June lecture, I need to let you know that we have been advised that we should hold an emergency contact name and telephone number for each of our members in case of illness or accident. So if you could each please reply to this email providing these details, we will then upload this information on to The Arts Society website. In the case of joint membership, only one of you needs to reply should you wish to use the same contact name and telephone number for both of you. The contact information for members held on the Arts Society website is confidential, and is only accessed when needed. It would be particularly useful to have this contact information for those of you coming on our outing to Stratfield Saye on 5th June, and in respect of this visit, please don’t forget your National Trust cards for your free entry to the West Green House Gardens in the afternoon. The coach will be leaving King George V car park in Effingham by 9:15am The other piece of news is that we had to purchase a new laptop for the Society, as our old laptop sadly expired at the April lecture. I'm pleased to say that, with a bit of researching, I managed to get a good bank holiday weekend deal for the one we decided to go for, saving some £90. We are really grateful to Chris Tailby for setting up the new laptop, and, in relation to this, we would like two or three members if possible to help out occasionally with the setting up of the projector and sound system. Chris Tailby would show you how to do this, and, in recognition of this help, your annual subscription fee would be reduced by £12 to just £30. We would only expect to need to call on your help once, possibly twice at most, a year. So if you would be interested in helping us out in this way, please chat to Chris or any member of the committee. But now on to our next month’s lecture about the Elgin Marbles. Our lecturer, Stephen Kershaw, will explore the aesthetics, the back-story and the heated debates surrounding these fascinating and controversial works of ancient Greek art since they were purchased by the British Parliament from Lord Elgin, some 200 years ago. He will illustrate his talk with specifically taken slides and video, explaining how and why they were originally created, why they are so highly regarded, what happened to them between their creation and Elgin’s time, how he acquired them, why they are now in the British Museum, and why there are such passionately held views both for and against their repatriation to Greece. Stephen is a Classics Tutor for Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, and Professor of History of Art for the European Studies Program of Rhodes College and The University of the South. He has spent much of the last 30 years travelling extensively in the world of the Greeks and Romans, both physically and intellectually. He has published A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths and A Brief Guide to Classical Civilisation, and is currently working on A Brief Guide to the Roman Empire. But before the lecture, you will be able to pick up your renewal letters. Of course for those of you unable to attend the lecture, these letters will be posted or hand delivered to you. And if any members attending are able to pick up the renewal letters for friends or neighbours not present that would be most helpful. Finally, as mentioned at the May lecture, all the tickets for the Rutter concert have been sold, but if you’d like your name added to the waiting list, please just reply to this email, or let me know at the June lecture. I look forward to seeing you then Best wishes Shirley |
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Wednesday 1 May 2019 |
May Newsletter |
Hello Everyone As you're beginning to plan and think about your forthcoming summer holidays, our 8th May lecture is designed to get you into the holiday mood! Its title is 'Riviera Paradise: Art, Design and Pleasure in the 1920s' and our lecturer is Mary Alexander. Mary has thirty years' experience as a lecturer, with a BA in History and History of Art, and MA with distinction in History of Art from University College London. Mary will tell us about the interior design, fashion and art that was inspired by an intoxicating mix of artists, writers, musicians and international visitors who overwintered on the Cote d’Azur in the 1920s. And amidst this mythological seascape of luminous colours, a liberating playground of ideas across the visual design arts were stimulated by impresarios Serge Diaghilev and Paul Poiret, with Matisse, Picasso, Dufy, Cocteau, and Chanel merging the worlds of fashion, theatre and interiors. Cole Porter, Scott Fitzgerald, and the intriguing Gerald and Sara Murphy also came across the atlantic and joined in, so introducing an American perspective, as well as attracting an influential new set of discerning patrons and collectors, with sun tans and sportswear soon becoming 'de rigueur' in these chic new coastal resorts, villas and hotels. But before we 'time travel' to meet them all on the Riviera, I’ll be selling tickets for our next outing on 5th June, when we’ll be visiting Stratfield Saye in the morning, and then after lunch, on our return journey, visiting the celebrated West Green House gardens (National Trust). Ticket price is £50, as this includes lunch followed by tea/coffee (with food supplied by their farm shop) as well as tea/coffee and shortbreads on arrival. We will have the house and gardens to ourselves, and the tours of the house will be in small groups, following which everyone will be free to have lunch and stroll round the gardens. We will then leave around 2:30pm, stopping off at the stunning West Green House House gardens on the way back, for a wander round and/or to enjoy a cup of tea - entrance is free to National Trust members (if not it is £8). The coach will leave at 9:15am from King George V car park, arriving about 10am for tea/coffee. We will leave the gardens around 4:30pm to finish our journey back to the KGV car park, arriving about 5:30pm. And if you’d like reserve tickets for this outing ahead of the lecture, please just email info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk. I also have more information about our outing to an RPO concert on 14th November, when John Rutter will conduct an entire programme of his very own resplendent works within the sublime surroundings of one of the world’s most celebrated landmarks, St Paul’s Cathedral. With Mary Bevan as soprano and The Bach Choir, we will hear Rutter's Cantate Domino, The Lord is My Light and My Salvation, Four Meditations for Orchestra and his poignant Requiem. Ticket prices are £62 for seats under the dome and £58 for seats behind these in the front knave. This price includes the concert brochure (normally £5 extra), the coach journeys and parking at KGV car park. The seats alone would normally cost £60 and £55, and so the coach trips are effectively free (and coach prices have just increased by £100 to cover the new London emission charge, making this even more value for money!). We will leave KGV car park at 5:30pm and the concert starts at 7:30pm, with us returning to the car park by 10:30pm. A number of you have already expressed an interest in this outing, but if you haven't and would like to reserve tickets, please just email info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk. And finally, Horsley Lovelace Arts Society has two spare tickets for a walking tour of the St Pancras and King’s Cross area on Wednesday 1st May with Andrew Davies. The coach will be leaving the King George V playing fields car park at 9.00am and leaving London at 4.30pm. Coffee and lunch will be at members’ own expense. If you would like more information or to buy a ticket, please contact Des Samson on 01483 282936, or visit: http://theartssocietyhorsleylovelace.org.uk/Visits/FutureVisits.aspx Well, we do hope you enjoy our lecture on 8th May. You will, later that day, receive an email from us asking you to give your feedback using a very simple and easy online vote. This email will have a link you just press to get to the feedback page, where you put in the password Horsley and then tick two boxes, and (optionally) add any comments, and then press submit. The committee thought this system would be much better than asking members to complete the paper form after the actual lecture. The committee (who are not all computer buffs!) have also trialled this and found it very quick and easy to use. Well, that's most probably enough for one newsletter, so I look forward to seeing you on the 8th. Best wishes Shirley |
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Saturday 30 March 2019 |
April Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Following requests from a number of our members, I’m pleased to tell you that our next lecture (Wednesday 10 April) is on Faberge. This is also very apt with Easter time fast approaching, given Faberge's famous easter eggs! Our speaker, Nicholas Merchant, will tell us how Peter Carl Faberge took over his father’s somewhat hum-drum jewellery business, and, within a very short period, produced some of the most desirable objects to own, creating a reputation for the quality and ingenuity of his works, ones which delighted and amused the eye, and were in a completely different league to what was being produced by other craftsmen working at the time. We will see photographs of the range of works created by this genius, including personal jewels such as tiaras, hard stone figures, cigarette cases, writing accessories and, of course, the famous Easter Eggs created for the Imperial family! Our lecturer, Nicholas, has worked for some of the major auction houses in London as well as running his own book business devoted to the decorative and fine arts. He lectures extensively in the USA, South Africa, Europe and UK, including the V&A, and is the Art Fund’s West Yorkshire Representative. Before this lecture, I’ll be selling tickets for our next outing on 5th June, when we’ll be visiting Stratfield Saye (the country home of the Dukes of Wellington since 1817) in the morning, and then after lunch, on our return journey, visiting the celebrated West Green House gardens (National Trust). Stratfield Saye houses a fascinating collection of paintings and furniture, as well as the wonderful Wellington Exhibition which charts his military and political life, and houses his magnificent funeral carriage. And West Green House Gardens are a delightful series of walled gardens, surrounding a charming 18th century country house. The gardens have many original features, including a grand water staircase to the Nymphaeum fountain and a charming topiary garden where water lilies flourish in small pools. Beyond this there is an aviary and a dramatic new Persian Water garden in a woodland glade and a newly restored lake, with an intriguing collection of follies and fancies throughout the gardens. Ticket price is £50, as this includes lunch (with food supplied by their farm shop) as well as tea/coffee and shortbreads on arrival. We will have the house and gardens to ourselves, and the tours of the house will be in small groups, where we will given an intriguing and informative insight into the life of the Great Duke of Wellington. Following the tours everyone will be free to have lunch and stroll round the gardens. We will then leave around 2:30pm, stopping off at the stunning West Green House House gardens on the way back, for a wander round and/or to enjoy a cup of tea - entrance is free to National Trust members (if not it is £8). The coach will leave at 9:15am from King George V car park, arriving about 10am for tea/coffee. We will leave the gardens around 4:30pm to finish our journey back to the KGV car park, arriving about 5:30pm. And if you’d like reserve tickets for this outing ahead of the lecture, please just reply to this email. I am also planning an outing for 14th November - this is for an RPO concert at St Paul's Cathedral, with John Rutter conducting his own works. I've requested seats for under the dome. So if you'd like to express an interest in this outing, just let me know by replying to his email. Although I won't actually be selling tickets for this until the June lecture. And finally I just wanted to let you know, especially those of you who came on our outing to the van Gogh exhibition on Thursday, that there is a new film just released about van Gogh called 'At Eternity's Gate', starring William Defoe as van Gogh. Unfortunately there are very few screenings locally, mainly at Curzon cinemas in London. But you can watch it on demand on the Curzon app if you have this on your TV (cost (£12). The DVD will also be released in May. Well, that's most probably enough for one newsletter, so I look forward to seeing you on the 10th Best wishes Shirley |
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Sunday 3 March 2019 |
March Newsletter |
Hello Everyone You'll be pleased to know that we have one of our favourite lecturers coming to give the talk at our March lecture - Lois Oliver. Lois will be showing us Manet’s pictures of musicians and their audiences, ranging from major early canvases depicting itinerant gypsy musicians and Spanish dancers, through to paintings encompassing the full range of Parisian musical culture, from private performances to street entertainment, café concerts and the Paris Opera. Music was a constant theme in Manet’s life and art, and his wife, Suzanne Leenhoff, was a gifted pianist, holding regular musical soirées at their family home. And so Lois will also be playing recordings of some of the music that inspired Manet (including Spanish flamenco, Haydn string quartets, Wagner piano reductions, café songs, and opera highlights). For those of you who've not attended one of Lois' lectures before, Lois has appeared on TV programmes for the BBC and Channel 5, as well as broadcasting on the BBC, for both Radio 3 and Radio 4. She is a keen violinist, and plays regularly with orchestras including the Endellion Festival Orchestra. Lois studied English Literature at Cambridge University, and History of Art at the Courtauld Institute. She worked at the Harvard University Art Museums before joining the curatorial team at the V&A and then the National Gallery, where she co-curated major exhibitions and a series of touring exhibitions. Currently Assistant Professor in History of Art at the University of Notre Dame in London, and a Visiting Lecturer at the Courtauld Institute, she writes audio and multimedia tours for clients including the National Gallery, National Maritime Museum, Royal Academy and the Tate. I shall also be selling tickets at this lecture for our June 5th outing to Stratfield Saye (the country home of the Duke of Wellington) and West Green House gardens (National Trust). Ticket price is £50, and this includes the coach journey, tea/coffee and biscuits on arrival, guided tours of the house (in small groups) and lunch (with food supplied by their farm shop). We will have the house & gardens all to ourselves. Then on the way back we will visit West Green House Gardens (National Trust) - entrance is free to members (if not it is £8). We will leave at 9:15am from King George V car park, arriving about 10am for tea/coffee and biscuits. Following the guided tours of the house, you’ll be free to have lunch and stroll round the gardens. We will then leave around 2:30pm, stopping off at the stunning West Green House Gardens, for a wander round and/or to enjoy a cup of tea. We will leave the gardens around 4:30pm to finish our journey back to the KGV car park, arriving before 6pm. If you would like to reserve tickets for this outing ahead of the lecture, please just email. Of course, some of you will already be coming on an outing with us - this is on 28th March to Tate Britain and the Royal Festival Hall, and is an afternoon and evening outing, leaving at 1pm from the KGV car park, and returning by about 10:45pm. Well, think that’s all the news for this month, so look forward to seeing on 13th March for the lecture Shirley |
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Friday 1 February 2019 |
February Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well we have a 'curious' lecture planned for our February meeting, when Roger Askew will be giving a talk on the fantasy writings of Lewis Carroll (aka Charles Dodgson) - one of Guildford's most famous residents - and sharing with us the illustrations from his Alice books. And it will get 'curiouser and curiouser' as Roger tells us about Carroll 's time in Oxford (which happens to be where Roger also obtained his first degree (Magdalen College)), his skill as a photographer, his not inconsiderable achievements as a mathematician, and how his friendship with Alice's family came about and was then lost. There aren't any other notices for this month, other than to let you know that I shall be selling tickets at the March lecture for our summer outing on 5th June. This will be to Stratfield Saye, the country home of the Duke of Wellington, where we will have the whole house and gardens to ourselves, with guided tours around the house given in small groups. This will be followed by lunch (the food is supplied by their farm shop). Then, as the house is only a short distance on from Basingstoke, on the way back we will stop off at the stunning West Green House Gardens (National Trust) for a wander round at your leisure and/or afternoon tea. Well I must say it's rather nice at this time of year for our thoughts to be taken to dwell for a moment on warm summer days and gardens full of beautiful June flowers, and so, on that happy note, I'll look forward to seeing you at our next lecture Shirley |
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Monday 31 December 2018 |
January Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Our society certainly had the best Christmas present, with Ann Simons becoming our new Chairman (this will be formally approved at our July AGM). So I hope that as many of you as possible will be coming to our January lecture to meet her. And also hope that you are looking forward to coming because we have a topic slightly different to our normal offer. It’s on Christopher Wren’s churches, and our lecturer Tony Tucker will also tell us about Wren’s life and his career as a scientist, astronomer and architect, including original research into the work of architects in Rome and Paris, who provided much of Wren’s inspiration. Tony’s talk will feature Wren’s buildings in London, Oxford and Cambridge, focusing particularly on his City of London churches, and of course including the stunning St Paul’s Cathedral. I revisited St Paul’s just before Christmas - even climbing right to the top - the views made it worth the effort! I can thoroughly recommend (re)-visiting this beautiful church, especially as there is an exhibition in the crypt about its building and history. And if you pick up a copy of the latest SW trains 241 entry brochure at the station when buying your train ticket to London, and complete one of the small forms at the back of this, two of you can get entry for £18. But always best to check opening hours for the cathedral before travelling, as they occasionally vary because of other events going on. Well perhaps I should move on and tell you something about Tony, our January lecturer - he has an MA in Modern History from Oriel College, Oxford, and is a Qualified City Guide, as well as a Trustee of the Friends of the City Churches. So I now just need to tell you about a couple of things. The first is the Area Special Interest morning on March 8th at The Menuhin Hall, Stoke D’Abernon, when lecturer Karin Fernando will give two talks on Hans Christian Anderson. The morning begins at 10am, with coffee/tea and biscuits served prior to the first talk (which starts at 10:30am), and then again before the second talk. The morning should finish around 1pm. If interested, please get in touch with Jo Edna Corbyn , Area Coordinator for Education, by email on ciao2005@hotmail.co.uk, or by telephone on: 01737 761521 or 07758 097003.Ticket price is £19. Also, I have 6 tickets left for our March 28th outing to the van Gogh exhibition at Tate Britain, followed by an amazing RPO concert of Vaughan Williams, Mozart and Beethoven at the Royal Festival Hall. I’ll be selling these tickets at the January lecture, but if you’d like to reserve any beforehand, just let me know by replying to this email. Finally, Rhona Elliott has two tickets for Peter Medhurst’s Twelfth Night Concert at the Menuhin Hall on 6th January (3-5pm), price £30 each, which she can no longer use. So if you are interested, please reply to this email and I’ll pass your message on to Rhona. Well, I look forward to seeing you at the lecture on 9th January, as well as at the rest of the wonderful range of lectures awaiting us in 2019. Happy new year to everyone Best wishes Shirley |
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Wednesday 28 November 2018 |
December Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I am just writing to let you know about our next lecture on Wednesday 12th December (NOT the 13th as is mistakenly printed in your programme card). You’ll be pleased to know that it’s one of our favourite lecturers, Peter Medhurst, who will be accompanying himself on the piano and singing, as he tells us the story of the Three Kings, and shows how they have been represented through art over the years. The Bible gives us very little information about the wise men who came from the East bearing Christ the famous gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. All reference to them is housed in the opening chapter of St Matthew’s Gospel and what information is given is surrounded by ambiguity and approximation. So this lecture examines the impact of the Three Kings on the culture of later generations. Music performed will include: The Three Kings – Cornelius, The People that Walked in Darkness from Messiah – Handel, The Coventry Carol – Traditional, I Saw Three Ships – Traditional, and Where is He that is Born King of the Jews? from Christus – F Mendelssohn. We'll be having our Christmas party straight after the lecture, where we will serve wine (non alcoholic drinks also available) and festive food. We will also hold our usual raffle (£1 a strip) - we want to build up funds to support a special needs art project, so I hope you'll give generously. Tickets will still be on sale for our afternoon outing on 28th March to the Van Gogh exhibition at Tate Britain followed by an amazing RPO evening concert at the Royal Festival Hall of Vaughan Williams (Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis), Mozart (Violin Concerto No 5) and Beethoven (Symphony No 5), with the wonderful Pinchas Zukerman as conductor and solo violinist. If you would like to reserve tickets for this outing, you can just reply to this email. So all that's left for me to do is to wish you all a merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year. Shirley |
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Wednesday 31 October 2018 |
November Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well weren't we taken on a thrilling and fascinating journey by Lars Tharp at our October lecture! And I know Lars was likewise thrilled to see that our November lecture is on Hogarth, given he is the Hogarth curator and ambassador for the Foundling Museum - Hogarth was a great supporter of the Foundling Hospital, and so the museum consequently houses some of Hogarth’s original paintings. Some of you may even remember our outing to the Foundling Museum a few years ago? But, in anticipation of our Hogarth lecture, I would also recommend a visit to Sir John Soane’s House in Lincoln’s Inn Fields - this has a room housing some of Hogarth's work, including The Rake’s Progress. It is also a most fascinating house, but you need to book for the guided tour beforehand! Anyway, back to our lecture! Our lecturer this time is John Iddon, and he will tell us about Hogarth’s engravings, his satirical ‘progresses’ such as ‘Marriage a la Mode’, his portraits and his ‘history’ paintings. He will also tell us more about the man himself, and how he battled for artists’ rights and for recognition of home-grown artists in a climate of prejudice in favour of their continental counterparts. And, as his works reveal, we will hear how Hogarth was an exposer of greed, corruption and hypocrisy, but, above all, a lover and illustrator of the seething vitality of eighteenth century London life. But now just a brief background about our lecturer, John himself. He is a lecturer and guide at both Tate Britain and Tate Modern, as well as giving lectures at numerous art societies, and for the National Trust and the Peggy Guggenheim Gallery in Venice. Well, moving on to what else is happening next month - I shall be selling tickets at the November lecture for our March 28th outing. This is an afternoon and evening trip, leaving at 1pm and returning by 11pm. We will visit the Van Gogh exhibition at Tate Britain, and then at 5pm the coach will drive us to the Southbank for a Royal Philharmonic Orchestra concert at the Royal Festival Hall , starting at 7:30pm, so giving us a couple of hours to have a meal at one of the many Southbank restaurants. The concert is Vaughan Williams (Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis), Mozart (Violin Concerto No 5) and Beethoven (Symphony No 5), with the wonderful Pinchas Zukerman as conductor and solo violinist. The ‘Van Gogh and Britain’ exhibition presents the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings in the UK for nearly a decade. Van Gogh lived in England as a young man for several crucial years. He walked the streets alone, dreaming of the future and falling in love with British culture, especially the novels of Charles Dickens and George Eliot. He was also inspired by the art he saw here, including paintings by Constable and Millais - these are also featured in the exhibition, alongside some of van Gogh's most famous works, including Shoes, Starry Night on the Rhône, L’Arlésienne, and two works he made while a patient at the Saint-Paul Asylum, At Eternity’s Gate and Prisoners Exercising. They will be joined by the very rarely lent Sunflowers from London’s National Gallery. The exhibition also looks at the British artists who were inspired by Van Gogh, including Francis Bacon, David Bomberg, and the young Camden Town painters, so showing how his vision set British artists on the road to modern art. Now to costs of this outing - I’m pleased to tell you that because of the reduced price I’ve negotiated for the concert, you will effectively get the cost of the coach journeys to and from London, as well as between the Tate and the Southbank for free, plus a concert programme (normal cost £5). The ticket price for the outing will though depend on whether you are a member of Tate Britain (free entrance to exhibition), the Art Fund (half price entrance to exhibition) or neither (concession group price of £20). We also have two concert ticket prices - all are front stalls rows H to K - the slightly higher priced ones being more central. So this gives the following range of ticket prices, and if you want to reply to this email in order to reserve your tickets for this outing, please let me know which priced ticket you would like. Ticket Prices: If a member of the Tate: £45 or £52 If an Art Fund member: £55 or £62 If not a member of either: £65 or £72 This should be a great outing, as I hope will be our forthcoming one on 27th November. And for those of you joining us on the 27th, just a reminder that you may want want to book in advance for your table at one of the many restaurants on or around Sloane Square, given the closeness to Christmas! The coach should get us to Sloane Square by 5:30pm. And I look forward to seeing you at the King George V car park on the 27th - the coach is due to leave promptly at 1pm. That only leaves one other reminder to give you, and that's about the Special Interest Morning on China's Forbidden City - being held at the Menuhin Hall on the morning of November 9th. Booking details were given in my October newsletter, and are also on our website. Well, we are still looking for volunteers to help us in running the society. I know some are worried about putting their names forward because they cannot commit to attending each lecture. But of course we do recognise that members have other commitments and holidays planned, and we have never expected our committee members or volunteers to be able to attend all or indeed most of our lectures, nor indeed to come to each of our committee meetings (of which there are only 4/5 a year in any case). I am afraid that I am now having to 'hold the fort' given nobody has come forward to replace me as Chair, and I am having to do this alongside my new role as Treasurer, as well as fulfilling the roles of Visits Secretary and Publicity Officer!!! I think you will all agree that this is not a tenable position for me, and I cannot continue carrying this load for much longer. So I do need you to come forward to help me please by taking on or sharing responsibility for one of the following jobs. I do hope this also gives you an idea of all the various things I am having to do at the moment, in addition to the Treasurers role!: - producing and/or selling tickets for outings at our lectures - producing posters for outings - booking the coach and car parking for outings - booking exhibitions, concerts or venues for outings - selling raffle tickets at our parties - helping with serving food and wine at our parties, and clearing up afterwards - producing the powerpoint presentation for lectures - giving out notices before the lecture - giving the VOT after a lecture - keeping our website up to date with information about our society, such as forthcoming events (visits and special interest mornings) and the monthly newsletter - producing this monthly newsletter! So please please reply to this newsletter if you can help me in any way with any of the above. Or chat to me at the November lecture. Looking forward to seeing in November Shirley |
