Each of the three lectures explores a textile and a road. Each lecture will be embroidered with Chris Aslan’s own experience of living and working in the region for 15 years where he established a UNESCO workshop reviving fifteenth century carpet designs and embroideries.
Chris now divides his time between lecturing for the Arts Society, writing at his home in North Cyprus and returning to Central Asia to lead tours. His latest book is Unravelling the Silk Road.
Please bring your own packed lunch. Biscuits/cake will be available for both breaks. Price: £30. 
For more information and a booking form please visit the website: https://theartssociety-rossonwye.org

Private Talk at WMAG for our members at 11am on Tuesday 17th March.

Tickets for the talk £9. Book online via the form at https://forms.gle/sF3QgfyWyLb8KdP17

“John Singer Sargent: an American in Worcestershire” explores his role in the Broadway colony of artists and runs at Worcester Art Gallery from 17th Jan – 14th June 2026.

Our speaker will be John Benjamin; jewellery historian, lecturer and presenter on the Antiques Roadshow. John will be exploring four centuries of jewellery design.
There will be two lectures, refreshments and a two course hot lunch followed by an afternoon workshop where participants can bring pieces of jewellery to be valued by John.
The cost is £67 per person.
Full details about this event are on TAS Corinium’s website and we hope you will be able to join us for another special informative, fun and enjoyable day.

The Study Day will examine the artistic tastes and art collections of three kings: King Charles I, King Charles II and King Charles III. 
The day consists of two morning lectures, lunch, and an afternoon lecture. 
Charles I started the Royal Collection, Charles II recovered much of what had been purloined. The afternoon lecture will compare our present King's predilections; King Charles III is our most culturally attuned monarch in over a century. 
The ticket includes a choice of a hot lunch.

For full details see https://theartssocietywestglos.org.uk/Special/FutureSpecial.aspx

Tickets £34.99 on Eventbrite.

The brightly painted murals that have resulted from several years of the Worcester Paint Festival are well worth a look.
This 90 minute walking tour, guided by Festival Director Kate Cox takes in a variety of styles and sites, giving us insight into the themes, processes and artists.

The tour costs £10 and places are limited. Please use this online form to book.

Contact Maggie Keeble, communityarts@tasworcester.org with any queries.

WORCESTER CONCERT COMMEMORATING VE DAY

Fundraising for The Worcestershire Soldier at the Commandery

The Band of The Mercian Regiment
directed by Maj Ian Johnson

The Oakville Singers
Musical Director Ivan Oliver, Accompanist John Wilderspin

Programme of Regimental Marches and Wartime Songs with Music by Elgar and Walton

WORCESTER CATHEDRAL
Saturday 3 May 2025 7:30pm

Tickets £20 nave seats

David Hallmark, a member of the Arts Society Worcester, is one of the organisers of this event. Tickets can be booked directly with David Hallmark davidjshallmark@gmail.com

In October 2023 workmen were digging in a ditch near Bransford and Leigh when they came across a fractured earthenware vessel containing numerous coins. Subsequent assessment by Worcestershire Museums and local archaeologists revealed 1368 gold and silver coins minted between 157BC - 43AD. This therefore is one of the largest Roman conquest hoards ever found in Britain. The hoard is currently on display in Worcester's Art gallery and Museum until 30th March 2025.

We are very fortunate that one of the archaeologists who first identified the coins – Dr Murray Andrews Lecturer in Archaeology at UCL - is going to give us a Session with an Expert on the Hoard via Zoom on Monday 17th February at 6.30pm.

This event is free to join for anyone who is interested so please feel free to share the information and link with family and friends.

https://theartssociety-org.zoom.us/j/99053220527

Dr. Antonia Gatward Cevizli explores the rich interaction between Italian cites and the Islamic world: it is a story of trade and diplomacy and a shared appreciation of the complex beauty of Islamic art.