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Sunday 30 September 2018 |
October Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Welcome back to our new programme of lectures, which will begin on Wednesday morning, 10th October, when Lars Tharp of the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow will be taking us on the epic journey survived by Chinese ceramics in the 16th and 17th centuries. He will show us how, through the great labour of millions of skilled Chinese craftsmen and porters, these beautiful objects were created and transported from far off provinces - across mountains and oceans - so as to grace Europe’s palaces, museums and stately homes. After Lars’ talk you’ll never look at a piece of Chinese porcelain in quite the same way again! Many of you will have already seen or heard Lars on various TV or radio programmes, including his BBC film ' The Treasures of Chinese Porcelain', but he has many other strings to his bow. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and sits on the court of The Company of Weavers, London’s oldest guild. Born in Copenhagen, Lars read Archaeology at Cambridge, and then worked for Sotheby’s for sixteen years. He has served twice on the Art Fund’s Annual Prize to Museums and Galleries, and holds an Honorary Doctorate in Art. And, as he is also London’s Foundling Museum’s ‘Hogarth Ambassador’, he will be interested to see that our November lecture is on Hogarth! Well, there are only three notices to give out this month. The first is that we will be selling tickets at the November lecture for our 28th March outing - this will be an afternoon visit to Tate Britain for the Van Gogh exhibition, followed by a Royal Philharmonic Orchestra evening concert of Vaughn Williams, Mozart and Beethoven at the Royal Festival Hall. The second is to reassure you that it is a printing mistake on your programme card - our December lecture will, as always, be on a Wednesday, and yes this is the 12th and not the 13th! You will already have had the correct date of the 12th on the leaflet given out at the June lecture, but I thought I just ought to be on the safe side by pointing out this error on the programme card. The third is to tell you about the Special Interest morning on 9th November (10:30am to 1pm), organised by the Area Society, at The Menuhin Hall in Cobham. Anne Haworth will be giving two lectures on The Forbidden City’s Imperial Palace and Museum in Beijing, China. Ticket price is £19 per person, including coffee/tea on arrival and during the interval. The Forbidden City, or Imperial Palace, is the world’s largest palace complex, with more than 800 buildings and some 8,000 rooms set in the heart of Beijing. These two lectures will help us to discover its rich history from the 15th century (when it was built as the palace of the Ming emperors of China), until the present day, when it has been a museum since the 1920s. Booking forms are available at http://theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk/AboutUs/Documents.aspx. Or contact Jo Edna Corbyn, Area Coordinator for Education, by email on ciao2005@hotmail.co.uk, or by telephone on: 01737 761521 or 07758 097003. Finally I do hope that some of you, when you come along on Wednesday, will be talking to me about how you could learn more about what is involved in the running of our society, with a view to help and/or join the committee in carrying out its various duties. So I look forward to seeing you on the 10th Shirley The Arts Society Horsley |
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Thursday 2 August 2018 |
Chairman's August Newsletter |
Hello Everyone This will be my first newsletter to all those who have renewed their membership for 2018/19, and also to our new members who have joined us for the first time this year. Welcome to everyone. We have an exciting programme of lectures awaiting us, starting in October. And before then we have our outing to Oxford on September 26th. So if any new members are interested in this outing, please just reply to this email and I can give you further details. We also have a number of other outings planned throughout the year, and many of you have already booked for the November 27th outing (afternoon and evening) to the Gainsborough Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery followed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Concert at the lovely Cadogan Hall (Sloane Square). There are still a few seats left, so if anyone is interested, again please just reply to this email and I’ll get back to you We then have another exhibition and concert outing (afternoon and evening) planned for 28 March - this will be to the van Gogh Exhibition at Tate Britain and an RPO concert at the Royal Festival Hall, where the wonderful Pinchas Zukerman will conduct and be the solo violinist for Vaughn Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.5 and Beethoven’s Symphony No.5. I will be sending out more information about this in the autumn, and selling tickets from November. For new members, I should add that we do welcome your friends and/or partners to accompany you on these outings, especially as there is time between the exhibition and the concert to have a meal in one of the nearby restaurants. There are many restaurants local to both concert venues, and a number of these offer pre-theatre menus, such as Cote Brasserie (I only mention this one in particular as it is where most of us seem to end up going, and so it’s important to book ahead nearer the time!). Then there will be our summer outings. And I am pleased to tell you that I managed to get in early enough for us to be allocated a booking for Stratfield Saye - the summer residence of the Duke of Wellington (this is just north of Farnham). We will have the whole place to ourselves, and be given guided house tours in small groups, followed by lunch, with time to explore the gardens. We will then, as it’s on the way back, stop off to visit the beautiful West Green House gardens, with time for tea, before returning home. I’ll be sending out more information about this outing in the spring. And finally, we hope to do a morning tour of the Globe Theatre, followed by a matinee performance, sometime in July, but we are awaiting details about their 2019 programme. I would really appreciate help with organising these outings, such as selling/giving out tickets on our lecture mornings - so if you would be interested in doing this, please email me back or have a chat with me at one of the lectures. But we really do need a permanent Visits Secretary, and preferably two people to undertake this role, as this will be my second and last year of ‘holding the fort’ for organising visits. So if no-one comes forward to work alongside me, with a view to eventually taking over from me, we will have to stop having outings from October 2019. This will be such a shame, I think you’ll agree. You will also be aware that my chairmanship ends this August, having completed the three years term of office allowed. I shall still be on the committee as Treasurer, and of course will continue to help with these newsletters and publicity, in the absence of a Chairman. But of course it is clearly important that we do have a Chairman as soon as possible. The future of our Society depends on it! So again, if anyone feels they might be interested in this role, please reply to this email or chat to me at one of the lectures. In the meantime, we do just need more committee members and general help with the lecture mornings, so please have a think about this - it doesn’t mean that you have to commit to being at each lecture. Even the Chairman doesn’t have to be at each lecture! We do have a vice-Chair and others, like myself, that can cover absences. And being on the committee also doesn’t mean having to be a computer buff! But, of course, if computers are your thing, then the Publicity Officer role (producing newsletters and publicity material), might be the one for you! I do of course realise that a number of you have been on the committee in previous years, and have already more than ‘done your bit’ for the society - with some of you continuing to help year after year, even though you no longer have an official role. But I do hope that there are some members who have not been able to help in the past, or perhaps are relatively new to our society, who may now feel there is something they would be able to contribute to ensuring the continued success of our society. And perhaps I should finally add that being on the committee does not mean endless committee meetings. We only meet four times a year, for an hour or two - and we always have great fun, ably supported by plentiful tea/coffee and delectable cakes and biscuits! So, how can you resist joining us? Well, I shall now sign off my last newsletter to you as Chairman. I have really enjoyed it, and being Programme Secretary and Vice Chairman before that. But I couldn’t have done my job without the support and friendship of the committee members over the last 6/7 years. We have been so very lucky to have such hardworking and committed people on our committee, many of them still willingly giving of their time and help, long after they’ve retired from their roles! But of course it is the members who make the Society what it is. And I think you have made it a very open, welcoming, friendly and sociable society, always engaging, appreciative and responsive to the lectures. I have especially enjoyed hearing the buzz of conversation that goes on before the lecture. So I’d really like to thank you for your support and friendship, and wish you much continued enjoyment of our programme of lectures and outings. I know it’s going to be another good year! My best wishes until we meet again after the summer, when I shall be in my new role as Treasurer. Shirley Chairman |
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Monday 2 July 2018 |
Chairman's July newsletter |
Hello Everyone This is just a short newsletter to let you know about our lecture on July 11th. Its title is ‘The Seine: River of Light, Artists’ Delight, the Home of Impressionism’, and the lecture will follow the course of the Seine, providing us with a travelogue, focussing on the Impressionists. Our lecturer, Carole Petipher, has over ten years experience of life aboard river vessels on the Seine, Oise, Marne and Rhone, and it is through these trips that she has developed her in-depth knowledge of this fascinating subject. So this talk is designed to get us in the summer holiday mood, as well as let us in on some little known facts about the Impressionists, their colourful exploits and their rise to fame. Prior to the lecture, and starting at 10:15am, we will have our AGM - you will have received the agenda and papers for this with your renewal letter. And then following the lecture we will have our French themed summer party of wine, cheese and delicacies - berets and striped sailor tops are optional! We'll also be holding a raffle, as we're trying to raise funds to support a special needs Young Arts Project. The winners of our lovely array of prizes (donated by the committee) will be announced directly after the lecture. Tickets will also be on sale for our two autumn outings - Oxford on 26th September and London on 27th November (Gainsborough exhibition and RPO concert). So I very much look forward to seeing on the 11th. Best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Tuesday 19 June 2018 |
Chairman's Second June newsletter |
Hello Everyone I’m writing, as promised, to let you know that booking is now formally open for our outing on November 27th to the National Portrait Gallery, followed by an evening concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cadogan Hall. A number of you did book and pay for tickets for this outing at the June lecture, and I shall be giving you your tickets at the July lecture. But for those who weren’t able to come to the June lecture, and would like a ticket for this outing, you can either reply to this email and I’ll reserve a place for you, or you can wait until our July lecture to book a place. And if you're not able to attend the July lecture, I can give you my address so you can post or pop your cheque round to me, and I'll email your tickets, or wait to give them to you at the October lecture, whichever you prefer. I am sorry we have book this outing so far ahead, but I have to confirm and pay for the concert tickets by 28th September, and, of course, after the July lecture we won’t meet again until October. As a reminder though, this is an afternoon and evening outing, with the coach leaving at 1pm, and returning us to Effingham by about 11pm.Ticket price for the coach and concert is £43. And if you’re a member of the National Portrait Gallery, the exhibition entrance is free. If you’re an Art Fund member, the exhibition entrance is £7, making the outing price £50. If you’re not a member of either, then the group ticket cost for the exhibition is £13, making the outing price £56. The actual concert seats alone would normally cost £40, so again this outing is very good value. The exhibition is called ‘Gainsborough’s Family Album’, featuring over fifty works from collections across the world, and bringing together a number that have never been on public display in the UK, including, for the first time, all twelve surviving portraits of Gainsborough’s daughters. The exhibition’s layout will also chart Gainsborough’s rise to fame and fortune, and provide a unique insight into his private life and motivations. Now on to the concert - this will include the Liszt Piano Concerto No 1, Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, and Kodaly’s Dances of Galanta, and we will have the wonderful Alexander Shelley as conductor. Well, as I'm writing to you, I just want to check that you’ve picked up or received through your letterbox the subscription renewal letter, together with our programme of lectures for next year. I hope you’ll pleased to see that we’ve been able to maintain our subscription at £40. I also hope you agree that we have an exciting range of lectures for the year - starting with Lars Tharp from the Antiques Roadshow, and our favourite lecturer, Peter Medhurst, helping us get into the Christmas spirit at our December lecture. And then over the year we have lectures on Hogarth, Faberge, Manet, and, our local celebrity, Lewis Carroll. Along with this, we also have our 2019 outings to look forward to, including London exhibitions on van Gogh and Sorolla, and an outing to the Globe Theatre for a morning tour, followed by a matinee performance. But before all this, we have our summer party to look forward to - and at which we will be serving French wine and cheese, followed by dainty pastries, all to reflect the French theme of our July lecture - about which I shall be sending you some background information nearer to the time. Finally, if you’d like to save postage, please bring your renewal cheques along to the July lecture - Alma can then straightaway give you your membership cards for next year. But please don’t worry if you can’t make this lecture, as Alma will post you your membership cards on receipt of payment. Well, until we meet again in July, I do hope we will continue to enjoy this lovely sunny weather Best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Friday 8 June 2018 |
Chairman's June Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I am writing to you a bit earlier than normal, as just wanted to check in with those coming on our outing on 11th June to West Dean gardens and Goodwood House, and confirm that the coach will leave King George V car park at 9:30, plus remind those using their HHA or 241 garden scheme cards not to forget to bring them! And if you have any queries about this outing please just reply to this email. In the meantime I hope you will be enjoying this sunny weather and all the colourful displays as those of our garden plants that have managed to survive this long cold winter come into flower again. Our next lecture on 13th June is also designed to bring more colour into our lives. It’s called ‘The Scottish Colourists’, and our lecturer, Alice Foster, will show us how Scottish artists of the early 1900s discovered the use of strong light and bright colour whilst painting in France and then, on returning to Scotland, pioneered paintings with rich colour and exuberant brushwork. Their subjects included still life, people, places, and interiors, and their work was amongst the most admired of early twentieth century British artists, being exhibited in both Edinburgh and London. Sadly, S.J. Peploe, J.D. Fergusson, Hunter and Cadell are now largely forgotten. And Alice will tell us why. Alice is a lecturer at the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education, as well as lecturing regularly at the Ashmolean and the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. And talking of Oxford, I thought I should also do a reminder that we will be selling tickets at the June lecture for our outing there on 26th September. This outing is for a morning tea and tour at the Sheldonian Theatre, and a leisurely afternoon two hour walking tour of the artistic and archaeological highlights of the city, including a visit to one of the colleges. Between these two tours there will be free time for lunch, and/or for a visit to one of the many other places of interest - or for just going shopping! The coach will leave the King George V car park at 8:30am, and then, at the end of the day, return us to Effingham some time after 6pm. The cost of this outing is £45, to cover the coach, the tour guide, and the tea & tour at the Sheldonian Theatre. Our tour guide comes fully recommended by two of our committee, having been on other Oxford tours with him. I'm afraid we can only take 25 people on this outing, so if you would like to request tickets before the lecture, please reply to this email. But I also thought I ought to tell you more about the Sheldonian. It is an exquisite Grade I listed building, and is the official ceremonial hall used by Oxford University for their graduation ceremonies. lt was built in the 1660s, and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It also has a magnificent ceiling painted by Robert Streater during the reign of King Charles II. Plus you can climb the steps to the Cupola to enjoy one of the best indoor 360 degree panoramic views of Oxford. I am sorry we have to start selling these tickets so far ahead, but this is because we don't meet again after the July lecture until mid October. This is also why we will be selling tickets after the lecture for our outing on 27th November to the National Portrait Gallery, followed by an evening concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cadogan Hall, and for which we have to confirm concert seat numbers by 28th September. This is an afternoon and evening outing, with the coach leaving at 1pm, and returning us to Effingham by about 11pm. The exhibition is called ‘Gainsborough's Family Album’, and the concert is the the Liszt Piano Concerto No 1, Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, and Kodaly’s Dances of Galanta, with the wonderful Alexander Shelley as conductor. The exhibition will feature over fifty works from public and private collections across the world, including a number of works that have never been on public display in the UK, and bringing together for the first time all twelve surviving portraits of Thomas Gainsborough’s daughters. The exhibition's layout will also chart Gainsborough’s career from youth to maturity, telling of his rise to fame and fortune, and providing a unique insight into his private life and motivations. Ticket price for the coach and concert is £43. And if you’re a member of the National Portrait Gallery, the exhibition entrance is free. If you’re an Art Fund member, the exhibition entrance is £7, making the outing price £50. If you’re not a member of either, then the group ticket cost for the exhibition is £13, making the outing price £56. The actual concert seats alone would normally cost £40, so again this outing is a really good price. And, finally, before I finish, a reminder that we will be handing out our subscription renewal letters at the June lecture, including our leaflet for next year’s programme. It’s a really great programme, with Lars Tharp from the Antiques Roadshow starting us off with the first lecture of the year. Other lectures include Faberge, Hogarth, Manet, Lewis Carroll, and the Elgin Marbles, as well as a welcome return of one of our most popular lecturers, Peter Medhurst for our Christmas lecture. Well, this is most probably more than enough information for one newsletter, so I look forward to seeing you on the 13th. Best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Wednesday 2 May 2018 |
Chairman's May Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well, given our recent winter, I think we can safely say that it’s not the weather that attracts artists to our shores. And so our next lecture on 9th May is designed to explain why they did choose to come here, and show us the impact they had on the British School of Painting, particularly focusing on Holbein, van Dyck, Peter Lely, and Rubens. Our lecturer Leslie Primo holds a BA in Art History and an MA in Renaissance Studies. He has been a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Reading, and has also given talks at the National Maritime Museum, the Courtauld Institute, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. I will be writing to you after the lecture to tell you about the tickets we will be selling for our outing to Oxford on 26th September, when we will have a leisurely walking tour of the artistic and archaeological highlights of the city, including a visit to one of the colleges and, hopefully, the Sheldonian Theatre. After the morning tour your time is your own - there are lots of good restaurants/cafes where you can go for a light lunch, and there are many other places of interest to visit, such as The Ashmolean, Pitt Rivers Museum or Botanical Gardens. Or you could just go shopping! We are also planning a number of other outings next year including in November to the National Portrait Gallery for the exhibition ‘Gainsborough Family Album’, followed by a concert at the Cadogan Hall, and then to Tate Britain in March to the exhibition ‘Van Gogh in London’, followed by a concert at the Royal Festival Hall. In the summer, we hope to do a tour of the Globe Theatre, followed by an afternoon performance there. So exciting and interesting times are ahead! But before then we have the East Horsley Arts Festival to look forward to. This is being held on Sunday 27th May (12 noon to 6pm), and entrance is free. There will be a stage with continuous performances by various singers, bands, groups and choirs, with a picnicking area in front. There will also be a large number of stalls with various artists exhibiting and demonstrating their wares, including paintings, photography, pottery, glass blowing, cake decorating, card making, and various other crafts, as well as a very wide range of food and drink stalls. The festival is being held on the field adjoining the village hall, with access to car parking on the field from Kingston Road. Please do come along - we will have our own stall there to promote our society. So I look forward to seeing you there, and at our lecture before then. With best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Tuesday 27 March 2018 |
Chairman's Easter Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I am writing to you earlier than normal, as with the Easter holidays nearly upon us, some of you may be going away for a break somewhere nice and sunny! I also wanted to let you know that tickets go on sale from today for our next outing in June, by which time I hope the weather will be warmer and brighter too. Indeed our next lecture is designed to lift our spirits and brighten our lives, with the wonderful paintings of Gustav Klimt, such as 'The Kiss' and many more, in this year of the centenary of his death. Our lecturer, Gavin Plumley, will also share with us other artistic delights that came out of Vienna in the 1900s - a time when it was seen as the hotbed of culture, and was called the 'City of Dreams'. This will include the music of Gustav Mahler and much more. Gavin may already be known to some of you as he is a writer and broadcaster, appearing on both radio 3 and 4. He also lectures at the Tate, V&A, Southbank, National Gallery and British Museum. Now on to our outing on 11th June, which will be to the amazing West Dean gardens, followed by 'afternoon tea' in the sumptuous ballroom at Goodwood, and a tour of the stunning Goodwood House. The afternoon tea, served at your table, consists of dainty sandwiches, cakes, pastries, scones and posset, and so we thought this would serve as a light lunch! The coach will leave King George V car park at 9:30, arriving at West Dean around 10:45. You will then be free to roam the gardens and have coffee/tea in their cafeteria if, as and when you wish. The coach will leave at 12:45 to arrive at Goodwood by 1pm in time for our 'afternoon tea'. The tour (in small groups) of the richly coloured state apartments will then start at 2:15, and this will give us a unique insight into the history of Goodwood House. The tour lasts about an hour and 15 minutes, and so we will leave for home at about 3:45, arriving back at the car park by about 5pm. Ticket cost, including the ‘afternoon tea’, entrance fees, guided tour and, of course, the coach trip, is £50, but if you are a member of the Historic Houses Association, this reduces to £42:50. Or if you have a 241 Garden Scheme Card (usually available with the May edition of Gardeners World magazine), you can also just pay £42:50 each. Then, as a couple, you only have to pay for one entrance ticket for the two of you at West Dean on the day (full price is £9). As a single person, the 241 card gives 25% discount on the entrance fee. We will be selling tickets at the April lecture, but if you want to buy tickets before then, especially if you are unable to attend on the lecture day itself, just reply to this email and I'll get back to you. But in the meantime, I thought I'd share a bit more background on Goodwood itself, it being the seat of the Dukes of Richmond and Lennox for over 300 years, the first Duke being the natural son of Charles II. And the family art collection is one of the greatest of any English country house, including their famous Sevres porcelain collection, paintings by Van Dyke, portraits from the Stuart period, and all this amongst wonderful tapestries and French furniture. There are also interesting links between Goodwood and West Dean, involving the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), which you'll learn about on the day! And of course West Dean Gardens are one of the greatest restored gardens open to the public in England. So I look forward to seeing you all on April 11th, and send you best wishes for a happy Easter. Shirley Chairman |
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Friday 2 March 2018 |
Chairman's March Newsletter |
Hello everyone It’s a short newsletter this month, as I only really need to tell you about next month’s lecture. This will be the first one on sculpture that we’ve had for a very long time, and it will focus on Antony Gormley and Anish Kapoor, who are amongst the most well known sculptors working in Britain today. This lecture will look at examples of both artists’ work, exploring the common ground between them, as well as the differences in style, technique and themes. Both have had major commissions for public works of art, and with their wide range of inspirations and motifs, the work of these two artists should provide an interesting insight into contemporary views and preoccupations in Britain. Our lecturer is Rosaline Whyte. She has a BA and MA from Goldsmith’s College, and an MA (distinction) from Birkbeck College. She is an experienced guide at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the Royal Academy and Greenwich, and she also lectures at both the Tates and Dulwich Picture Gallery, and at independent art societies and on cruises. Then of course that same day (14th March), those of you who have booked to go to the Best of Broadway concert at the Royal Albert Hall will be meeting up later at the King George V car park. The coach will leave promptly at 5:30, so it’s important that everyone gets there early enough please to take their seat on the coach before then. There is in fact one spare ticket for this concert due to someone who had booked to go on this outing now having to go into hospital that day. So if you'd be interested in this ticket, please let me know - cost is £42 - and I can give you more information about the outing. So I look forward to seeing you at the lecture and/or the outing on the 14th With best wishes Shirley |
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Thursday 1 February 2018 |
Chairman's February newsltter |
Hello everyone I hope you enjoyed January’s lecture and are looking forward to our next one on 14th February. We chose this next lecture to commemorate 2018 being the centenary of the end of the First World War. Our lecturer, Jo Walton, will tell us about the use of camouflage during the First World War to mislead, misdirect and deceive the enemy. Jo will also show us how artists then used new ideas about optics and perception during the Second World War to ‘dazzle camouflage’ ships and produce complex illusions that hid power stations and military installations from enemy aircraft. We will particularly hear about the famous artists and designers, such as Hugh Casson, Oliver Messel and Julian Trevelyan, who were key players in this artistic derring-do, all in pursuit of the great goal - victory at war. This will be a return visit for Jo, but as a brief reminder of her background, Jo is a freelance lecturer for The Art Fund and Dulwich Picture Gallery as well as The Arts Society. She is also a volunteer guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern. So if you are intrigued by stories about secrecy and deception, and inspired by amazing artistic designs, this is the lecture for you! Then of course in two weeks time we have our outing to the Charles 1 exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts (this opened this week to '5 stars' acclaim), followed by the RPO concert at the Cadogan Hall. So, just as a reminder to those of you joining us on this outing, the coach will leave promptly at 1:30pm from the King George V car park in Effingham, so please arrive well in time before this to take your seat on the coach. And looking further ahead, there is The Arts Society Golden Anniversary Celebration Lunch on Friday 20th April 2018 at the Duchess’ Stand, Epsom Racecourse. Tickets for the lunch, which is a set 3-course meal with tea or coffee, cost £55.This is open to both members and their guests.The after-lunch speaker is Loyd Grossman, President of the Arts Society. Loyd holds a Master’s degree in economic history, and was winner of Celebrity Mastermind 2009. Lunch is at 1 pm and doors open at 11 am, when coffee will be available to purchase, giving you time to browse a variety of craft stalls and art work which will be on display. There will also be a raffle, with some great prizes to be won, amongst which is a Travel Editions holiday and a week in an apartment in France. Proceeds from the lunch and raffle will be used to increase the grants The Arts Society is able to award through the Patricia Fay Memorial Fund. Tables are for 10 people but there is no problem if members wish to apply for fewer than 10 tickets. For further information, please contact Jenny Lungton on jenny.lugton@gmail.com or download the booking forms from the Area website: http://theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk. But before then, we have another Special Interest Morning which I hope will interest you. It’s being held on Friday 9th March at the Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon, Cobham Road, Cobham KT11 3QQ. Its title is 'The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration’ and the lecturer is Mark Cottle. The first lecture is on ‘The Early Expeditions' by Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton from 1902-1912, including the race to the Pole between Scott and Amundsen. Mark will show us the remarkable photographs by Herbert Ponting and water colours by Edward Wilson that provide a visual and evocative record of this unknown frozen world and these early pioneering expeditions. The second lecture is ‘A Photographic Odyssey - Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition Captured on Camera’ which will focus on Shackleton’s third expedition south in 1914 when his ship, the Endurance, was trapped in the pack ice and crushed. The lecture will focus on Frank Hurley’s photographs of this epic journey, which capture eloquently one of the great survival stories of polar history, showing us how, after camping for months on the ice, Shackleton’s men rowed to a remote island; and then from there, how Shackleton sailed for help to South Georgia over 800 miles away, later returning to rescue his men. Registration and Welcome (coffee/tea available) is from 10am, with the first lecture at 10.30am. At 11.30am there will be a break for coffee/tea and biscuits. The second lecture starts at 12, finishing around 1pm. Tickets cost £19.00 which includes two lectures and coffee/tea both on arrival and during the interval. If interested, please send your cheque made payable to The Arts Society East Surrey Area, and send it with your details to Mrs Ann Hollywood at Kames, 34 Park Road, Limpsfield RH8 0AW, enclosing a stamped addressed envelope so that you can be sent your ticket, which will constitute a receipt. Or you can telephone Ann on 01883 712978 or email her at annholly34@hotmail.co.uk or visit www.theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk. Well I think that’s all for now. So look forward to seeing you all at the February lecture. Best wishes Shirley |
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Tuesday 2 January 2018 |
Chairman's January 18 newsletter |
Hello everyone I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and are looking forward to our new year programme of lectures. The first of these is on Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and our lecturer, Anthea Streeter, will trace his career for us, looking at his major architectural commissions and interiors, such as the Glasgow School of Art and The Hill House at Helensburgh. She will show us his striking and innovative designs and exquisite watercolour paintings, and update us on the restoration of the library in the Glasgow School of Art, following the fire. Before the lecture, I will be selling tickets for our Royal Albert Hall outing on 14th March to hear the Royal Philharmonic Best of Broadway Concert, with music from stage shows such as Evita, Les Miserables, Chicago, Cats, Annnie,The Phantom of the Opera, Beautiful, Dreamgirls, Wicked, Matilda and many more, with David Firman as Conductor, and vocalists Cassidy Janson, Abbie Osmon, and Adam Garcia. The coach will leave about 5:30pm and arrive back at King George V car park just after 11pm. The total cost of the outing is just £42 - this is less than the normal price for these concert seats, so giving a considerable saving, given the return coach fare alone costs £15. If you’d like to reserve tickets before the January lecture, please just reply to this email. We also have another visit at the early planning stage - this is to Goodwood House and West Dean in the summer. So we do need help with organising our Visits please. It's a role that is easily shared by two or three people, as there are a number of separate tasks involved, such as making the bookings, selling the tickets, and of course looking after us on the actual day! Someone has already volunteered to help with selling the tickets for the summer visit, and I would also help and advise whoever take on this role. But of course I have to retire as Chair at the end of July when I will have completed the maximum 3 years. So I really do need someone to work alongside me over the remaining months to ensure a smooth handover. Our Treasurer, Ron, will also be retiring this July. This job does not require you to be an accountant, as Ron will testify! It’s more about writing occasional cheques, checking bank statements, and producing the record of income and expenditure for the end of year accounts. And Alma will have completed her three years as Membership Secretary this summer, and it would help if someone could work alongside her on dealing with the renewals in July. Apart from this though, the role for the rest of 2018/19 would just be checking people in at each lecture, and dealing with the occasional membership application. And please don’t think that helping with any of these roles means lots of committee meetings. We only have 4 of these a year, lasting an hour or so - two at the max - and they are always very informal and fun! Plus this gives you the opportunity to contribute to decisions on the lecture and visits programme. So if anyone thinks they might be interested in any of these roles, please do email me back or have a chat with me at the lecture. Well I look forward to seeing you all at our first 2018 lecture, and wish you all a healthy and happy New Year. With best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Thursday 14 December 2017 |
Chairman's Christmas Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well I hope you enjoyed Janet's Christmas themed lecture yesterday - I have to admit I knew none of the stories about St Nicholas that Janet regaled us with. It made me realise how many stained glass windows I must have looked at and not realised the hidden history behind them! Also congratulations to the winners in yesterday's raffle - I am pleased to tell you that we collected just under £120 yesterday. And as one or two people asked me yesterday if there were any tickets left for the February 27th outing, I thought I'd let you know we now have two tickets left. So if you'd like one or both of these, please reply to this email or ring me on 01372 454642. I will need to know by 22nd December please as I have to confirm numbers and pay for the concert tickets by this date. [Just as a reminder, this outing is an afternoon visit to the Charles1 exhibition at the Royal Academy, followed by an evening Royal Philharmonic Concert at the Cadogan Hall, Myths and Fairytales, which includes Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, Sibelius’ Nightride and Sunrise and extracts from Khachaturian’s Spartacus Suite. Ticket price is £37 if an RA member/guest or £53 if not (the additional £16 is for the RA exhibition entrance).Also included in the ticket price is a concert brochure (normal price £4). We will leave at 1:30pm, and return to the car park around 11pm. The coach will transfer us to Sloane Square around 5pm - so there will be time for a meal in one of the many restaurants there, or a shop in Peter Jones!, before the concert starts at 7:30pm.] And of course if you joined us on the November outing to the Queens Gallery, and had your entrance tickets stamped, don't forget you will be able to go there again for the Charles II Art and Power exhibition - this is on from 8 December until May. We'll also be selling tickets at our January lecture for the outing to the Royal Albert Hall for the Royal Philarmonic’s Best of Broadway Concert on March 14th, when we will be able to enjoy the glitz and razzamatazz of the best of shows from Broadway and the West End. The concert features music from stage shows including: LES MISERABLES, CHICAGO, EVITA, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, BEAUTIFUL, ANNIE, DREAMGIRLS, WICKED, MATILDA, CATS…and many more, with David Firman as Conductor, and vocalists Cassidy Janson, Abbie Osmon, Adam Garcia and Matt Henry. We would leave about 5:30pm and arrive back at King George V car park around 11pm. The total cost of the outing is just £42 (the normal price of these concert seats is £45, so giving you a saving of £18, as the return coach fare alone costs £15). And if you'd like to reserve a ticket for this before the January lecture, please just reply to this email or phone me as above. So I'll now leave you in peace until the New Year, which I hope will be a healthy and happy one for you all. With best wishes Shirley |
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Saturday 2 December 2017 |
December 17 newsletter |
Hello Everyone As a number of members have asked if we could have another outing combining an exhibition and evening concert, as per the very successful one we recently had in early November, I have put together a trip to London on 27th February, where we will have an afternoon visit to the Charles1 exhibition at the Royal Academy, followed by an evening Royal Philharmonic Concert at the Cadogan Hall. The exhibition, Charles I: King and Collector, reunites for the first time the legendary art collection of Charles I - this was sold off following the king’s execution in 1649, and became scattered across Europe. This exhibition will reveal the astounding treasures that changed the taste of the nation, and includes over 100 works of art by some of the finest artists – Titian, Holbein, Dürer, Van Dyck and Rubens - ranging from classical sculptures to Baroque paintings, and from exquisite miniatures to monumental tapestries. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Myths and Fairytales Concert brims with mythical imagery and incredible drama, as it brings together pieces such as Mussorgsky’s terrifying Night on Bald Mountain, Tchaikovsky’s wonderful Violin Concerto, performed by the immensely talented Yi-Jia Susanne Hou, Sibelius’ mesmerising Nightride and Sunrise and a delightful array of extracts from Khachaturian’s Spartacus Suite. I have negotiated ticket prices for the concert and the exhibition, so that you effectively get the return coach fare for free (this would normally cost £17), and of course if you’re an RA member, you and a guest have free access to the exhibition. We have two concert ticket prices, and so if you’re an RA member or going as a guest of an RA member, this outing costs either £37 or £42. If not, then there is an additional £16 for the exhibition entrance (this is a reduced rate - even lower than the Art Fund member rate). We will leave at 1:30pm, and return to the King George V car park around 11pm. The coach will transfer us to Sloane Square around 5pm - so there will be time for a meal in one of the many restaurants there, or a shop in Peter Jones!, before the concert starts at 7:30pm. The ticket price I’ve negotiated also includes a free concert brochure (normal price £4), and I’ll hand these out to you at the hall before the concert starts. Anyway, if you're interested in going on this outing, please just email me and I'll reserve tickets for you. We’ll be selling tickets at the January lecture, but if you wanted to send me your cheque beforehand to secure your ticket(s), just let me know when you email. And of course if you joined us on the November outing to the Queens Gallery, and had your entrance tickets stamped, you will be able to go there again for the Charles II Art and Power exhibition - this is on from 8 December until May. You will then be able to compare and contrast the art collections of these two monarchs, since the court of Charles II became the centre for the patronage of leading artists and the collecting of great works of art, from old master paintings to tapestries and spectacular silver-gilt furniture. I have also been asked to organise another trip to the Royal Albert Hall - and so, reflecting The Arts Society's widening remit to include the theatre, I have reserved tickets for the Royal Philarmonic’s Best of Broadway Concert on March 14th, when we will be able to enjoy the glitz and razzamatazz of the best of shows from Broadway and the West End. The concert features music from stage shows including: LES MISERABLES, CHICAGO, EVITA, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, BEAUTIFUL, ANNIE, DREAMGIRLS, WICKED, MATILDA, CATS…and many more, with David Firman as Conductor, and vocalists Cassidy Janson, Abbie Osmon, Adam Garcia and Matt Henry. We would leave about 5:30pm and arrive back at King George V car park around 11pm. Again I have negotiated ticket prices, and the total cost of the outing is only £42 - the normal price of these concert seats is £45, so giving a saving of £18, as the return coach fare alone costs £15. So, if you are interested in this evening outing, please also just email me, and I’ll reserve tickets for you. And if you’d like to secure them by sending me a cheque before they go on sale at the January lecture, just tell me in your email. I shall be sending out another newsletter about our December lecture, but hope it is helpful to have this early notification about these two outings planned for the new year. With best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Saturday 2 December 2017 |
Second December 17 newsletter |
Hello Everyone As promised I am writing to give you some information about our December lecture. This has a festive theme, entitled 'Will the real Santa Claus please stand up!'. In this talk, our lecturer, Janet Robson, will answer the question 'Who is Santa Claus?'. In fact, the familiar image of the jolly fellow with the white beard and red suit was to a large degree the creation of American illustrator Thomas Nast in the 1860s. But our lecture will follow the various transformations of St. Nicholas through 1,600 years of history. Originating in Byzantine Turkey in the fourth century, the cult of ‘Nicholas of Myra’ was actually the result of two completely different Nicholases getting muddled up, when in 1087 a bunch of Italian sailors snatched the saint’s relics and took them back to Puglia, and ‘Nicholas of Myra’ became ‘Nicholas of Bari’. Medieval Europe then made St. Nicholas into one of the greatest miracle-workers of all time. His stories were painted everywhere - saving poor girls from prostitution and sailors from shipwreck, rescuing boys from kidnappers and clerks from murderous innkeepers, ... So Nicholas became the Mister Fix-It of western sainthood. And you add a propensity for gift-giving, and a feastday during Advent, and what do you get...? Santa Claus! We are very pleased to welcome back Janet Robson. But I'll just give you a little background about her, as a reminder - she is an independent art historian with a BA in History, an MA in Early Sienese Painting, and a PhD in History of Art. She has over a decade of lecturing and teaching experience, including summer schools and public programmes, for the Courtauld, Birkbeck and Christie's Education, as well as private study groups. She has published extensively on thirteenth and fourteenth-century Italian art as well as numerous book chapters, essays and articles in journals including the Burlington Magazine, Apollo and Art Bulletin. She has travelled and studied extensively in Italy, having held research fellowships at the British School at Rome and at Villa I Tatti (Harvard University) in Florence, and now divides her time between Assisi and London. So we can expect both a knowledgeable and fun lecture! And of course after our lecture we will have our Christmas party, where we will be serving savoury snacks, Christmas cakes, and wine ( with non alcoholic drinks also available). We will also be holding a raffle, for which the Committee has donated some great prizes. And this year, in the spirit of giving at Christmas, we hope this raffle will help us to raise funds for supporting a Young Arts Project for children with special needs in 2018/19. Raffle tickets (£1 for a strip) will be on sale in the foyer before the lecture, and winners will be announced straight after the lecture. And of course if you want to bring along your cheques for one or both of the outings I emailed you about earlier today, please do so. But if not, they will also be on sale at the January lecture. Well, am really looking forward to seeing you all at this lecture, but for those of you who are unable to make it, I'd like to take this opportunity of wishing you a very merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year With best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Saturday 21 October 2017 |