The three lectures, interspersed by coffee and lunch breaks, are:

• Italy and the East: Trade, Travel and Diplomacy
  • Venice’s unique position brought the city into contact with the different powers of the Eastern Mediterranean including the Byzantine Empire, the Mamluks and the Ottomans. This lecture explores the ways in which these interactions left their mark on the artistic heritage of the city as can be seen in Venetian architecture, painting and the decorative arts.
• Carpets from the East in European paintings; an interwoven history
  • Carpets from the Islamic world are a common feature in many European paintings. This lecture investigates what these paintings can tell us about how carpets were used and regarded in Europe. They also offer insights into trade routes of the time as we witness carpets coming in from different regions of the East and reaching more distant parts of Europe. This is a story of taste, status and international trade from the 14th to the 17th century.
• Encountering the East in Renaissance paintings
  • Turbaned figures are common features in Renaissance paintings. The way in which they were depicted and their role within the painting varies over time and from region to region. As we look at paintings by artists including Giotto, Carpaccio and Pinturicchio, we will trace the shift from imagery of generic Easterners to more accurate representations of regional dress and see what they can reveal about attitudes to difference.

The event will take place from 10:30am to 3:00pm at the Larruperz Centre, Grammar School Close, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 9QD.

Please bring your own packed lunch. Tea/coffee will be available with biscuits/cake for both the coffee and lunch breaks. Price: £30 per person. You can download a booking form from the TAS Ross-on-Wye website.

Antonia Gatward Cevizli is an independent art historian specialising in Italian Renaissance and Ottoman art. Her publications focus on cultural and diplomatic exchange between the Italian city states and the Ottomans. Antonia has lectured for several institutions including Sabancı University, Istanbul, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, the National Gallery, the V&A Academy and The Courtauld summer school. Her interests are wide-ranging and she has also worked as a professional guide across the collections of both Tate Modern and Tate Britain. She has lived in Siena, Venice and Istanbul.

The Arts Society Evesham & Pershore are pleased to present Nigel Bates in a Day of Special interest giving an insider's view into the Royal Opera House.

The event will take place at Elmley Castle Village Hall (WR10 3HW) and consists of two lectures followed by a catered lunch.

Registration (with coffee) is from 10:00.

Lecture one "The beauty of the building, its interiors and the theatre skills displayed" from 10:30, followed by a coffee break and lecture two "Hidden designers, musicians, costumiers and technicians" at noon. The day will be rounded off by a buffet lunch, with a chance to chat with Nigel.

All are welcome, the cost of the event is £40 per head all inclusive. Booking is limited to 48 people and closes on 17th March.

A booking form can be downloaded from this website.

A sesssion with the architect Helen Grassly and other stakeholders in this regeneration project, recorded on the second of March 2023.

A recording is now available for you to catch up with this event.

https://youtu.be/AZIhdyhZdxI

Our final Session with an Expert for this season took place on Thursday 23rd June at 6pm and was a discussion hosted by TAS Worcester member John Wickson.

Sir Thomas Brock (1 March 1847 – 22 August 1922) was an English sculptor and medallist, notable for the creation of several large public sculptures and monuments in Britain and abroad in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His most famous work is the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, London. The discussion will follow Brock from his seven-year apprenticeship here in Worcester to his presentation of 108, of a total of 240, pieces of marble and bronze statuary at London's Royal Academy 'Summer Exhibitions' in a fifty plus year career in London. Brock's working life culminated in receipt of a knighthood from King George V directly after the unveiling of his Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace in 1911. Brock completed twenty images of Victoria including images on coinage and medals and worked, to within a fortnight of his death, in his studio at Osnaburgh Street in London NW1.

John Wickson was joined by Philippa Tinsley Head of Service at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum and Sophie Heath the Director of the Museum of Royal Worcester both of whom we have met previously at the Session with an Expert in October 2021.

Our chair Maggie will be supporting this discussion which marks the end of a two-year cycle which has seen us offer eighteen sessions. Going forward we will still offer some Sessions with an Expert, but they will be on more of an ad hoc basis. We have been delighted by the enthusiasm and support shown by members for these sessions which grew from a discussion Maggie, and I had on one of our many lockdown walks.

The recording of the session can be viewed here.

All best wishes.

Caroline

Unlocking the Severn is a conservation and river engagement project for people and wildlife.  The project has restored 158 miles of river for rare and endangered fish through the installing of 4 large fish passes on the River Severn, including the one at Diglis weir, and 2 weir modification on the River Teme.

I'm sure that many of you like me will have been intrigued by this project which has been evolving over the last few years along the river and I am delighted that Jennie has so kindly volunteered to talk to us about it. She is the Communications and Marketing Manager for Unlocking the Severn and has been working on the project since autumn 2018. Her responsibilities include engaging a wide range of audiences with the project, through media, website, social media, and all other promotional activity. With 20 years professional experience in marketing communications and a passion for nature, she was thrilled to have the chance to put her communications skills behind such an important project. 

Our recording of this session may be viewed on YouTube via this link

Our Session with an Expert on Wednesday 27th April at 6pm saw our Chair Maggie in conversation with Jonathan Watkins, Director of the Birmingham's Ikon Gallery. This is the most amazing opportunity to hear about the gallery’s Carlo Crivelli exhibition which runs until the 29th May.

A recording of this event may be viewed here.

Jonathan has led the Ikon Gallery for over 20 years, joining the gallery in 1999. Previously he worked for a number of years in London, as Curator of the Serpentine Gallery (1995-1997) and Director of Chisenhale Gallery (1990-1995). He has curated a number of large international exhibitions including the Milano Europa 2000, (Palazzo di Triennale, Milan 2000), and Riwaq (Palestinian Biennial 2007) and has written extensively on contemporary art.

In 2005 Jonathan introduced historical exhibitions to the Ikon Gallery's programme; asserting the contemporary relevance of art from the past. This has culminated in the first ever UK show of work by Renaissance artist Carlo Crivelli (1430–1495). This show realises a “curatorial dream” of Jonathan’s prior to his stepping down from the role of director in October this year. It is supported by a grant from the Ampersand Foundation.

The exhibition Shadows on the Sky highlights Crivelli’s experimental use of perspective, trompe l’oeil and sculptural relief to create illusions of illusionism. Such cleverness is conveyed with consummate craftsmanship and foiled by an extraordinary elegance. Crivelli’s paintings both suggest and undermine his own visual trickery to explore the coexistence of material and spiritual realities. Waldemar Januszczak writing in The Sunday Times on the 20th March under the heading ‘The man that art history forgot’ describes the artist as a ‘dazzling illusionist’ and encourages you to look twice at his art to see if something is real or not.

This event was highly successful, with viewers worldwide and it raised just under eight thousand pounds for the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

We have just received the following communication from The Arts Society Richmond.

Dear All

Please would you support our fundraising study morning on Zoom and YouTube on Tuesday 12th April at 10.30am, tickets £25.  All proceeds will be donated to the British Red Cross, Ukraine Crisis Appeal.  The speaker is Arts Society lecturer Dr Kathy McLaughlan.

The study morning is an introduction to the 19th century Ukrainian artist Ilya Repin and the landscape paintings of Ukrainian artist Arkhip Kuindzhi, Russian artist Ivan Shishkin and Lithuanian artist Isaac Levitan.

Get your ticket at https://tixoom.app/richmond/adzsdcpe.  The Zoom and YouTube links will be emailed to you automatically.  If we exceed our Zoom limit, you can always use the YouTube link because YouTube has no maximum numbers. The study morning will not be recorded.

10.30-11.30am. Lecture 1: Ilya Repin (1844-1930 born Chuhiv, Kharkiv province in modern day Ukraine). An introduction to this prolific and astounding realist painter, famous for his portraits and his genre and historical paintings.

11.30-12 Break

12-1pm. Lecture 2: An introduction to the stunning, thought provoking and awe-inspiring landscapes of Arkhip Kuindzhi (1841-1910 born in Mariopol in modern day Ukraine), Ivan Shishkin (1832-1898 born in Yelabuga, Russia), and Isaac Levitan (1860-1900 born in Kibarty in modern day Lithuania)

We are indebted to Kathy for giving her time free, to Arts Society Richmond member Jane Harrison for organising the study morning, and to Tixoom for waiving their fees.

Please buy your ticket now and support Ukraine, and please forward this email to everyone.

Thank you so much.

Richard Lebus

The Arts Society Richmond
Tel: 020 8892 9696
Mobile: 07989 737582

A flyer is available at http://theartssocietyworcester.org.uk/DocumentStore/Ukraine-Benefit-Study-Morning-12.4.22.pdf

Our Session with an Expert on Thursday 24th March saw our chair Maggie in conversation with the potter James Wardle.

A recording of this session is now available to view at https://bit.ly/JamesWardlePotter

James took the leap to leave behind a twenty-year career to pursue his passion in establishing Cleefold Pottery. He says,

'For over 25 years I have been fascinated by ceramics and working with clay: a passion that evolved during a foundation course at Camberwell Art College. I established Cleefold Pottery after moving to rural Shropshire, where I built a studio and have developed my practice.