October 17 newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well our first lecture of the year got us off to a stirling start - a real tour de force! But it will be a case of “ and now for something completely different!” for our November lecture, when the talk will be on paintings of Chinese landscapes. Our lecturer is Professor Marie Conte-Helm, and she will show us how differences in style, content and philosophical inspiration have contributed to the uniqueness of this artistic genre. Marie has an MA in Asian Art and is a well established lecturer for The Arts Society. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is widely published. She was also awarded an OBE in 2011 for her services to UK-Japan education and cultural relations. However, the real reason I’m writing to you so far in advance of our next lecture is to tell you about ‘An Anniversary Presentation’, which has been organised to celebrate 50 years of The Arts Society. It will be held at the Leatherhead Theatre on Sunday 7 January at 2pm, and the afternoon will start with a talk by Eveline Eaton (an accredited lecturer with The Arts Society) on Vincent Van Gogh. After Eveline’s talk, there will be a break for tea and cakes, and then there will be a showing of the film ‘Loving Vincent’. The film lasts about 90 minutes, and was acclaimed by the Telegraph as a ‘beautifully textured tribute to Van Gogh’. Tickets cost £15 and booking is essential. The telephone number for Leatherhead Theatre is 01372 365141, or you can book using their website, which is www.theleatherheadtheatre.com. I also wanted to give you an early alert to The Age of Jazz Exhibition that will be taking place as part of this 50th anniversary celebration. This will run from 27th January – 22nd April 2018 at Two Temple Place in London, and is being put together by The Arts Society and The Bulldog Trust. Marking 100 years of Jazz reaching Britain, Age of Jazz will explore the aesthetic and cultural impact that jazz has had since 1918 - both on artists and society at large. Drawing on the richness of regional public collections throughout the UK, this exhibition will bring together an eclectic range of media from painting, printmaking and cartoons, to moving film, instruments and the all-important sound of jazz. The exhibition is being curated by Catherine Tackley, Professor and Head of Music at the University of Liverpool and one of the UK’s leading authorities on jazz. Entrance is free, and it will also give you an opportunity to see inside 2 Temple Place, a building not usually open to the general public. But of course, we still have much to look forward to before we reach 2018. The first being our outing on 1st November to the Canaletto exhibition and concert at Cadogan Hall. And for those going on this trip, this is just a reminder that the coach leaves the King GeorgeV car park at 1:30pm. Then there is also the Special Interest Morning on Friday 10 November. I am told there are still tickets left if you’re interested. It’s on “Tyrants and Martyrs of Imperial Russia: A History of the Romanov Dynasty from Catherine the Great to Nicholas II”. The lecturer is Douglas Skeggs and the meeting is held at The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon, Cobham, KT11 3QQ. The two talks look into Catherine’s turbulent reign and those of the generations that follow. Coffee/tea is available from 10am, with the first lecture being on ‘The New Byzantium: Russia at the time of Catherine the Great’, followed by coffee/tea at 11:30am, and the second lecture is on ‘The Last Romanovs: The life and death of Nicholas and Alexandra’. Tickets cost £19. If you would like to buy tickets, please send your cheque made payable to NADFAS East Surrey Area, together with a stamped addressed envelope, to Mrs Ann Hollywood at Kames, 34 Park Road, Limpsfield, RH8 0AW. And of course, we have another social occasion to look forward to in December, when we have our Christmas Party after the lecture. But I shall be writing to you again before then, when I should be able to tell you about the Special Interest Morning the Area is organising for the new year. Then in the new year, I shall be able to write to you with more detailed information about our summer outing. This will be to Goodwood House and West Dean Gardens in Sussex - we are just waiting on dates from Goodwood House before we can confirm the date and finalise details. So that’s all for now, and I look forward to seeing you at the November lecture Best wishes Shirley |
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Tuesday 19 September 2017 |
September Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I hope you've all had a wonderful summer, and welcome back to our new season of lectures. Also welcome to our new members that have joined us this year. There have been some impressive exhibitions on this summer which I hope some of you may have managed to visit. I particularly enjoyed the Singer Sargent watercolours at the Dulwich Picture Gallery - a masterclass in itself - and Matisse in his Studio at the Royal Academy. Both are still on, with the Singer Sargent finishing in October and the Matisse still running until November. Then of course we have our own outing to the Canaletto exhibition at the Queens Gallery on 1st November, followed by the concert at the Cadogan Hall. For those of you booked on this visit, I have already received your actual tickets for the concert and will be giving these out to you on the coach on the day. Before then of course we have our first lecture of the year on 11th October. This is on ‘Rene Lalique - Master of Art Nouveau, Jewellery and Art Deco Glass’. Our lecturer is Anne Anderson, and we are very lucky to have her as she is a very busy lady: she is currently Hon. Research Fellow at Exeter University; a Fletcher Jones Fellow of the Huntington Library, CA; a fellow of the Henry Francis Du Pont Winterthur Museum and Library; a consultant for Lord Frederic Leighton’s Studio-House, Kensington; and a tutor at the V&A on the Chardin to Cézanne year course. She was also Cumming Ceramic Research Foundation Fellow (2007 and 2010), and her television credits include BBC’s Flog It! She has published books on Roman pottery, Art Deco teapots and Edward Burne-Jones, and has lectured across Australia as well as on cruises. Her 2008 exhibition ‘Ancient Landscapes, Pastoral Visions - Samuel Palmer to the Ruralists’ attracted some 47,000 visitors. But originally Anne started her career as an archaeologist (following graduating in Art History and Archaeology), and was elected to the Society of Antiquaries in 1997, before becoming the senior lecturer on the Fine Arts Valuation degree courses at Southampton Solent University, specialising in the Aesthetic Movement, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau and Modernism. But for this particular lecture, Anne will be telling us about Lalique and how his career actually began in the early 1890s, designing and creating the finest Art Nouveau jewellery from gold, horn, glass and enamel. His focus was on design and craftsmanship rather than vulgar ostentation, so preferring opals and aquamarines to flashy diamonds. Patronised by Sarah Bernhardt, Lalique’s fame spread, but his style was copied and debased such that by 1907 Lalique felt he had to move on to something new. Luckily, at that very moment, the perfumer Coty asked Lalique to design some labels for his scent bottles. However, Lalique went one better and created his first customised perfume bottle. The public loved the idea and a craze began. Soon Lalique was designing for Worth and other famous perfumers. After the war Lalique extended production into decorative vases, tableware, lamps and architectural glass, and he survived the depression by designing and making car mascots and paperweights. And whilst all his glass was press moulded, it was of the highest quality, his glass being regarded as some of the finest ever created. Hence why Lalique is best known for his Art Deco glass of the inter-war years, and his company is still going! Well, I do hope this has excited your interest in coming along to the first lecture in our 2017/18 programme, and am very much looking forward to seeing you all again in October. With best wishes Shirley |
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Tuesday 8 August 2017 |
August Newsletter |
Hi Everyone I’m pleased to let you know that our new website is now set up. You can get to our new website by typing in www.theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk Please do take a look. I hope you like it. In fact you will still get to our new website if you type in our old address, but after a few months this link will be taken out. I also ought to explain that if you just google The Arts Society Horsley, you’ll see a number of other links on the page, including to a site set up for us by The Arts Society. They have set up sites like this for all the local societies, but they contain very little information at the moment, mainly just giving our location, when we meet and the address of our own website! Our new email address is also now working - it’s info@theartssocietyhorsley.org.uk, but again for a few months you will still reach us if you email the old email address. But I also had other reasons for wanting to email you - and that is to tell you about three things that are happening soon. One is that we’re hosting a stall at the West Horsley Fete, West Horsley Place, on 9th September (12-4pm). So I do hope you’ll come along and see us - it’s worth coming just to have a wander around the lovely grounds there and to see the new opera building in the round! - although those of you who came with us to the opera will already have had this pleasure. The second is to tell you about an Arts Society event to be held at Leatherhead Theatre on Friday 8th September at 7:30pm. Tickets are FREE, but must be booked beforehand by calling or visiting Leatherhead Theatre Box Office - 01372365141. The lecture is 'From Phaetons to Phantoms' and the lecturer is Clive Barham Carter. Clive will describe some common types of carriage, trace how they influenced car design, say something about the skills involved, and illustrate coachwork design in its extravagant heyday of the first half of the 20th century. The third is to let you know in time about the Special Interest morning on Friday 10 November 2017, organised by the East Surrey Area, so that you will still be able to buy tickets if interested. The lecture is called ‘Tyrants and Martyrs of Imperial Russia: A History of the Romanov Dynasty from Catherine the Great to Nicholas II’, and the lecturer is Douglas Skeggs. The meeting will be held at The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon, Cobham, KT11 3QQ. There will be two talks looking into Catherine’s turbulent reign and those of the generations that follow. The programme for the morning is: 10am Registration and Welcome (coffee/tea available) 10.30am Lecture: The New Byzantium: Russia at the time of Catherine the Great 11.30am Coffee/tea and biscuits 12 - 1pm Lecture: The Last Romanovs: The life and death of Nicholas and Alexandra Tickets cost £19, and if you would like to buy tickets, please send your cheque made payable to NADFAS East Surrey Area, together with a stamped addressed envelope, to Mrs Ann Hollywood at Kames, 34 Park Road, Limpsfield, RH8 0AW. Well, I’ll leave you in peace now to enjoy the rest of the summer, and will be in touch again in September to give you more information about our October lecture. Shirley Chairman |
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Saturday 15 July 2017 |
Chairman's End of Year Newsletter |
Hello Everyone What a lovely day out we had at Highclere on Monday - so lucky with the weather too! I also hope you enjoyed our whistle stop tour of Italian art, architecture and culture at our lecture on Wednesday, accompanied by those fascinating extracts from old film of previous Mille Miglia car races, plus the interesting interview with Stirling Moss! And we hope the Prosecco, pizzas, Italian canapes, fruit tarts and Jody's almond tarts helped relax you before your journey home! You'll also be pleased to know that the raffle income was £136, which helped considerably towards the costs of our summer party. I hope the lucky winners are now enjoying their prizes! So I now only have one thing I need to tell you about before we finally break for the summer, and that is that we only have about 2 tickets left for the 'Canaletto and Concert' outing on 1st November - ticket price £48:50. I am afraid though that we have to stop selling tickets by 14th August, as we then have to inform Cadogan Hall about the number of tickets we want to buy. So if you would like a ticket for this, please let us know as soon as possible, and certainly before 14th August. Well, I hope my next newsletter to you will be telling you about our new website and email address as The Arts Society Horsley. In the meantime, if you have yet to send in your subscription, please still make this payable to Horsley DFAS, as it will now take several weeks for our bank to update our details to our new name. And of course many thanks to all of you who have already paid your subscriptions - Alma will be posting programme cards to those of you who've not already been given them. In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you all again in October. Shirley Chairman |
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Saturday 1 July 2017 |
Chairman's July Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well it’s not long until our visit to Highclere on Monday 10th July. And for those of you who missed out on getting a ticket, we’ve recently had 3 returned, so if you’d still like to join us, please contact Rhona on 01483 280140.Tickets cost £35 (or £24.50 for HHA members), and include cost of coach and ticket entry to Highclere. The coach leaves King George V car park at 8.45am, and we should arrive about 11:30am. We will then have until 4.30pm to wander round the house and gardens, as well as visit the Egyptian exhibition, including relics from the tomb of Tutankhamun. Then on the Wednesday, 12th July, we have our AGM, lecture and summer party. The AGM starts at 10:15am. I hope you have received your subscription renewal letter and are pleased with our new leaflet setting out next year’s programme. With this was enclosed the AGM agenda, statement of accounts and updated constitution. Please bring these with you to the AGM, as we only have a few extra copies available for the meeting. Many thanks to all of you who have already sent Alma their subscription cheques. Your programme cards will either be hand delivered to your door before the lecture or available for collection on the day of the lecture. If you're bringing your subscription payment to the meeting, Alma will also be able to give you your programme card straightaway. If you're not able to join us on 12th July and/or have yet to renew your subscription, don't worry as we will post the programme card to you. The lecture will follow straight after the AGM - so soon after 10:30am. Our lecture is very apposite for the summer, as it will take us on an artistic tour around some of the iconic hill towns and villages of Italy: beautiful Soave, Palladian Vicenza, Henriques’ sculptures at Peralta, Giotto murals in Padua….., so following the route taken in 1955 by Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson when they won the 1000 mile open-road endurance race round Italy with a staggering average speed of 98.53 mph! Unfortunately for them this didn’t allow them any time for pit stops or culture. But in 2014, our lecturer Libby Horner drove an iconic red Alfa Romeo, in a more leisurely fashion, following the self same route, and as a result she has been able to produce for us a multi-media lecture combining photographs, film, songs, and quotations from writers and poets, in order that we can sample the art, architecture, culture and music of the area. Libby will also give us a kaleidoscopic view of the cars and characters involved in the race from its inception in 1927. But, when not driving expensive cars around Italy, Libby is a freelance art historian, curator, film producer, lecturer and writer. She has a PhD in Victorian Art & Architecture and has also worked as a graphic designer in the Middle East and Hong Kong. And after Libby has got us into the mood for all things Italian, you will be able to join us in our summer party where you can indulge yourselves with the wine and food of Italy - we’ll be serving prosecco and Italian savouries, including pizza (non-alcoholic drinks will also be available). And Jody has made some special almond tartlets for those of us with a sweet tooth! As usual, raffle tickets will be on sale before the lecture, and winners will be announced straight after the lecture - we have some lovely prizes again to give out. These are donated by members of the committee, and so, as well as the intention of the raffle being to add some fun to the occasion, the income from the sale of the raffle tickets does help towards subsidising the summer party itself. Tickets for the ‘Canaletto and Concert’ outing on November 1st will also be on sale before the lecture. Price is £48, and includes the cost of the coach, entry to the Queens Gallery for the exhibition, plus the ticket for the RPO concert at the Cadogan Hall (Sloane Square). And given that the concert tickets would normally cost £40, this is a real bargain! If you can’t make the July lecture but would like a ticket, you will need to let us know before the lecture, and certainly by 14th July, as we then have to finalise the exact number of the reserved concert tickets we want to purchase. But I do I hope you can join us on the 12th. As after this, of course, we have our 2 month break until our lecture in October, when I will hope to see you again In the meantime, I’d like to wish you all a sunny and restful summer break wherever you’re spending it. Shirley Chairman |
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Thursday 1 June 2017 |
Chairman's June Newsletter |
Hi Everyone I am just writing to give you more background information about our June lecture, when our speaker Christopher Garibaldi will share with us some of the collections in the National Horseracing Museum, where he is the Director. The Museum, by the way, has recently been announced as one of the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2017 Finalists. Christopher will use paintings, archive material and decorative art objects from the museum’s collections to illustrate the history of Newmarket and horseracing from the early 17th century to the present day. He will also tell us about the history of Palace House (the last surviving element of Charles II’s racing palace in Newmarket), which became the new home for the museum in 2016. And Christopher’s lecture will also explore other racing circuits, which is particularly relevant for us, given our own local horseracing heritage at Epsom and Sandown, and of course the 238th Derby horse race that is to take place on 3rd June. Now on to a little background about our lecturer. Christopher has had an impressive career in cataloguing silver collections, such as at Audley End, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham, Balmoral, and the Speaker's Residence at the House of Commons. And previous to his current role, he was Senior Curator at Norwich Castle Museum, during which time he also curated a number of exhibitions. Which reminds me that the Froyle Vestments exhibition is taking place this coming weekend (as mentioned in my May newsletter). Eight Froyle gardens will also be open as part of the National Gardens Scheme. Then the Dulwich Picture Gallery exhibition ‘Sargent: The Watercolours’ opens on 21st June. I’m really looking forward to this following our April lecture, and especially having recently enjoyed the Gallery's Vanessa Bell exhibition, and found out how easy it is to get there by public transport. We also have our Opera Outing to look forward to later this month. Then in July, there will be a full coach load of us setting off for our visit to Highclere – we just need to book the sunny weather! Our programme of interesting visits will then continue into the autumn, with tickets going on sale at the June lecture for our ‘Canaletto and Concert’ outing on Ist November. Ticket price is £48:50 and includes the coach, entry to the Canaletto Exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery, and an RPO concert at Cadogan Hall. Given the concert tickets normally cost £40, this is a real bargain! The Royal Collection contains the world's finest group of paintings, drawings and prints by Canaletto, as bought by the young George III in 1762 from Canaletto's agent and dealer Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice. The exhibition itself will include Canaletto's greatest works together with a spectacular selection of eighteenth-century Venetian art (including paintings and works on paper by Sebastiano and Marco Ricci, Francesco Zuccarelli, Rosalba Carriera, Pietro Longhi and Giovanni Battista Piazzetta) and will explore the many delights of eighteenth-century Venice - from the splendours of the Grand Canal and St Mark's Square to its festivals, theatre and masked carnival. The coach will leave at 1:30pm from King George V car park for our visit to the Queen’s Gallery for the Canaletto exhibition. Then after having spent an afternoon feasting our eyes on Venetian Art and Venice, the coach will take us to Sloane Square, where there will be time for a meal (not included in the price) and/or shop in Peter Jones!, before making our way to the Cadogan Hall where we will delight our ears with an evening concert given by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – ‘Barry Wordsworth conducts the ‘Best of British’’. This includes: - Vaughan Williams’ The Wasps Overture and The Lark Ascending - John Ireland’s Piano Concerto, performed by one of the UK’s finest pianists Mark Bebbington - Elgar’s Enigma’ Variations The concert starts at 7:30pm, and should finish around 9:30pm, when the coach will return us to the KGV car park for about 11:30pm. So we have much to see and do over the forthcoming months, and you’ll also see from our next year’s programme leaflet (included with your subscription renewal letter that will be available to pick up at the June lecture) that there is another year of interesting and varied lectures planned for you. But please don’t worry if you’re unable to come to the June lecture, as those letters not picked up will be delivered or posted out to you. Looking forward to seeing you on 14th, and hoping we have some more sunny weather before then! Shirley Chairman |
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Monday 1 May 2017 |
Chairman's May Newsletter |
Hi Everyone In starting to write this May newsletter, I am reminded of how much I enjoyed our April lecture on Singer Sargent, even though it only gave us a glimpse of the wide range of his very beautiful paintings. But there are even more of his wonderful watercolours to be seen at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, where there is an exhibition of ‘Sargent: The Watercolours’ from 21st June to 8th October. We have, though, a very different topic for our May lecture, where we will be hearing about ‘The Interiors of Jane Austen’s Heroines.’ We specifically chose this lecture for coinciding with the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death, as it will help us with imagining the surroundings in which Austen’s characters played out their lives. I know that many of us will have seen a number of film and TV adaptations of Austen’s novels, but this lecture is designed to give us more background to picturing these late Georgian interiors of Austen’s heroines, and in getting to know the changing tastes and styles of the period. Our lecturer, Diana Lloyd, will tell us about the formal drawing rooms at Mansfield Park, Barton Park, Rosings and Northanger Abbey, and she will also compare these with the numerous lesser Georgian drawing rooms in the country, London and Bath. For example, the new dining room created by the Coles, with its china and glass of 1814, will be contrasted with the Staffordshire breakfast china of Borland Park and Northanger Abbey, as well as the new designs seen in London by General Tilney in 1798. We will also be helped to imagine the design of the table with the newspapers, the chairs by the fire and the sofa which can seat three, as well as the mantelpiece on which the heroes lean! We’ll even look at the wallpaper that may have been used in Catherine’s bedroom at Northanger Abbey, and what Darcy may have chosen for his sister’s sitting room at Pemberley to match the light, Hepplewhite furniture, as well as Elinor’s choice for the parsonage on her marriage to Edward Ferrars. Our lecturer, Diana, has a Diploma with Distinction in the Fine and Decorative Arts, and is a freelance lecturer in ceramic, glass and the history of interior decoration in Europe, North and South America. She lectures at the Inchbald School of Design and the Interior Design School. She also gives lectures to American University Groups, NT and Antiques Societies and Christie’s Education, as well as guiding groups through museum collections and country houses. She is herself a collector of ceramics and glass. So I hope you will be joining us on the 10th May. If you are, and you would also like to join the visit to Highclere on 10th July, there may still be a few tickets left by the date of the lecture. If so, Rhona will be selling any remaining tickets then. Cost of a ticket is £35.This reminds me to say that if you have bought tickets for our opera outing on 28th June, and have not as yet collected the actual tickets, Rhona will have these for you to pick up and sign for at the lecture. I also have a couple of other interesting events to tell you about. The first is a Lovelace DFAS outing to Royal Holloway University on Tuesday June 13th. Travel will be by coach, leaving Effingham at 9.30 and returning at about 16.00. There will be coffee on arrival, followed by a tour, which will include the history of the Gothic Revival Founder’s buildings including the wonderful Victorian Chapel. Then following lunch in the Picture Gallery there will be a talk about the extraordinary collection of Victorian art within the gallery. Tickets cost £37.50 and include coffee, lunch and the tour, and if you would like to buy tickets or would like more information, please contact Des Samson on 01483 282936 or email on desney.samson@outlook.com. The other event is the Froyle Vestments exhibition, on the 3rd and 4th June 2017, 1- 6pm, where an amazing collection of 18th century European vestments, collected in Venice a hundred years ago, will be on display. This collection is considered one of the finest outside a cathedral, with fine examples of embroidery, silk shading, and gold and silverware. The exhibition is free, although a donation is welcomed, and there is parking outside the church in Upper Froyle. For more information, please visit www.FroyleVestmentsGroup.org.uk. Also that weekend, eight Froyle gardens are open for the National Gardens Scheme (2pm - 6pm). There is a separate charge for entry to the gardens, and teas with homemade cakes are offered in the Village Hall, a few minutes drive away in Lower Froyle, where parking is also available nearby. Well I hope you have been enjoying the bank holiday weekend, and let’s hope for some warmer and sunnier weather very soon! Shirley Chairman |
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Saturday 1 April 2017 |
Chairman' April Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I’m sending this newsletter out earlier than normal as I wanted to alert those of you who have booked and paid to go on the Grange Opera Outing on 28th June about the need to collect and sign for your actual tickets for the performance of Tosca. Also, when you collect your ticket, please let Rhona know if you are attending alone and would welcome travelling together and/or sharing a meal with others. I also need to alert you that we will be selling tickets at our April lecture for our visit to Highclere (in Hampshire) on 10th July. Ticket price is £35 and this covers the cost of the coach and ticket entry to the house, gardens and the exhibition about Tutankhamun. I expect you will know that this is the ‘home’ of Downton Abbey, and that not only was Charles Barry (the subject of our February lecture) its architect, but Capability Brown designed the park. It is still the home of the Carnarvon family, and it was the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922 - hence the Egyptian Exhibition housed in the cellars. All these things make Highclere an extremely popular place to visit, and hence we have been very lucky indeed to get this group booking. Even for individual bookings, tickets are only released online a short time ahead and sell out very quickly. So I am expecting tickets for our outing to sell very quickly too. And now on to our 12th April lecture itself, when Frank Woodgate will be telling us about John Singer Sargent, the great society portraitist of the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. But as well as his wonderful portraits, the lecture will include examples of his landscape paintings, inspired by the Impressionists, his work as an official War Artist in Word War I and his extremely beautiful and delicate watercolours. I think we will be in for a surprise when we see the breadth of Sargent’s work and how extremely varied his art was. Our lecturer is a Lecturer and Guide at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, and the Dulwich Picture Gallery. He is also a scriptwriter for the Living Paintings Trust. I am really looking forward to this lecture, having seen some of Sargent’s beautiful watercolours when we visited the RA exhibition last year on Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse. I therefore look forward to seeing you all at the April lecture Shirley Chairman |
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Wednesday 1 March 2017 |
Chairman's March Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Following the fascinating lecture 'Mr Barry’s Great Work: Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament', where our lecturer, Caroline, told us about the works and lives of both Barry and Pugin, I thought you might be interested to know about the beautiful Pugin Chapel (reminiscent of his decoration in the Houses of Parliament) within the Old Parish Church (St Peter and St Paul) in Albury Park. In spite of the sign about the park not being open to the public, you are allowed to drive in to visit the church which I am told is always open. And of course, we have a fine 'Gothic' example of Barry's work on our doorstep in Horsley Towers. Also just a reminder that on the 10th March one of our most popular lecturers, Louise Schofield, is coming to the Menuhin Hall for the Area Special Interest morning. The lecture’s title is ‘From Troy to Mycenae: In Search of Homer’s Heroes’. If interested, please contact Ann Hollywood (tel 01883 71297 or email annholly34@hotmail.co.uk). And for those going on our opera outing, you may like to know that Lovelace DFAS have a NADFAS@Night on Monday April 24th (7:15 for 8pm) at East Horsley Village Hall, when Sarah Lenten will be talking about the operas being put on by Grange Park Opera at West Horsley Place this summer. Sarah is a BBC Opera critic and raconteur, and so this should prove to be an evening to remember. Tickets are £10 (price includes a glass of wine) - if you are interested in going, please phone Jane on 07889-980445 This is open to everyone, so do bring friends and family as well. Lovelace DFAS also have an outing which you are invited to join. It's to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich on the 30th March to see the exhibition 'Emma Hamilton: Seduction and Celebrity', with an accompanying Curator’s talk. You will also have time to take in some of the recently restored Inigo Jones masterpiece, the Queen’s House, with 22 rooms filled with great art representing 400 years. Tickets are £32.50, covering cost of coach travel, coffee, exhibition entrance and curator's talk. If you would like tickets or more information, please contact Des Samson on 01483 282936. And now finally on to our next lecture, 'Faking it – the allure of imitation jewels from the 1500s', on Wednesday 08 March, where Susan Rumfitt will be giving a talk on how costume jewellery all began and when it became an acceptable practice: - from counterfeit balas rubies found in the Cheapside Hoard to the foiling of precious gemstones, and - from the introduction of elegant paste in the C18th to the production of the cultured pearl by Mikimoto As Susan takes on this journey, we will also learn about the intriguing behaviour of gemstone dealers and jewellers across Europe since 1500 in their quest to deceive! Susan is one of the team of specialists on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, as well as being an independent jewellery specialist (based at her Gallery in Harrogate), writing for Homes and Antiques and Antique Collecting magazines, and holding her own jewellery courses in Harrogate and throughout the UK. Earlier in her career Susan worked for Christie’s auctioneers, before moving on to Phillip’s in London, where she ran one of their jewellery departments. Susan travels extensively for her business, involving the valuation, selling and acquisition of jewellery on behalf of clients. She also lectures for a large number of organisations including Goldsmith's Hall and the 'Friends of the Victoria and Albert Museum'. Well, I hope you're all looking forward to being bedazzled on the 8th, and hope to see you then. Shirley Chairman |
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Thursday 26 January 2017 |
Chairman's Second January 2017 Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well they say a new year brings changes, and this is certainly true for NADFAS in that they have just announced a name change to ‘The Arts Society’, with a brand new logo. So this means that, with effect from May 2017, we will become The Arts Society Horsley, and no longer be called Horsley DFAS. Much easier to say, and it also means you won’t have to remember, when asked, what the DFAS stands for! If you’d like to know more about this, then you can view a short film by clicking on the link https://youtu.be/t8vbYHswUg4. I’ll also be showing you slides about the new name and logo in my powerpoint presentation at our next lecture on 8th February. At this lecture, Caroline Shenton will be telling us about Mr Barry’s Great Work: Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament. This lecture was chosen as a follow up to our September visit to the Houses of Parliament, and because it provides a link to our forthcoming visit to Highclere in July, given that Charles Barry was the architect for both. It is also apt given the recent news of how much it is going to cost (and the time it will take) to deal with the much needed repairs and refurbishment to the Houses of Parliament. Especially as we will learn how it was nearly never built at all, given that Charles Barry had to battle the interference of MPs and royalty, coax and sooth the genius of his partner Pugin, and fend off the mad schemes of a host of crackpot inventors and busybodies. Then, in spite of it coming in three times over budget and twenty-four years behind schedule, Charles Barry created one of the most famous and staggering buildings in the world. It is a landmark which is today the essence of Britishness. as it rises serenely from the Thames at Westminster on the site which has been the centre of power and government in England from the earliest times. It is also a masterpiece of Victorian architecture and a spectacular feat of civil engineering given that the practical challenges, even by the standards of Victorian invention, were immense. For example, following the disastrous fire of 1834, the new building had to cover eight acres of unstable gravel beds, and its river frontage, a quarter of a mile long, had to be constructed in the treacherous currents of the Thames. Then constructing the gigantic towers on such a cramped site required feats of engineering and building technology never seen before. And ancient craft techniques not used since the middle ages had to be revived for the interior design of the stained glass, metalwork, encaustic tiling and wall coverings. So I think this should be a fascinating lecture by Caroline, especially as she will be able to bring many insights from when she was Director of the Parliamentary Archives at Westminster. Prior to this, she was senior archivist at The National Archives at Kew, and she is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal Historical Society, and has appeared on national TV and radio, as well as reviewing books for The Spectator. She is also an author in her own right, and her first popular history book, The Day Parliament Burned Down, won the Political Book of the Year Award in 2013. Some of us also have our outing to the Royal Festival Hall to look forward to on the evening before the day of lecture. If you are joining us for this, please arrive at the KGV car park in time so we can leave promptly by 5pm. At the lecture itself, Rhona will be selling the few tickets (£125) left for the Opera outing to see Puccini’s TOSCA at West Horsley Place, so please let her know if you’d like to reserve a ticket, as this will be the last opportunity to purchase them (any left over will then be returned). Actual tickets will be available to collect at May and June lectures. For those going on the opera outing, you may wish to take a look at the Grange Park Opera website to plan your visit. The link is - http://www.grangeparkopera.co.uk/plan-your-visit/dining-and-picnics/. There is a long interval during the performance, allowing people to enjoy a picnic or a meal at the restaurant, should they wish. There are also pre-performance dining opportunities that can make your outing to the opera more fun. So if you have any questions regarding the visit, please contact Rhona Elliott who will be our co-ordinator for the event - 01483 280140 or (on the day) 07909 897701. Talking of which, Rhona will be retiring as our Visits Secretary at the end of July, and so we do need someone to come forward to take over her role, and hopefully in time to work alongside Rhona when we have our outings to the opera and to Highclere. If we don’t get a replacement it will mean that we won’t be able to organize visits for you. We also desperately need a secretary to produce the agenda and minutes of our committee meetings – we only have between 4 and 6 meetings a year (each lasting 2 hours max), so it is not an onerous task, but it does mean that you will also have an opportunity to contribute to decisions about our programme of lectures and activities. And finally we do need someone to help with managing our social events – the Christmas and Summer Parties. So please do come and talk to me or any member of the committee if you are able to help with any of these roles. And finally, you may like to know that on the 10th March one of our most popular lecturers, Louise Schofield, is coming to the Menuhin Hall for the Area Special Interest morning. The lecture’s title is ‘From Troy to Mycenae: In Search of Homer’s Heroes’. If interested, please contact Ann Hollywood (tel 01883 71297 or email annholly34@hotmail.co.uk). Well lets hope the weather will have warmed up by our next lecture – and look forward to seeing you then. Shirley Chairman |
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Monday 2 January 2017 |
Chairman's January 2017 Newsletter |
Hello everyone I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas lecture and party. You’ll be pleased to know that we made just over £240 from the raffle, which almost paid for all the delicious food and drink served up (as committee members contribute the prizes). I also hope our ‘magical’ lecture proved to be a good precursor to you all having a wonderful Christmas, and that one of your New Year’s resolutions was to make the most of the exciting lecture programme we have organised for you in 2017. The first of these (11th January) is on ‘Renaissance Women: Artists, Patrons and Subjects’, when our lecturer, Sian Walters, will tell us about female artists such as Lavinia Fontana and Sofinisba Anguissola, and many other women who were artists in their own right or patrons of the art world, and indeed, in some cases, the subjects for the art work itself. These were highly accomplished and successful women ‘in a man’s world’ - Sofinisba in particular was highly admired by arguably the greatest artist of the Renaissance, Michelangelo himself. Sian will help to answer intriguing questions for us, such as ‘ how were these ladies able to make a living in the essentially male-dominated world of art?’, and ‘ why have they fallen into obscurity today’? She’ll also show us how the ways in which women were depicted in paintings and sculptures of the period tell us much about their place in society, and explain how independent women were when it came to commissioning works of art. Sian herself has a very accomplished background - having studied at Cambridge University, she then went on to specialise in 15th and 16th century Italian painting, Spanish art & architecture, and the relationship between dance and art. As well as being a NADFAS lecturer, Sian lectures at the National Gallery and Surrey University, teaches private courses, and organises lectures, study days and art holidays abroad. She has also lived in France and in Italy, where she worked at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice. I hope you’ll agree that this lecture, by examining and answering these questions about the intriguing role of women in art from 1400-1600, will make a different and interesting start to our 2017 lecture programme, and I look forward to seeing you there I have though one piece of sad news to share with you before I finish, and that is that one of our newer members, Linda McKinney, sadly passed away just before Christmas. Her family would like to invite those who knew her to a service being held at St Lawrence Church, Effingham, at 12pm on 9th January, and to join them afterwards at Sir Douglas Haig. For further details please contact Christine Munford on chrismunford01@gmail.com. So this sad news makes it particularly poignant when I send you all my very best wishes for a healthy and happy new year. Shirley Chairman |
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Saturday 10 December 2016 |
Chairman' December Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I'm aware that some of you are also Horsley U3A members and may have attended their November lecture at which they used the NADFAS accredited lecturer (Ian Keable) whom we had booked for our December lecture next week. We have therefore arranged with Ian for him to give us a lecture which will still refer to Dickens' playbills for his Magical Performances, but will concentrate more on Dickens as a conjuror. This ensures that those of you who attended the U3A lecture will have a new lecture experience next week, and for all of us it will mean we will have the added benefit of Ian performing many more conjuring tricks from Dicken's repertoire! So it should be both great fun and a great way to set us up for the Christmas party that follows the lecture. The title for the lecture is: The Secret World of Charles Dickens: Conjuring in life, letters & literature As I'm writing to you, I also thought I'd mention that if any of you are interested in tickets for the Opera outing (Tosca) to West Horsley Place on 28th June, please let Rhona know when you're at the lecture next week or, if you're unable to come to the lecture, please let us know if you'd like a ticket (tickets available are either £125 or £165). They will be on sale at the January lecture. Looking forward to seeing you at next week's lecture - I'm sure that it will conjure up a magical Christmas for us all! Best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Tuesday 1 November 2016 |
Chairman's November Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well our lecture on the Posters of the Golden Age of British Railways certainly got us off to a flying start. We then had a wonderful visit to St Martins Church and Barnet Hill Hotel the following week – beautiful murals and gardens. I shall definitely be taking friends and family to the hotel for afternoon tea so that I can wonder round their gardens again – and might be tempted to buy even more plants! Our next outing is to an evening concert at the Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday 7 February 2017, when the Royal Philarmonic Orchestra will be joined by Principal Guest Conductor and legendary violinist, Pinchas Zuckerman, who will be both conductor and soloist in this all Beethoven programme, including the exceptional Symphony no.7, as featured in the King’s Speech, the Egmont Overture, and the exquisite Violin Concerto, all portraying Beethoven at his most stirring and inspirational. The concert starts at 7.30pm, and the coach will leave KGV car park at 5pm, returning at 10pm, so we hope to be back at the car park by about 11:30pm Rhona has negotiated a generous reduction in ticket price, including a free concert programme, and so the cost, including the coach, is only £40, based on minimum ticket sales of 30 and a maximum of 50. Tickets will first go on sale at the November lecture. We are also pleased to confirm our summer visit to Highclere (home of Downton Abbey) on Monday 10th July 2017, and tickets will first go on sale at the April 2017 lecture. The visit includes a free flow tour of the house (Jacobean style), as well as the opportunity to wander round the gardens (designed by Capability Brown), and to view Highclere’s Egyptian collection, in what was their former wine cellar. Included in this exhibition is the family’s surviving items from the grave of Tutankhamen. Highclere, being the family seat of the Earls of Carnarvon, has important links to the important archaeological discovery of this 19-year-old boy pharaoh, buried in Egypt some 3,300 years ago and rediscovered by the fifth Earl and the archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. The exhibition includes artefacts from other digs during the Earl’s time in Egypt in the early 20th century: cartouches, delightful figurines and a (thankfully) empty sarcophagus. Also there is “the very blade that killed him”; a century-old, ivory-handled cutthroat razor, the handle bearing the wyvern crest of the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, peer of the realm, and most prominent victim of the “Curse of Tutankhamen” – the ghastly fate reserved for anyone who should disturb the journey of the pharaoh through his afterlife. It was with this razor that Carnarvon cut an inflamed mosquito bite while shaving, just after making the most important archaeological discovery of the 20th century. You may therefore be interested in watching ITV’s new autumn drama “Tutankhamen” (Sunday evenings at 9pm). But if you’ve missed the first few episodes, they’re available on ITV player. Also, as announced at our October lecture, we’re looking to organise a group visit to the opening season of Grange Park Opera at West Horsley Place. As the response to this idea at the lecture was so positive, please could you let Rhona know if you are interested (in principle) in being part of such a group, either by emailing Rhona or letting her know at one of the forthcoming lectures. Tickets are expected to be a minimum of £80. So, finally, I need to let you know about our 9th November lecture, which is titled ‘Gold of the Gods: Treasures of South America and the search for El Dorado’. Chloe Sayer, our lecturer, is a freelance specialist in the art and culture of Latin America. A Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute, she has lectured in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Mexico and New Zealand. She also travels on Central American cruises as the NADFAS lecturer for Swan Hellenic. Chloë has made ethnographic collections for the British Museum, and worked on a number of television documentaries for Channel 4 and the BBC, as well as curating several exhibitions of Mexican folk art. Chloe will show us how the ancient goldsmiths of Peru and Colombia produced some of the most spectacular treasures of South America. Adept at casting and hammering, they transformed this sacred metal into elaborate pendants and breastplates, ear-ornaments, musical instruments, flasks, human figures, funerary masks, and lifelike representations of birds and animals, with colour tones going from pale yellow to deepest red. But unfortunately Europeans saw gold as a commodity — the ultimate sign of wealth, and this gold was the magnet that lured Spanish conquistadors deep into the heart of Peru and Colombia. And so most of the golden treasures that the Spaniards found were melted down for bullion. However, those that survive are works of sacred art — the technically sophisticated creations of once-great cultures - and were often destined for temples, burial sites, and places of offering, as, for most societies in South America, gold had a spiritual importance, with its brilliance evoking the Sun — the golden disk that nourished the Earth. This dream of El Dorado lead many Europeans to risk their lives searching for 'the Golden One' - and whilst this was initially thought to be a lost city of gold, later tales referred to a person rather than a place: a king who each day covered his naked body with powdered gold and traversed a lake on a golden raft. This legend of El Dorado kept European explorers fascinated for over two centuries. A fascination that I am sure we will also enjoy at our lecture. Well, I hope this newsletter has wetted your appetite for our forthcoming programme of visits and lectures. So am looking forward to seeing you all in November Shirley Chairman |
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Monday 10 October 2016 |
Chairman's October Newsletter |
Hello Everyone This is just a short newsletter to remind you that we will be going full steam ahead when we start our new year of lectures next week on the 12th, as Charles Harris will be returning, this time to romance the rails - and share with us the best travel posters and their artists, and how they have closely reflected the evolution of British holidays - he'll cover the era of the Big Four: The Flying Scotsman, the Golden Arrows, the Belles and the Pullmans; this was the Golden Age of British Railways, lasting from 1923 to 1947. No wonder Betjeman still stands in awe at St Pancras. Charles is a global-award winning Creative Director of international advertising agencies and has lectured extensively on how design, illustration and photographic styles have influenced the building of brands. He has himself created posters for major brands including British Airways, Nestlé, Sony, General Motors and Shell. His travel writing and photography has appeared in Time, as well as various airline magazines. He has also written and produced several hundred TV and Radio commercials and corporate video programmes. And amongst all this he still manages to fit in time to be a member of Winchester DFAS! I also wanted to let you know that before our lecture, Yvonne will be selling tickets for our special interest outing on 20th October to St Martins Church in Blackheath(near Guildford), where we will discover the story behind the beautiful church murals and why they are there, and then move on to Barnet Hill Hotel - the grand house built for a grandson of Thomas Cook - where the Head Gardener will lead us on a tour of the historic garden which was designed to complement this grand house. Both are only open to group tours, and so this trip is a special opportunity for members to enjoy rare examples of art and garden design within our local area. Ticket price is £39.00 and includes the cost of two talks, the garden tour, coffee, lunch and coach journey. The coach leaves KGV car park at 10:15am, arriving back about 3:30pm. If you’d like to buy a ticket before the lecture next week, please contact Yvonne. Finally, I'm pleased to tell you that Rhona will be organising a trip to an evening concert at the Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday 7 February 2017, when the Royal Philarmonic Orchestra will be joined by Principal Guest Conductor and legendary violinist, Pinchas Zuckerman, who will be both conductor and soloist in this all Beethoven programme, including the exceptional Symphony no.7, as featured in the King’s Speech, and the exquisite Violin Concerto, both portraying Beethoven at his most stirring and inspirational. The concert starts at 7.30pm, and so we are organising a coach to take you there and bring you back (from KGV car park as usual). Tickets for this will first go on sale at the November lecture, and as these are likely to sell out quickly, I’ll give you more details and costs in my next newsletter. Looking forward to seeing you all next week Shirley Chairman |
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Thursday 1 September 2016 |
Chairman's September Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Thank you for renewing your membership subscriptions, and a very warm welcome to all our new members. For those who joined us during this last year we shall be sending out invitations to a coffee morning - this is an opportunity for you to meet the committee members and learn more about our society, as well as have a chance to get to know other new members. Well I hope you've enjoyed this long sunny spell of weather we've been having, and managed to find some cool shady spots for relief from the heat of the day. And I don't want to take you away from your deckchairs for too long, but thought I ought to let you know that all the tickets for the trip to the House of Lords and Apsley House on 29th September are now sold. Rhona is keeping a waiting list though, so if you'd like your name added to the waiting list please let us know. For those with tickets, just a reminder that the coach will leave the King George V car park promptly at 8:30am, and if you’ve an Art Fund or English Heritage ticket please don’t forget to bring your membership card with you. There are tickets still available for our special interest outing on 20th October to St Martins Church and Barnet Hill Hotel at Blackheath(near Guildford), where we will discover the story behind the beautiful church murals and why they are there, and then tour the historic garden designed to complement this grand house built for a grandson of Thomas Cook (led by the Head Gardener) - both are only open to group tours, and so this trip is a special opportunity for members to enjoy rare examples of art and garden design within our local area. Ticket price is £39.00 and includes cost of two talks & tour, coffee, lunch and coach journey - the coach leaves KGV car park at 10:15am, arriving back about 3:30pm. If you’d like to buy a ticket, please contact Yvonne on 07976 281060. Tickets will also be on sale at our October lecture. In the meantime of course, there’s the Heritage Open Days from 8th to 11th September, and if you want to find out more about the exciting places you can visit free of charge over this weekend, many not normally open to the public, please go to www.heritageopendays.org.uk/, where you can just look at what’s to see and do in Surrey, or go further afield, including London. Also, in the Autumn issue of the NADFAS Review, which I hope you have received, there is a special offer for NADFAS members for tickets to the WIZARDRY IN WOOD exhibition, 12-15 October at Carpenters’ Hall in the City of London. The exhibition is organised by the Worshipful Company of Turners and features beautiful and amazing works by over 70 of the world’s greatest contemporary woodturners. It is held every 4 years. One hundred tickets are available to NADFAS members for £10 which includes a free Catalogue.The Exhibition website is www.wizardryinwood.com and tickets are sold through Eventbrite. This includes the NADFAS special offer tickets which require the promotional code printed in the Autumn Review. A one page leaflet can be downloaded from the website: https://wizardryinwood.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/wizardry-in-wood-a4.pdf. And if you have been thinking about visiting the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition at Tate Modern, I can thoroughly recommend it (it’s on until the end of October), as well as taking the lift in the new wing up to the viewing gallery - the 360 degree view of London is absolutely stunning. Well, so much to see and do, which of course will be a theme within our first lecture of the season on 12th October when Charles Harris will be returning, this time to share with us the art of British Railway posters. But I’ll tell you more about this when I write to you again at the beginning of October. Until then, I look forward to seeing you on the House of Lords trip if you’re joining us, and for all of us let’s hope we have a wonderful indian summer. Shirley Chairman |
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Thursday 14 July 2016 |
Chairman's July Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well what fun Bertie’s lecture was yesterday! I also learnt so much about Commedia Dell’Arte and other influences on the development of the Punch and Judy Show. And it certainly put us in the mood for the Strawberries and Pimms afterwards! The raffle was very successful too, collecting £109 – many thanks to Naida and Jill for this. So we now have our summer break, with our next lecture in October being on ‘Romancing the Rails’, where Charles Harris will be back again, this time to show us the art of British Railway Posters (1923 – 1947) and help us reminisce about our summer holidays of the past. Our programme for next year includes a couple of other lecturers we’ve asked to return, due to popular demand - Anne Sebba and Chloe Sayer. But all the other lecturers will be new to us, although you may already have seen one or two, on TV programmes like the Antiques Roadshow, such as Susan Rumfitt, whose talk will be on the allure of imitation jewels. So if you’d like to know more about any of our lectures for next year, please do go to our website (www.horsleydfas.org.uk), where there is always information about each lecture for the forthcoming 12 months - for example, after our October 2016 lecture, you’ll also be able to read about the lecture programmed for October 2017 (which, by the way, will be on Rene Lalique). So I hope you agree that it looks an interesting and varied lecture programme planned for next year. And of course, before it even starts, we have our 29th September visit to London where we will take the Royalty and Splendour Tour of the House of Lords in the morning, followed by a visit to Apsley House in the afternoon. We still have a few places left, so if you are interested and would like a ticket, please just reply to this email, (ticket price is £48 (£41:45 for Art Fund/English Heritage Members). We also have the 20th October Local Interest Visit to St Martin's Church and Barnet Hill, Blackheath, Wonersh. Yvonne will be selling tickets for this at the October lecture, but, again, if you want to buy a ticket before then, please just reply to this email (ticket price is £39, including the cost of the coach, lecture & tour (both only available to group visits), light refreshments and lunch). And finally, as this will be my last newsletter to you all until September, I wanted to thank those who have sent or given Alma their subscriptions, and just give a gentle reminder to those who haven’t already renewed to let Alma know if you’d like to do so. So I will now look forward to seeing you all again, either on the London visit or at our October lecture. And in the meantime, wish you a relaxing and enjoyable summer, with the hope that we do eventually get some sunny summer days! With best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Friday 17 June 2016 |
Chairman's Second June Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I hope you all enjoyed our June lecture and its whistle stop tour of the Mediterranean and how its various cultures have enriched and influenced our lives. It certainly brought back happy memories of holidays there. Our next lecture though, on 13th July, will give us a slightly different take on summer holidays, when Bertie Pearce will tell (and demonstrate to) us about the Punch and Judy show and its links from Commedia Dell’Arte to the Present Day. He will explain how Mr Punch, the most famous puppet character of all time, appeared in England in 1662, and how he is descended from the Italian Clown Pulcinella of the 15th Century Commedia Del’Arte tradition, as well as giving “Punch” magazine its title. The lecture will explore how Mr Punch's anarchic vitality has inspired opera, ballet and modern music, as well as how his enduring popularity has seen his likeness on goods ranging from Victorian silverware to computer video games. Bertie will also show us how 'This Lord of Misrule' uses his slapstick to dispense with oppressive authority, while proclaiming his notorious refrain: "That’s the way to do it!". The lecture will then be followed by our first Summer Party, when we will be serving up Strawberries with Pimms (non-alcoholic summer drinks will also be available). Raffle tickets will be on sale prior to the lecture (just as we do at our Christmas Party), and prize winners will be announced during the party. Also prior to the lecture, we will have our AGM (starting at 10:15). If you attended the June lecture, you will have received the notice for our July AGM and the end of year accounts together with your subscription renewal letter & leaflet setting out our next year's programme. If you weren't able to attend the June lecture, these letters should arrive through your letter box in the next week or so, if not already. Please could you bring the AGM agenda with you to the July meeting. Alma will also be available to collect cheques for subscription renewals at the July lecture, if you would rather do this than posting. One of the things I'll be mentioning at the AGM is that Moira is retiring as our Secretary in July. We are extremely grateful to Moira for all she has done for our Society over the years, and she will be sorely missed on our committee. This does mean though that we will have a vacancy for this post, as we haven't received any nominees. So I do hope someone will come forward to help us in filling this role - and if you would like to know more what's involved before putting your name forward, please just chat to me or Moira at the July lecture. We will also be selling tickets at the July lecture - these will be for: - the 29th September visit to London where we will take the Royalty and Splendour Tour of the House of Lords in the morning, followed by a visit to Apsley House in the afternoon.Ticket price is £48 (£41:45 for Art Fund/English Heritage Members) - the 20th October Local Interest Visit to St Martin's Church and Barnet Hill, Blackheath, Wonersh. Ticket price is £39 including the cost of the coach, lecture & tour (both only available to group visits), light refreshments and lunch. In the meantime, there are still a few tickets available for the summer outing on 23rd June, where we will visit Kelmscott Manor and Buscot House and Park. If you would still like to purchase a ticket - please contact us. Ticket price is £55 for NT members, and for HHA Members it's £40:50. But if not a member of either of these, it's £63. If you are going on this visit, just a reminder that coach will leave KGV car park at 8.30 am, and arrive back sometime around 6.30 pm. Also, if you are a NT/HHA Member, please don't forget your card(s). So am very much looking forward to seeing those of you joining us on this visit, and, if not, at our July lecture. With best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Thursday 2 June 2016 |
Chairman's June Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I just wanted to write and let you know that our next lecture on 8th June is 'The Wonderful Mediterranean: Cradle of Cultures and Civilisations', when our lecturer Patricia Wright will explore with us how the Mediterranean has inspired artists and been a crucible for ideas. She will also tell us about the Empires that have come and gone over the centuries, and how all have been the richer for the interchange of discoveries, philosophies and art. I expect we all, as with previous generations, have enjoyed the Mediterranean's sun, colours, scenery, art, architecture, archaeology and cultures, whether through holidays, film, television and books, or through visiting museums and galleries. So we hope this lecture will bring back happy memories, add to what we already know about this fascinating part of the world, and get us into the mood for the summer holidays! I certainly hope it will remind us of warmer climes and sunny days, given the current weather we're experiencing! I also wanted to let you know that it is at this June meeting that we will be distributing the subscription renewal letters, together with the leaflet setting out our next year's programme of lectures and visits, as well as the notice for our July AGM and the end of year accounts, which I'm pleased to say are looking healthy. But don't worry if you are unable to make the lecture next week, as we will deliver the remaining envelopes by hand or by post. Rhona also wanted to let you know that there are still some tickets available for the summer outing on 23rd June, when we will visit Kelmscott Manor and Buscot House and Park. If you would like to purchase a ticket please contact us. Ticket price is £55 for NT members, and for HHA Members it's £40:50. But if not a member of either of these, it's £63. We will leave KGV car park at 8.30 am, and arrive back sometime around 6.30 pm. A light lunch will be provided at Kelmscott Manor, and should you wish, there is a shop and tearoom at Buscot Park to complete the day. It will be a great day out - Kelmscott Manor is in a lovely setting, surrounded by open countryside on the edge of the Cotswolds, the house having been built around 1660 for Thomas Turner, a wealthy yeoman farmer, and staying in the family for generations before being leased by William Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. It became Morris’s ‘heaven on earth’ and his country retreat for the rest of his life. It is a fascinating building with an important collection of possessions and works by Morris and his friends. The internal decor is much as it was left by Morris, as well as displaying many of his textile designs. And Buscot House has the spectacular Faringdon collection of paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Reynolds etc - my personal favourite is the Music Room containing the Legend of the Briar Rose by Burne Jones - wonderful paintings illustrating the story of the Sleeping Beauty. When Burne-Jones visited Buscot from nearby Kelmscott Manor, he designed a framework of carved and gilt wood for the paintings, and also painted connecting scenes so that you feel you have stepped into the Briar wood, and are surrounded by the spellbound sleepers. The garden is spectacular - there is a lovely walled garden with deep herbaceous borders, and you can see wonderful water features as you look from the top of the steps, as well as an Italian water garden (designed in 1904 by Harold Peto) which slopes away from the house to the lake. So am very much looking forward to this visit and to seeing you all on the 8th Best wishes Shirley Chairman |
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Wednesday 11 May 2016 |
Chairman's May Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well I hope this morning's lecture has encouraged you to get out into your gardens, weather permitting! I'm also pleased to tell you that we still have some tickets left for the visit on 23rd June to Oxfordshire, so if you would like one of the remaining tickets, they will be on sale at the June lecture -
cost is £63 (light lunch included), reducing to £55 for NT members (for HHA Members there’s a further reduction of £14:50). The coach will depart KGV car park at 8.30am, to arrive at Kelmscott at 10.30am (tea/coffee & biscuits on arrival), with lunch from 12:15pm. The coach will then leave for Buscot at 1.45pm, and depart for home at 4:30pm. Tickets for the London trip on 29th September will also be on sale at the June lecture. This trip will include the 'Royalty and Splendour Tour' of the House of Lords in the morning, and in the afternoon there will be a guided tour of Apsley House (with its wonderful address of Number One London!). Lunch is not included, so as to give you the flexibility to plan the rest of the day.The ticket cost is £48 - there is also a discounted ticket price of £41:45 for Art Fund and/or English Heritage Members. Please contact Rhona if you would like her to know that you are interested in this trip, ahead of the June lecture. And finally, please make sure you have our 13th July lecture in your diaries - not only will we have one of our favourite lecturers, Bertie Pearce, telling us about the art associated with the Punch and Judy show, but we will be celebrating before we break for the summer with 'Strawberries and Pimms' (non-alcoholic drinks will also available). This will be a first for our society, and we hope it will give you some extra time to socialise and get to know other members. In the meantime, we're looking forward to seeing you all at our next lecture on 8th June. Shirley Chairman |
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Wednesday 13 April 2016 |
Chairman's April Newsletter |
Hello Everyone What a whirlwind tour of Gilbert and Sullivan's operas this morning! I hadn't realised the number of musical, theatrical, political and celebrity connections, and all so wonderfully illuminated by Peter's live arias on the piano. You'll be pleased to know we've already booked Peter to come again! I hope you're now enjoying the afternoon sunshine, and let's hope that the weather is also kind to us for our outing to Exbury Gardens on 28th April. There are 3 places left on the coach, so please do ring me on 01372 454642, should you wish to purchase a ticket (cost is £48 and includes a two course light lunch, as well as a 45 minute introduction to the house and gardens).
This visit is linked to our May lecture which is 'Three Great Families and their Gardens: The Rothschilds, The Sackville-Wests, and the Astors'. Our lecturer, Caroline Rayman, will trace the history of these three families, discuss their contribution to life in England and celebrate the splendid gardens that they have created.
We'll also be taking bookings for our summer outing at the May lecture. This visit on 23rd June to Oxfordshire includes a tour of: - Kelmscott Manor (home of William Morris) - Buscot Park (home of the Faringdon collection) Cost is £63 (lunch included), reducing to £55 for NT members (for HHA Members there’s a further reduction of £14:50). Coach departs KGV car park at 8.30 am, to arrive at Kelmscott at 10.30 am (tea/coffee & biscuits on arrival), with lunch at 12.15 pm. Coach leaves for Buscot at 1.45pm, and departs for home at 4.30 pm.
Finally, please make sure you have our 13th July lecture in your diaries - not only will we have one of our favourite lecturers, Bertie Pearce, telling us about the Punch and Judy show, but we will be celebrating before we break for the summer with 'Strawberries and Pimms'. This will be a first for our society, and we hope it will give you some extra time to socialise and get to know other members. In the meantime, we're looking forward to seeing you all at our next lecture on 11th May. Shirley Chairman |
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Friday 11 March 2016 |
Chairman's March Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well after Wednesday's lecture, I for one shall never look at a Constable painting again in the same way! I do hope you found the lecture as fascinating and as illuminating as I did. We are also lucky that we can go and check out this new understanding by visiting the Constable Exhibition currently showing at The Lightbox,Woking. Please click on the link below to find out more: https://www.thelightbox.org.uk/john-constable-observing-the-weather-exhibition We have another wonderful lecture planned for you in April too. One of our favourite lecturers, Peter Medhurst, will be back to talk and play for us on 13th April - this time he will be telling us about the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, and the lecture will be illustrated with live arias accompanied on the piano.
Peter will also tell us how each of the 14 operas on which they collaborated drew inspiration from the world in which they lived - which is why they are so rich in contemporary satire and witty personal allusions, with celebrities, politicians, social mores, manners, artistic taste, the class system – even Queen Victoria’s red drawing room at Windsor Castle – poked fun at. For example:
- Gilbert himself was the model for the Judge, in Trial By Jury
- Oscar Wilde inspired Bunthorne the fleshly poet in Patience
- and the first Lord of the Admiralty, WH Smith, became the model for Sir Joseph Porter KCB in HMS Pinafore But since this Wednesday's lecture, we've already had our special interest outing to the Watts Gallery. This was very enjoyable - and their restoration of the Studio is magnificent - so if you weren't able to make the outing yesterday, I do recommend you visit the newly opened Studio. Which leads me on to our next outing - to Exbury Gardens on 28th April, when their rhododendrons and azaleas will be at their best - and if you weren't able to make this week's lecture and so make your booking for this visit, please do ring me on 01372 454642. Also to remind you that we are very happy for you to bring friends and family along with you on a visit. The ticket cost is £48 and includes a two course light lunch, as well as a 45 minute introduction to the house and gardens.
These gardens were created by the Rothschilds, and this visit is linked to our May lecture on 'Three Great Families and their Gardens: The Rothschilds, The Sackville-Wests and the Astors'. We have also received a message from a Mr Stephen Hubbuck (email: swhubbuck@gmail.com) who wonders if we can help him please. He is trying to contact the relatives of Freda Tremlett, who was an artist and lived in East Horsley until she died in 2006. Also a Michael Buckland and Denis Moore who were artist potters, who lived at Green Dene Croft, East Horsley. He has recently bought a Victorian caravan which used to belong to both families at different times, and is researching the van history. It was drawn and painted by Freda Tremlett, and he believes it was originally a horse drawn showman's caravan. He would be most grateful for any information you could provide, by contacting him via his email address above. So all that remains is for me to wish you all a very happy Easter, and look forward to seeing you all on 13th April Shirley Chairman |
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Wednesday 10 February 2016 |
Chairman's February Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Well wasn’t today’s lecture a feast for the eyes, and such fun too! And as promised, I have attached below the artists’ recipes that Ghislaine sent me for you to try out! It was so interesting to see how art from time immemorial has been influenced by food, cooking and cuisine, when our Royal Academy visit, only last week, showed us how gardens and their design, together with the artists’ own interest in gardening, has also influenced art over the years. And talking of gardens, Rhona will be taking bookings for the Exbury Garden Visit (near Southampton) at our March and April lectures. The visit day is 28th April, and we will be visiting when these gardens (created by the Rothschilds) will be exhibiting their wonderful display of azaleas and rhododendrons. Ticket cost is £35 (not including lunch). We will depart KGV car park at 9.30 am, to arrive at a local pub at 11.30 am for lunch, and arrive at Exbury gardens for a Meet and Greet at 1.30 pm. This will include a 45 min talk about the history of the house and gardens. There will then be time to wander round the gardens until the coach leaves at 4pm. And if you can’t make this date, then we still have another visit for you – it’s on 23rd June when we will travel to Oxfordshire, going first to Kelmscott Manor (home of William Morris) and then, after lunch, on to Buscot Park (home of the outstanding Faringdon Art Collection). Rhona will be selling tickets for this trip at our May and June lectures. But well before then we have more exciting lectures for you, our next one being on 9th March, when our lecturer, Sarah Cove, will tell us about Constable’s famous ‘six-footers’, including some of his most well-loved paintings: The White Horse (1819), The Haywain (1821), The Leaping Horse (1825) and Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows (1831). These compositions were derived from small pencil and oil studies, and for each, Constable painted a full-size sketch. These ‘six-foot’ sketches were unique and extraordinary creations for the early 19th century, and were unseen by all but his closest friends during his lifetime. We are very lucky to have booked Sarah for this lecture as she is the foremost authority on Constable's painting materials and techniques, and is joint author of the 'Constable' and 'Constable's Six-Footers' (Tate Britain) exhibition catalogues. Her background is in Fine Art, with a BA (Hons) in History of Art (from the Courtauld Institute). She is also an Accredited Easel Paintings Conservator, and a Fellow of the British Association of Paintings Conservator-Restorers as well as the International Institute for the Conservation and Preservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Her particular specialism is in historic painting techniques, especially British 16th-17th century and 19th-20th century, and as well as extensive lecturing and teaching experience, she was a Visiting Fellow at Yale in 1989, and has done internships at both the V&A and National Portrait Gallery. Sarah will be using her knowledge from the extensive technical research she undertook for a detailed catalogue essay for the ‘Constable: The Great Landscapes’ exhibition (Tate Britain) to share with us Constable’s diverse painting methods, and she will also bring to life his dynamic personality and artistic temperament, revealing a ‘Jackson Pollock of the 1830s’. The lecture will be illustrated with Sarah’s own highly detailed colour slides taken during studio examinations of the paintings in preparation for the Tate exhibition. You will never look at these ‘chocolate box’ pictures in the same way again! So am very much looking forward to this lecture and seeing you all on the 9th. Shirley Goodwin Chairman Ghislaine and Michael Howard ‘The Art of Cuisine and the Cuisine of Art’ - A Selection of Recipes An artist painting the delights of the table can do something chefs can only dream of - they can preserve the joy of food forever in a fabulous concoction of line, colour and texture whereas a cook's creation is gone in a moment. Dishes Leonardo da Vinci would have known well Leonardo was renowned as a vegetarian - but its now thought that in his famous painting of The Last Supper features sliced eel with oranges, but you’ll need to find your own recipe for that! Grape and Olive Brochette 1 bunch seedless red grapes 1 jar (or equivalent) Kalamata olives, pits removed 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme (optional) Mix all ingredients in an ovenproof dish and bake uncovered for one hour at 350 degrees, turning the fruit every twenty minutes with a spoon to re-coat them with the oil and vinegar. Serve warm or cold with soft goat cheese on crusty bread or with crackers, or use as a side dish with fish or poultry. Porcini Carpaccio Preparation: 5 minutes Serves: 4 4 porcini mushrooms Parmesan, shaved Extra virgin olive oil Lemon juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1.Using a small pairing knife remove the dirt from the base of the mushrooms, use a pastry brush or a soft toothbrush to clean the remaining surface. Never wash Porcini! 2. Slice the mushrooms very thinly and lay them on a warm serving plate. 3. Season with salt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Top with a light coating shaved Parmesan. Roasted Pumpkin/squash 1 (1 1/2 pound) pumpkin/squash, peeled and diced into 1inch cubes olive oil 1 tablespoon honey salt and pepper 1/2 cup apple cider 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 shallot, minced 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the pumpkin/squash on a sheet pan. Add the honey, salt and pepper to taste and just enough olive oil to coat, toss and roast 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. 2. While pumpkin is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. 3. When the pumpkin is tender, place in a large bowl and mix with the grated Parmesan and the cider and shallot mixture. Toss well and serve. Serves 6 Risi e Bisi, Saffron Risotto (with Duck) and Mushrooms 4 cups beef or chicken stock 1/8 teaspoon ground saffron 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup finely minced scallions 1/4 cup finely minced onions 1 pound fresh wild mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and sliced (see note) 1 1/2 cups Italian Arborio rice Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano - Reggiano cheese 1. Place stock in a saucepan and over medium heat bring to a simmer. Add saffron, stir, and simmer. Meanwhile, in a larger saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter in olive oil. When foam subsides, add scallions and onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and yellow but not browned. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally until liquid has evaporated. 2. Add rice to mushrooms, and cook, stirring to coat well, with butter and oil. Add approximately 3/4 cup of simmering stock to rice and mushrooms. Stir well and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until rice has absorbed most of stock. Continue adding stock to rice by half-cupful adding only after rice has absorbed previous addition. 3. As cooking continues, stir more frequently. After 25 minutes, all the stock should be absorbed, and rice should be tender but still chewy. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in remaining butter and 1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately, passing the rest of the cheese. Monet’s Mushrooms 1 pound wild mushrooms 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1/2 tablespoon sea salt 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 springs parsley, chopped 1/2 tea spoon freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 325F Peel mushrooms and separate the caps form the stems. Finely chop the stems, range in a shallow cooking dish and place caps on top of them Sprinkle with oil an drake for 20 minutes or until the soil is transparent. In a small bowl combine the Gallic and parsley Remove the mushrooms from the oven and sprinkle with garlic mixture Season with salt and pepper to taste Return to oven and bake an additional 20 minutes, basting at 5 and 15 minutes with liquid from the pan. Ghislaine Howard’s Wonderful Stilton Soup Serves 6-8 people, served with bread of your choice. Olive oil 1 onion, roughly chopped 1 small bunch of thyme, stalks removed 5 sticks of celery, leaves removed and roughly chopped 5 pears, cored and roughly chopped Zest of one lemon Swirl of cream Chives 1.6 l vegetable stock 125g stilton, crumbled Pour a generous amount of olive oil into the bottom of a medium sized saucepan, add the onion, cook on a medium heat until the onion starts to soften. Remove the cores of the pears and chop roughly. Add the pears (cores removed and chopped into manageable chunks) and celery, stir and and cook for a further 5 minutes or so, until the pears should start to produce a little juicy liquid. Now add the vegetable stock and lemon zest, bring the pot to the boil and then leave to simmer covered for 20 minutes or so. Remove from the heat, allow the soup to cool a little before adding the stilton and blending. with handheld blenders in the saucepan. Garnish with sins of chives and add a twirl of cream on top if desired Michael’s equally famous pesto tarts Take a sheet of puff pasty ready rolled, cut four rounds or as many as you wish, using a saucer, lightly indent a smaller circle within the circle to give raised edge. Place pasty discs on a baking tray and within smaller circle spread pesto, half black olive and chopped, de-seeded tomatoes. Brush edges with beaten egg and bake in a hot oven for approximately ten to twelve minutes.(you can embellish this simple recipe in many ways - adding shavings of parmesan, a thin slice of camembert or goats chess, using sundried tomatoes - they can also be baked in vol-au-vent cases. Cézanne Provencal Potatoes 3 tablespoons olive oil 11/2lb (750g) small new potatoes 12 cloves of garlic sea salt Freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley Warm the olive oil in a flameproof earthenware casserole or heavy sauté pan over a low heat. Add the potatoes and garlic cloves and season to taste with salt. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 40 minutes. Shake the pan from time to time to turn the potatoes over. When removing the lid to check their progress, do not tilt it, and be sure to wipe it dry before putting it back in place. Just before serving, grind some pepper, sprinkle with the parsley and toss the contents of the pan well. Serves 4 (The French don’t eat potato skins, so you can peel potatoes at table, or, like us, just eat them the way they are.) Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse and Bonnard all lived in Provence - Cézanne was born here. There's an Italian flavour to the food grown and harvested here. Olives, almonds, artichokes, shellfish and especially squid (flash fired squid with Pernod) are among the staples. Some of the most popular Provence dishes in Cézanne's day have endured. Bouillabaisse, a fish stew in tomato broth, Ratatouille, a Provencal stew, is rich in vegetables and served as a summer dish, Pistou soup, essentially a pesto soup that celebrates the region's plethora of basil, as well as, a traditional Provence liquor flavoured with anise., Coq au vin, braised chicken steeped in red wine and vegetables, is another staple. Cézanne's still lives often depicted precarious arrangements of pears, apples, cherries and other produce in ways that celebrate the rich beauty and bounty of food.. Cézanne once wrote: ’I will conquer Paris with an apple. . . . Fruits . . . like having their portrait painted. They seem to sit there and ask your forgiveness for fading. Their thought is given off with their perfumes. They come with all their scents, they speak of the fields they have left, the rain which has nourished them, the daybreaks they have seen.’ Renoir’s Soupe au Pistou 21/2 (2.5l) quart of water 1 piece red or yellow fleshed winter squash, about 1lb (500g), peeled seeded and cut into 1/2 inch (12cm) cubes 1lb (500g) fresh white (coco) shell beans or half cranberry and half white shell beans, shelled) 1 large bouquet garni: bay leaves, fresh sprigs of parsley, thyme, and basil twined together 1lb (500g) potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and thickly sliced crosswise 2 sweet white onions, thinly sliced 2 leek, including the tender green parts, thinly sliced 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped 1/2lb (250g) carrots, peeled split lengthwise and thickly sliced 5oz (150g) green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch (12mm) lengths 2 small courgettes, coarsely sliced Large handful of short macaroni or broken spaghetti Pistou: 4/6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped Large pinch of sea salt Large handful of fresh basil leaves and flower buds, washed 6 fl oz (180ml) extra virgin olive oil About 2oz (60g) Parmesan cheese 1. Pour water into a large saucepan and add the squash, shell beans, bouquet garni and salt to taste. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook at a gentle boil for 20-30 minutes. Add potatoes, onions, leeks, tomatoes and carrots, return to the boil, cover and cook for about 30 minutes longer. Add the green beans, courgettes and pasta and cook for about 15 minute slinger. 2. While the soup is cooking, prepare the pistou. Place the salt, pepper to taste, garlic and basil in a mortar and pound with a wooden pestle until everything is reduced to a liquid paste. Grate in some of the cheese, then pound and turn the mixture until it is a stiff paste. Dribble in some of the olive oil, turning the paste all the while until it becomes liquid again. Add more cheese, then more oil and so forth, until you are satisfied with the quantity. Precise measurements are of no importance. `scrape the pestle clean with a tablespoon and place the mortar and spoon at the table. 3. Remove and discard the bouquet garni from the soup pot and place the pot on the table. Ladle out generous helpings of the soup and let each guest season his or he down with pistou to taste - normally, a scant teaspoon of pistou to each full bowl - Re-heat the soup before second helpings! Monet’s Leek and Potato Soup Leek and Potato Soup (Soupe aux poireaux et pommes de terre ) Adapted from Monet's Table : The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet 4-6 servings 4 Tbl. (1/4 cup) Normandy butter) 5-6 leeks, depending upon size 4 cups of very hot water 1 tsp. salt (or more, to taste) 4 large potatoes Cut off the dark green leaves on the leeks and discard. Cut off the roots and admire how cute they look, almost like spiders. Then toss them as well. Wash leeks with cold water and slice through the leeks lengthwise, cut them into about 1/2inch slices. Set aside for a moment. Heat a 4 quart (or larger) saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add butter, let it melt and begin to bubble, add leeks. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until they soften. Avoid browning to prevent leeks from becoming bitter. Slowly pour in very hot water. Sprinkle in salt. Cover and bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, peel potatoes, quarter potatoes, then slice thinly potatoes. After the 45 minutes are up, uncover the pot, add the potatoes and recover. Return to a simmer, then cook for an additional 20 minutes. Ladle soup into individual bowls. Serve hot. Monet’s Toasts à la Canelle - Cinnamon Toast 6-8 servings Tea was served in the afternoon under the lime trees, on the balcony or near the pond. Items served included scones, chestnut cookies, madeleines (a French speciality baked in a special mould - see below) and cinnamon toast. Often nowadays thought of as a children’s treat, but Monet loved it and served it at teatime to his guests. Remove crusts (if desired) and cut each slice into 4 triangles, or lily-pad shapes! 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 5 tsp. ground cinnamon 12 slices bread Preheat oven to 450F. With a wooden spoon, combine butter, sugar and cinnamon into a paste, either smooth or less than smooth according to taste. Spread the mixture over one side of each bread slice. With a sharp knife, cut crust from the bread slices. Place bread slices on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until butter starts to bubble. Remove toasts to a cutting board and carefully (they easily crumble) cut each slice crossways into 4 triangles. Serve immediately, preferably with tea - or a tisane: From Marcel Proust’s great novel written between 1913-27. A la recherché du temps perdu (Remembrance of Things Past.) In volume one, ‘Swann's Way: Within a Budding Grove’. the following beautiful passage occurs, one of the most famous in all literature. This translation is by C.K. Scott Moncrieff and Terence Kilmartin. ‘Many years had elapsed during which nothing of Combray, save what was comprised in the theatre and the drama of my going to bed there, had any existence for me, when one day in winter, on my return home, my mother, seeing that I was cold, offered me some tea, a thing I did not ordinarily take. I declined at first, and then, for no particular reason, changed my mind. She sent for one of those squat, plump little cakes called "petites madeleines," which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell. And soon, mechanically, dispirited after a dreary day with the prospect of a depressing morrow, I raised to my lips a spoonful of the tea in which I had soaked a morsel of the cake. No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory - this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. I had ceased now to feel mediocre, contingent, mortal. Whence could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy? I sensed that it was connected with the taste of the tea and the cake, but that it infinitely transcended those savours, could, no, indeed, be of the same nature. Whence did it come? What did it mean? How could I seize and apprehend it?’ Picasso’s favourite tisane: A tisane is a drink consisting of one or more kinds of herbs. Such as: Leaf: lemongrass, French verbena, mint Flower: lavender, rose, chamomile Seed: fennel, cardamom, pumpkin seed Bark: slippery elm, cinnamon, willow bark Root: chicory, ginger, turmeric Fruit: apple, peach, blueberry How to Prepare Tisane Tea As an infusion, simply pour hot water over the tisane and let it steep for a while. Then, strain the tisane before consumption. Or you can place the tisane in a non-aluminum pot with cool water, put the pot on the stove, and bring the water to a boil. Boil the tisane until two-thirds of the water has evaporated, and strain before consumption. Some herbs only need to be steeped for a couple of minutes, while others need to be steeped for up to 15 minutes. Most purchased herbal teas ask for one or two teaspoons of dried herb per cup of water. Double that amount if you’re using fresh herbs. Picasso loved particularly ‘tisane des cinq fleurs’, from Dr Henri Leclerc’s recipe : Fleurs de lavande 20 g Fleurs de souci 10 g Fleurs de bourrache 10 g Fleurs de genêt 10 g Fleurs de pensée sauvage 10 g Tisane fébrifuge, anti-inflammatoire, diurétique et diaphorétique. Pour les maladies infectieuses et la fièvre. Une c. à soupe pour une tasse d’eau bouillante (150 ml), laissez infuser 10 mn. Boire 3 à 4 tasses par jour. - who needs wine? Jackson Pollock’s Spaghetti with Clams Pollock would gather his clams from the nearby bay. INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon salt, plus more for seasoning 1 pound dried spaghetti, or linguine 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 2 cans (6 ounces each) chopped clams, with their juice 1/4 cup dry white wine 1 cup milled or crushed canned Italian plum tomatoes 1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes Freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt generously. Add spaghetti, and cook until slightly underdone, about 7 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Set aside. 2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chile pepper; cook until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add clams and white wine, and raise heat to high. Bring to a boil; cover, and cook, shaking occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, until clams open. Stir in parsley. Transfer to a bowl; set aside. 3. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add reserved pasta water and lemon juice; reduce until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter. Add clam mixture and spaghetti. Cook over medium-low heat until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with parsley. Jackson Pollock’s Spaghetti Bolognese Authentico (sort of) He learnt his recipe for Bolognese sauce from Rita Benton, the wife of Thomas Hart Benton’s, who was Pollock’s first teacher and life-long mentor, ‘It was obvious from the first that Pollock was a born artist. All I taught him was how to drink a fifth (of Bourbon) a day.’ Serves four people Ingredients: 1 chorizo sausage 2 tbsp olive oil 6 rashers of streaky 'pancetta' bacon, chopped 2 large onions, chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 2 carrots, chopped Stick of celery 1kg (2.lb) lean minced beef 2 large glasses of red wine 2x400g cans chopped tomatoes 2 fresh or dried bay leaves salt and freshly ground black pepper 800g-1kg (1.-2.lb) dried spaghetti - or tagliatelle freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve 1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and fry the chunks of chorizo, break it into small pieces so it crumbles - set to one side whilst you 2. Fry the bacon until golden over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, frying until softened. Increase the heat and add the minced beef. Fry it until it has browned. Pour in the wine and boil until it has reduced in volume by about a third. Reduce the temperature and stir in the tomatoes and celery. 3. Cover with a lid and simmer over a gentle heat for 1-1. hours until it's rich and thickened, stirring occasionally. Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain and divide between plates. Sprinkle a little parmesan over the pasta before adding a good ladleful of the sauce. Finish with a further scattering of cheese and a twist of black pepper. Jackson Pollock developed his distinctive style of painting from working on unstretched canvas on the floor of his barn studio. He noticed how his paint dripped from his brush and made a virtue of the qualities of the poured line. He dripped, dribbled and poured the paint creating puddles, pools and whip-like looping lines, entwined together un a mesh he used a wide, stiff brush which holds more paint, a stick - creating a thinner line, he used housepaint, aluminium paint, thick and thinned, controlling its viscosity - coiling, vibrating line. ‘I have no fears about making changes, destroying the image... because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess.’ - just like eating spaghetti. Andy Warhol’s Tomato soup First, buy a tin of Campbell’s tomato soup, take it home, wait until you are ready to dine and then: open tin (carefully), pour contents into a pan, (without splashing, the pan not too big, not too small) over a medium heat and stir (not too vigorously, but not too gently either) wait about five minutes and then pour into a bowl (and don’t forget to wash the pan, dishes and spoons when you’ve finished - I’m sure Andy did.) Mark Rothko’s Birthday Apple Pie For the Crust; 1/2lb butter 2 cups flour, plus more as needed 2 tablespoons sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup cold water For the Filling; 6 semisweet apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced 1/4 cup raisins or currants Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon 2 egg yolks, beaten 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts 1. Combine the butter, flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Blend well, adding water slowly. When a ball of dough forms, split it in half, wrap each half in wax paper, and refrigerate 1 hour until firm. 2. Combine apples, raisins or currants, lemon juice, and rind in bowl. Mix well. 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball of dough and press into a 10-inch pie plate. Fill with the apple filling. Roll out the second ball of dough and cover the pie. Use the tongs of a fork to seal the bottom and the top crust. Make several holes in the top of the crust with the fork. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with the nuts. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Toulouse-Lautrec’s Sole with White Wine Serves Two 500g (1lb) whole Dover sole A knob of butter 500g/8oz mushrooms, sliced 500g/8oz shelled shrimps 6-8 cockles 12-16 mussels Enough water to steam the mussels 120ml (4fl oz) white wine A sprinkling of breadcrumbs A sprinkling parsley Salt and pepper In a well-buttered, enamelled earthenware dish lay out the sole, belly upwards. Dot with butter. Garnish with mushrooms sautéed in butter, half a pound of shelled shrimp, a litre of mussels, half a litre of cockles - previously well washed, cooked and removed from their shells. Reserve the liquid from the mussels to boil with the shrimp shells and some water to create a stock. Pour a good glass of white wine over the sole and then cover with the strained stock. Put it on the fire and let it simmer uncovered for 20 to 40 minutes, according to the size of the sole, and let the sauce reduce. At the last moment, dot the sole with butter, sprinkle with breadcrumbs worked with parsley, salt, pepper; use very little salt because of the salted liquid of the mussels. Toulouse-Lautrec’s Bordelaise Fish Soup Serves 4 - so he says! 3tbsp butter 2tbsp flour A couple sprigs of parsley A handful watercress Half a fennel, sliced Half a lemon, chopped 2 laurel leaves A small sprig of thyme 21/2kg (5lb) fish heads and bones, to make the stock (optional! - you are allowed to make/ use your own stock) 5 aromatic peppercorns A small pinch of saffron, enough to colour it 2 cloves A sprinkling of red cayenne pepper 5 litres (8 3/4 pints) water, for the stock 1lb fish, such as turbot, sole, brill, sea bass or haddock 5 or 6 cloves garlic 1 egg yoke Enough oil to make mayonnaise Toasted croutons, to serve In a large marmite make a roux in which you wilt fines herbes - parsley, water cress, fennel, lemon, laurel, thyme. Put in 5lb of mixed common sea fish: e.g. turbot, sole, brill, sea bass, haddock, hake, whiting, red mullet, plaice or red gurnard. (i.e. your stock). Add salt, white and aromatic peppercorns, saffron, cloves and red cayenne pepper. Moisten with water to the height of the fish and boil until the fish fall completely apart. In the meantime, in this bouillon you will have cooked, and removed from the pot, a whole choice fish which is to be eaten: turbot, sole, brill, sea bass, haddock. When the bouillon is reduced, throw in the following paste made separately: in a marble mortar crush five or six cloves of garlic; add salt, an egg yolk, and, little by little, two or three decilitres of oil, stirring continuously with the pestle to have a paste of the same kind as mayonnaise. Let the fish bouillon simmer for another good quarter of an hour, then strain it and pour it into a deep dish over some toasted croutons. Serve boiling hot to go with the choice fish which should be eaten at the same time. And finally a recipe from Toulouse-Lautrec: Lemon Tart: Tarte au Citron ‘Lay some tart pastry on an open pie dish, covering the sides. Pour over it the following mixture: Beat three whole eggs as if for an omelette, add their weight in granulated sugar, the juice of a lemon and its grated zest, and seventy grammes of butter cut into small pieces Put in a moderate oven for 20 minutes at 375◦’ |
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Wednesday 13 January 2016 |
Chairman's January Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I hope you enjoyed our January lecture today, and that it has brought a new zest to taking photographs! Our next lecture on 10th February is 'The Cuisine of Art and the Art of Cuisine'.This lecture should be a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds, and an inspiration for your cooking and looking. It will feature the art, anecdotes and recipes of artists who loved their food. Our lecturer, Ghislaine Howard, will tell us how Toulouse Lautrec was famous in his day for his truly fabulous meals and infamous cookbook, and how Renoir introduced Paris to the pleasures of Provencal peasant cooking, as well as about Monet, Cezanne, Picasso and many others interested in painting and experiencing cuisine. Ghislaine Howard is a painter of national reputation named as 'Woman of The Year 2008' for her contribution to art and society. She has exhibited widely at many prestigious venues such as Manchester Art Gallery, Canterbury Cathedral and the Imperial War Museum North, and has work in major public collections, including The Royal Collection. She has featured in various publications and television documentaries, including Degas: An Old Man Mad about Art (1996) and Degas and the Dance (2004), which was awarded the prestigious international Peabody Award. She has worked on commissioned projects with various diverse communities including theatres, prisons, the BBC, Women’s Refuges and cathedrals as well as with major organisations such as Amnesty International. Her 25 foot high Visitation Altarpiece can be seen in Trinity Chapel at Liverpool Hope University. I am thrilled that three of you expressed your interest today in joining our committee to help in running our society. As we are currently a committee of only 6, we really need additional help so that we can share the various jobs involved in organising the programme of lectures & visits, social events(eg Christmas Party) and publicity, as well as having reserves in case of illness. We also need a replacement in September for Moira who is our secretary (producing the agenda and minutes for our committee meetings - only 6 per year). Being a committee member doesn't mean you have to attend the six committee meetings, especially if committees aren't your sort of thing or you can't afford the time. But being a committee member means that you are invited, with partners, to come on our committee outing (to a house/museum and/or garden of artistic interest that only takes small groups) and to an end of year lunch - always great fun! So if you would like to know more about the sorts of help you could give, or there is something you would be interested in helping us with, please do just let me or anyone of the committee know. WE NEED YOU! I also hope you liked our new arrangement for greeting you as you arrived for the lecture this morning - we do so want you to feel welcomed and to enjoy your morning with us, so please let us know if you have any suggestions for improvements to the way we run our lecture mornings. Well, now on to our next visits - and as the London trip on Thursday February 4th takes place before our next lecture, I just wanted to remind those of you going on the visit that everyone needs to be at the George V car park in Effingham before 8:30 please so that the coach can leave promptly. Also, if you are a Friend of the RA please don't forget to take your Membership Card! There are still some tickets left for our Special Interest Outing to the Watts Gallery (Compton, Guildford) on 10th March. Ticket cost is £17 (just £12:50 for Art Fund Members and only £9 for Friends of the Gallery). The ticket cost covers the morning tour of Limnerslease (Watts’ home) and exploring the newly opened Great Studio, with free access to the gallery, exhibition and chapel for the whole day (plus refreshments are provided on arrival). There is the option to stay on for a private lunch – cost is £11 (or you can use the gallery's café). There is also the option to stay on in the afternoon and spend more time visiting the gallery and exhibition (free of charge), but for an extra £3 you can have the curator led tour of the exhibition Poetry in Beauty: The Pre-Raphaelite Art of Marie Spartali Stillman. Please don't be put off coming on this visit (and being one of the first to see the newly opened studio!) just because you don't drive and/or have a car - we will arrange car sharing for those who don't. So when booking, we would be grateful if you could let Yvonne know: - if you are able to offer a lift, OR - if you require a lift I also promised to let you have more information about our other trips for 2016. Rhona will be taking bookings for the Exbury Garden Visit at our March and April lectures. Ticket cost is £35 for our visit on 28th April to Exbury Gardens (near Southampton). These gardens were created by the Rothschild's, and we will be visiting when their wonderful display of azaleas and rhododendrons should be in full bloom. Lunch is not included in the ticket price, but we will be stopping at a local inn for lunch on the way. Our final visit for the year is on 23rd June to Oxfordshire where we'll have a guided tour of Kelmscott Manor (home of William Morris) and then, after lunch (included in the price), we'll visit Buscot Park (home of the outstanding Faringdon Art Collection), where you'll be able to wander round the house, explore the art collection and enjoy the garden. Ticket cost is £66 or £58 if a National Trust Member, £51:50 if a Historic Houses Association Member, and £43:50 if members of both! Rhona will be selling tickets for this trip at our May and June lectures. You may also be interested in the East Surrey Special Interest Morning on 11th March (10am - 1pm). The lecture is 'The King, the Baker, the Architect and the Man who buried his Cheese - the story of the Great Fire of London'. The lecturer is Jo Walton. Cost is £18.50 and includes coffee/tea on arrival and coffee/tea during the interval. If interested please contact Mrs Ann Hollywood at Kames 34 Park Road Limpsfield RH8 0AW, enclosing a cheque payable to NADFAS East Surrey Area, your contact details and a stamped addressed envelope (22 x 11 cm) to be sent your ticket. Well, let's hope we have snow free weather for our next lecture. See you then, if not before when on our London trip! Shirley Goodwin Chairman |
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Friday 11 December 2015 |
Chairman's December Newsletter |
Hello Everyone I hope you enjoyed our Christmas lecture and lunch, and what a lovely sunny day for it too! Congratulations to those successful in our raffle! You'll be pleased to know that we collected £187, which is all profit since the committee (present and past) contributed the prizes - this will make a significant contribution to the costs of the Christmas lunch and means we could think of having perhaps a 'Summer Pimms' after our June or July lecture. Now that's a nice thought on a wintery day - remembering those lazy, hazy summer afternoons ........ And looking ahead to the new year, we have two tickets left for our London trip on 4th February. So if you're interested, please do ring or email me before Christmas, as Rhona has to confirm numbers with the RA and the Queens Gallery by the end of December, and send them their cheques. So, all that remains for me to do is to wish you all a very happy Christmas, and to remind you to make a note for your 2016 diaries and calendars that our first lecture in the new year is on 13th January. It's on 'Photography as Fine Art', and our lecturer is Brian Stater. Brian has taught architectural history at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, since 1997 and has been a lecturer with NADFAS since 2003. He is a member of the Association for Historical and Fine Art Photography, and an exhibition of his own photographs has been staged at UCL, including work with a pre-War Leica camera as used by, amongst many others, his great hero Henri Cartier-Bresson. Brian will be asking and answering the questions: what is fine art and could we? - should we? - accept that the very best photographs can be regarded as Fine Art? He will be sharing with us the arguments that photography can equal the more traditional disciplines of portraiture, landscape and still life, as well as photography carving out its own area of excellence in depicting the human condition. Brian will be illustrating this with the works of some of the acknowledged masters of photography, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Fay Godwin, Bill Brandt, Ansel Adams and Wolfgang Tillmans. Having heard Brian speak before, I know this will be an engaging and amusing lecture which will both entertain and inform. We'll never look at our holiday photos in the same way again! Yvonne will also be taking bookings at our January lecture for the Special Interest Outing to the Watts Gallery (Compton, Guildford) on 10th March.The ticket cost is £17 (with a reduced price of £12:50 for Art Fund Members and £9 for Friends of the Gallery), and covers the morning tour of Limnerslease (Watts’ home) and exploring the newly opened Great Studio, with free access to the gallery, exhibition and chapel for the whole day (plus refreshments provided on arrival). If you choose the option to stay on for a private lunch, the additional cost is £11 (or you can just use the gallery's café). There is also the option to stay on in the afternoon and spend more time visiting the gallery and exhibition (free of charge), but for an extra £3 you can have the curator led tour of the exhibition Poetry in Beauty: The Pre-Raphaelite Art of Marie Spartali Stillman. If you find that you are unable to attend the January lecture, and are interested in going on this outing, please let Yvonne know in the new year. Talking of which, may I wish you all a healthy and happy 2016! Looking forward to seeing you all again at the January lecture. Shirley Goodwin Chairman |
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Wednesday 25 November 2015 |
Chairman's Second November Newsletter |
Hello Everyone Just a short email this time to remind you that our December lecture on the 9th is about 'Hidden Treasures of 20th Century Book Illustration'. By their very nature, book illustrations tend to be hidden, and the work of even well-known artists is rarely seen. So at this our Christmas lecture, James Russell will take us to this secret world of the illustrated book, including popular titles such as Alice in Wonderland (this month sees the 150th anniversary of its publication) and Gilbert White's Selborne. James will show us the diverse ways in which artists have responded to the text, and we will look at wood engravings, line drawings, pochoir illustrations and lithographs by artists including John Tenniel, EH Shepard, Barnett Freedman, Eric Ravilious, Kathleen Hale and Quentin Blake. So it should be a visual and literary treat! And we'll also hopefully get some ideas for books as Christmas presents! Which of course leads me on nicely to reminding you that our Christmas Party is held straight after the December lecture, where we will serve a buffet, with both wine and soft drinks available. We hope this will provide you with more time for chatting with friends and other members, and to get into the spirit of Christmas! There'll also be our Christmas raffle. There are only a handful of tickets left for our London visit on Thursday February 4th to the Royal Academy (to see 'Painting the Modern Garden, Monet to Matisse') and to the Queen’s Gallery (to see 'Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer'). If interested, please contact Rhona or see her at the lecture. Ticket cost is £43 for both exhibitions (£29 if an RA member). But if you only wish to go to the Queen’s Gallery Exhibition, the ticket price is £29, and if you only wish to go to the RA Exhibition, the ticket price is £34 (£20 if an RA member). Lunch is not included, but there are a variety of places to eat - both in and nearby the Royal Academy. The coach will depart at 8:30 from the King George IV car park. Yvonne will be taking bookings at our January lecture for the Special Interest Outing to the Watts Gallery on 10th March, including the tour of Limnerslease (the Watts' house) and the Studio, and all day free entry to the gallery, its special exhibitions, and the chapel. A private lunch is also available, followed by an optional curator introduction to the latest exhibition. Yvonne will be making a note of those who would like to car share, especially to help those who do not have their own transport. And, finally, in the new year we will be giving you more details about the visit on 28th April to Exbury Gardens (near Southampton), created by the Rothschild's, and noted for the wonderful display of azaleas and rhododendrons, and our 23rd June trip to Oxfordshire where we'll visit Kelmscott Manor (home of William Morris) and Buscot Park (home of the outstanding Faringdon Art Collection). Bookings will be taken at the lecture mornings prior to the visits. Looking forward to seeing you at our Christmas lecture and lunch. Shirley Goodwin Chairman |
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Saturday 31 October 2015 |
Chairman's November Newsletter |
Hello everyone Well, the date for our November lecture is not far away. On 11th November we have Juliet Heslewood coming to give us a talk on 'Three artists of the First World War'. We chose this lecture as our society's contribution to commemorating the 100th anniversary of WW1, as well as wanting to recognise that our lecture is on the 11th day of the 11th month, the day in 1918 when the guns of Europe fell silent. Juliet will tell us about three very different artists - Lady Butler's striking portrayals of brave soldiers that so pleased Queen Victoria, Paul Nash's paintings expressing his grief at the destruction of nature’s land, and Otto Dix's depiction of the inhumanity of war when he became so appalled by what he saw, having originally been willing to take part in the fight. Juliet has published twelve books, including The History of Western Painting, and more recently books on self portraits and portraits of mothers, lovers, and children. We also have our visit to Canterbury Cathedral this month - on 19th November. If you're going on this trip, please be at the car park before 8:30 so that the coach can leave promptly. There are still a few spaces left on the coach so if interested please contact Rhona via the website or speak to her at the November lecture. Rhona will also be taking bookings at our November lecture for our London visit to two notable winter exhibitions on Thursday February 4th. In the morning we will visit The Royal Academy to see 'Painting the Modern Garden, Monet to Matisse' and in the afternoon the coach will take us to The Queen’s Gallery to see 'Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer'. There will be a reduced ticket price for those who are RAmembers. Lunch is not included, but there are a variety of places to eat - both in and nearby the Royal Academy. The coach will depart at 8:30 from the King George IV car park. And of course Christmas is now not far away. So please don't forget that we have our Christmas Party straight after the December lecture. We will have a buffet with both wine and soft drinks available, so if you need gluten free please can you let Moira know so we can include in our food order. Our December lecture is on 20th century Book Illustration, so we'll hopefully get some ideas for books as Christmas presents! You'll also be pleased to know we have now finalised the costs for the Special Interest Outing to the Watts Gallery on 10th March. Tickets are £10 for the tour of Limnerslease and the Studio, and this includes all day free entry to the gallery and chapel. A private lunch is available - cost is £11 - or you can eat in the Gallery's restaurant. There is also an optional afternoon curator led tour of the exhibition. I am very much looking forward to this visit, as I went there over the Heritage weekend in October, and heard about the massive investment in restoring the Studio and Limnerslease house to their original state (to be completed early in the New year) - if it's anything like the photographs we were shown, it will be truly wonderful. Then of course there's the Chapel just down the road - you can stare and stare at the artwork in there and still not be able to take it all in! And the lunches they serve at the Gallery are delicious too! So it should be a feast for the eyes and the taste buds - a great day out! Yvonne will be taking bookings for this outing at the January and February lectures, but you can also contact Yvonne beforehand via the website, or speak to her at the November or December lectures if you want to express an interest. She will also make a note of those who would like to car share, especially to help those who do not have their own transport. And finallly, just a reminder about our other visits - they are a visit to Exbury Gardens near Southampton (created by the Rothschild's, and noted for the wonderful display of azaleas and rhododendrons) on 28th April, and then on 23rd June we travel to Oxfordshire to visit Kelmscott Manor (home of William Morris) and Buscot Park (home of the outstanding Faringdon Art Collection). We will provide more detailed information on these visits nearer the time, but you might want to pencil the dates in your diaries. Bookings will be taken at the lecture mornings prior to the visits, but of course if you want to make sure of a place you can always email Rhona to express your interest. The committee are very much looking forward to seeing you all again at the November lecture. Shirley Goodwin Chairman |
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Wednesday 14 October 2015 |
Second October Newsletter from the Chairman |
Hello everyone Well I hope you all enjoyed the lecture this morning. I thought it was so well thought through, logical, and explained so much I didn't know or would have even thought about! I particularly liked the links between the paintings and sculpture, and how it all evolved over this period, and within a historical context too. My real reason though for sending you a second October newsletter is to let you know about our visits for the year, now that they have been finalised, and to let you know that there are still a few places available if you haven't yet managed to book a place for the Canterbury Cathedral visit on 19th November (including lunch at Canterbury Cathedral Lodge and a lecture on the work of the Stained Glass Studio). If interested in this visit, please contact Rhona as soon as possible. The other visits are: Thursday February 4th 2016: A visit to two notable winter exhibitions Morning - The Royal Academy: Painting the Modern Garden, Monet to Matisse Afternoon - The Queen’s Gallery: Dutch Artists in the Age of Vermeer (Lunch is not included, but there are a variety of places to eat in the near vicinity) Thursday 28th April 2016: A visit to Exbury Gardens (home of the Rothschilds) to see the wonderful display of azaleas and rhododendrons Thursday 23rd June 2016: A visit to Kelmscott Manor (home of William Morris) in the morning and then, after lunch, on to Buscot Park for the afternoon We will provide more detailed information on these visits nearer the time, but I thought you might want to pencil the dates in your diaries. Bookings will be taken at the lecture mornings prior to the visits, but of course if you want to make sure of a place you can always express an interest by pressing the button for this on our website, and Rhona will get back to you. Finally, I also wanted to let you know about an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum - both for those of you who enjoyed the Special Interest lecture on Indian Textiles and for those of you who missed out and would like the opportunity to catch up on all the delights you missed. It's called The Fabric of India and runs from 3 October 2015 - 10 January 2016. Yvonne was a guest at the Friends’ preview of the new exhibition at the V&A on Indian textiles and found it to be one of the best curated exhibitions she'd seen for some time. It has a beginning, middle and end, and flows well from room to room. Over and above that though, there is the opportunity to see some exquisite fabrics, beautifully hung and imaginatively staged. Lots of these are in the V&A’s own collection but have never been displayed be! fore, and some had never even been unpacked before being selected for ! this show. And whilst much of the history of Indian textiles has been documented elsewhere, this exhibition uses garments and fabrics to bring this history together within a global context So have you ever seen inside a maharajah’s summer tent? Can you imagine how beautiful it might be? Have you ever had the chance to examine close up the intricate pattern of the regional tie and dye designs? And, finally, take the opportunity to discover the place that Indian fabric and design has in the 21st century. For more information please see http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/the-fabric-of-india/about-the-exhibition In the meantime, I will be sending a newsletter to you all in November to tell you about the November lecture and lecturer, and of course you can always access information at any time about all our lectures, visits and special interest outings by going to our website (just google http://horsleydfas.org.uk/). I do hope you like our new website - it now allows you to just press a button to be able to express an interest in a visit or special interest outing (and Rhona or Yvonne will get back to you), and if you have friends who would like to join, again all they will need to do is just press the JOIN button and fill in their contact details so Alma can get back to them and set up their membership for them. We've also added lots of photographs, and will be adding more of those taken on our outings. So watch this space! Looking forward to seeing you all again in November Shirley Goodwin Chairman |
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Thursday 1 October 2015 |
Chairman’s October 2015 Newsletter |
I and the committee are very much looking forward to seeing you all on 14th October at our first lecture of the 2015/16 season. At this lecture, we will also be taking bookings for the visit in November to Canterbury. Your programme card setting out our lectures and visits for the whole year will also be available at this meeting, should you not already have received a copy. But in this newsletter, I want to tell you a little more about our first lecture and lecturer; and to alert you to our Special Interest Visit to the Watts gallery next March. Our first lecture: ‘Italian Art at the Dawn of the Renaissance’ At this lecture, Dr. Janet Robson will explain the exciting transformation in Italian art between 1250 and 1350. As we travel with her from Rome and Assisi to Padua, Florence and Siena, we will enjoy looking at some of the greatest paintings and sculptures ever created in Italy. [By way of some background, Janet is an independent art historian who specialises in Italian religious art of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. After taking a BA in History at University College London (UCL), she worked for fifteen years as a financial journalist, stockbroker and consultant, before a chance visit to Assisi changed her life forever. She returned to the academic world in 1995 and attained an MA and PhD in History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. Then, after teaching for a number of years at the Courtauld and Birkbeck (University of London), she now works as a freelance lecturer, researcher and writer, dividing her time between her homes in London and Assisi. She has travelled and studied extensively in Italy, and now has over a decade of lecturing and teaching experience, including summer schools and public programmes, for the Courtauld, Birkbeck and Christie's Education, as well as private study groups. Janet has also held prestigious research fellowships at Villa I Tatti in Florence (Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies) and at the British School in Rome. She has published extensively on thirteenth and fourteenthcentury Italian art, including numerous book chapters, essays and articles in journals including the Burlington Magazine, Apollo and Art Bulletin. Most of her published work focuses on the art of the Franciscan Order in Italy, and especially the frescoes in the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, which remain her first and abiding love. In 2013 Yale University Press published her book 'The Making of Assisi: the Pope, the Franciscans and the Painting of the Basilica'. This book, co-written with Donal Cooper, describes the frescoes of the Upper Church of San Francesco in Assisi - a place that I was very fortunate to visit prior to the earthquake in 1997.] Our first Special Interest Visit on 10th March 2016: the Watts Gallery Our group will be one of the first to visit the newly opened Great Studio, when it is revealed to the public following the major restoration works. Initially the only access to the Studio will be through group visits so we are really pleased to have secured a slot for you. The visit will start with coffee and an introduction to the Great Studio, which will be followed by a tour of Limnerslease, the Watts’ home, before we are allowed free time to see the Great Studio. A private lunch will follow for those who want it, and afterwards, for those who are interested there will be a curator led guide to the latest touring expedition. For those who do not wish to remain with the group, your ticket will be valid throughout the gallery for the rest of the day, and of course you can explore the grounds, the nearby iconic Watts Chapel and enjoy the tearoom. Booking will be at the January lecture and full details will be made available then. Important thing to note, though, is that, as this is a local venue, we will be letting you make your own way to the gallery. This also means that you can choose how much of the day you spend there. And to help those who don’t have their own transport, we will be encouraging car sharing. We do hope you will enjoy this new approach to exploring a Special Interest, and look forward to your feedback in due course. Now on to Membership and New Members: We do have vacancies for anyone wishing to join, and so we would be very grateful if you could spread the word about what we do and encourage others to join. We have also held the first of two coffee mornings to welcome our new members. The second coffee morning is in November. And finally on to Committee Membership: Firstly, I have some good news, in that Ron Letch has agreed to take over the duties of Treasurer. We are of course always looking to add to the membership of our committee, adding to our range of expertise, interests and experience, so please do come forward if you’d like to consider joining us on the committee to see what’s involved before making a firm commitment. In particular, we will be looking for a Committee Secretary to replace Moira Tailby in September 2016. We only meet 6 times a year, in order to discuss the future lecture programme, visits and special interest mornings/days. We also have a committee outing once a year, and an end of year committee lunch (joined by our partners). So if you feel you might like to give it a try, do chat to myself or anyone from the committee. We are also still looking for a ‘reserve’ who could help occasionally with the lighting & sound, if necessary. If you think you might be able to help with this, please do chat with Chris who will be able to show you what’s involved (I’m told it’s not complicated!). In the meantime, the Committee are very much looking forward to seeing you all again in October, and to welcoming our new members. See you on the 14th October! Shirley Goodwin Chairman |
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Friday 4 September 2015 |
Chairman's September Newsletter |
I know it’s just over a month until our first lecture for the new season on October 14th, but I wanted to alert you to a visit and a Special Interest Morning, both taking place in November, so that, if you’re interested in either or both of them, you can make a note of them in your diaries. The first one is our own Horsley DFAS visit on Thursday 19th November 2015 to Canterbury with a Cathedral tour by one of their expert guides and an optional lecture on the Stained Glass Studio - “Stained Glass Conservation at Canterbury Cathedral”. For those not wishing to take up the option of the lecture, there are several interesting places in close proximity to the Cathedral including: Canterbury Heritage Museum, The Beaney House, Roman Museum and, for those with a little more energy, St Augustine’s Abbey. The cost is: - £55 (including stained glass lecture). - £47.50 (excluding stained glass lecture) Rhona will be taking bookings for this visit at our October lecture. However if you are unable to attend our October lecture, and wish to book a place on this visit please email Rhona on: elliott.rhona@btinternet.com Refreshments will be provided on arrival and there will be a light lunch at the Cathedral Lodge at 12:45am, with the optional Stained Glass lecture at 2pm. Departure will be from the KGV car park at 8:30am, so we will be asking people to arrive a bit earlier than this so we can leave on time at 8:30. The coach will depart for home at 4pm. Canterbury Cathedral is a very atmospheric and interesting building with a rich history, including the famous murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 by the knights of Henry II. And the conservators who look after the extensive collection of medieval stained glass in the Stained Glass Studio care not only for the glass of Canterbury cathedral, but also work on the windows of other churches and cathedrals throughout the country and for institutions such as the National Trust and English Heritage. The Special Interest Morning, ‘Once upon a time - Children's Books through the Ages’, has been organised by the Area. It takes place on Friday 13th November at the Menuhin Hall, Stoke d'Abernon, Cobham KT11 3QQ The application form for this is available for downloading at: http://www.nadfaseastsurreyarea.org.uk/Special/FutureSpecial.aspx and I would recommend you book early to avoid disappointment. The lecturer, Elizabeth Merry, will take you through the fascinating 300 year history of children’s literature - a journey from early moral and religious primers to the recent publishing sensations and explosion of artistic creativity in the world of the contemporary picture book. On the way you will get the chance to explore the development of the genre, look at some of the colourful and original examples, and see the astonishing originality of the artists involved. The lecture will examine alphabet and improving stories, 19th century fantasies and family fairy tales, and end with the plethora of provoking and spellbinding stories available today. Well, I shall be writing to you again in early October to tell you more about our October lecture, as well as about our first Special Interest Outing on 6th March 2016: a visit to the Watts Gallery, together with other updates and information. Until then, I hope you will enjoy what is left of our English summer! Shirley Goodwin |
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