I make hand-crafted practical objects in stoneware that combine beauty and function: each piece is designed to be enjoyed and have a longevity of use.

I take inspiration from the colours and rhythms of the surrounding environment and many of the glaze pigments are collected locally. A significant component of most glazes is wood ash: the minerals in the ash, absorbed during the life of the tree, add colour to the glaze producing interesting and sometimes unpredictable results.'

The Clee Hills are known to have been inhabited since Neolithic times and take their name from the ancient English word 'Cleag' meaning clay. The hills still bear the circular markings of Iron Age dwellings which inform James's designs.

Featuring the beautiful, the brooding and the serene, Skyscape celebrates five hundred years of artists’ fascination with the sky.

The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to view the popular art of landscape from a new perspective, through a succession of masterpieces by artists including Turner, Constable, Rembrandt, Dürer, Paul Nash and many more.

We have been offered the chance for a guided Private View of this exhibition at 9:30 on Monday the 21st of March.

Numbers for this tour are limited and it is now fully booked (4th March) but there is a waiting list, please email Maggie, chair@tasworcester.org to be put on that list.

For full details download a flyer here.

Now available as a catch-up recording on Zoom – Members and Non-Members welcome. Free of Charge.

SECRETS OF A VICTORIAN RECIPE BOOK

Jenni Waugh in conversation with Maggie Keeble

Our next Session with an Expert sees the return of our friendly community historian, Jenni Waugh.
Jenni will take us into a Victorian kitchen to unravel the mystery of the hand-written recipe book of Emmeline Watson inherited by our chair, Maggie Keeble. Join us as Jenni reveals to Maggie for the very first time the story of the woman who wrote it. Was she the lady of the house? Or a servant? What can be learned from the recipes she wrote inside it?  

Jenni Waugh is a community historian and cultural engagement consultant who works with heritage and arts organisations across the Midlands to promote the value of their collections, activities and creations as widely as possible.

For the first Session with an Expert for 2022 I am delighted to be able to advise you that I will be in conversation with David Morrison the Librarian at Worcester Cathedral.

This session is available for catch-up viewing here.

The library and archive of Worcester Cathedral has been an integral part of Cathedral life since Anglo-Saxon times. It exists to facilitate research by scholars, is a resource for cathedral staff carrying out repair work on the building, and for local and family history enquiries by members of the public. The collection comprises 298 medieval manuscripts, 6600 post-medieval books and 19,000 archive documents. There is a music collection which contains work by many famous composers including Sir Edward Elgar and Thomas Tomkins.

David studied medieval and modern history at the University of Birmingham and then went on to eventually undertake a PhD at the University of Birmingham in medieval history before gaining a diploma in museum studies from the University of Leicester. He has worked at Worcester Cathedral library and archive for many years aided by a team of brilliant volunteers looking after a fantastic collection of medieval manuscripts, rare books and local documents. He have written several articles about aspects of the cathedral’s history in the course of this time. In 2018, the Worcestershire Historical Society published a book of the Worcester Treasurer’s Register 1611-1669, which they had asked me to transcribe.

David also writes a fascinating blog which can be accessed via this link: https://worcestercathedrallibrary.wordpress.com

A recording of this session is available to view here. It starts with a recording of the Worcester Symphony Orchestra playing Dvorak's Carnival Overture, with the interview with Keith starting at just after eight minutes.

Our Session with an Expert on Thursday 25th November at 6pm saw us welcome Keith Slade the Conductor of the Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra. I was absolutely delighted to have this opportunity to chat with Keith as I know that a number of you had requested a guest with a musical background.

Keith was born in the West Midlands and began his musical journey learning the clarinet from the age of ten. After reaching the final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Woodwind Category, Keith graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music where he was awarded the Hilda Collens’ prize. He furthered his studies under the guidance of Angela Malsbury and Nicholas Rodwell on a postgraduate degree at the Royal Academy of Music supported by the Countess of Munster Trust. Keith has extensive experience as an orchestral musician and has worked with orchestras including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, London Festival Opera and the BBC Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Colin Davis, Richard Hickox, Pierre Boulez and Andris Nelsons. As a soloist, Keith has performed concerti by Mozart, Finzi, Weber and Copland in venues throughout the UK.

In January 2010, Keith was appointed Music Director of the Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra where he has seen the ensemble grow from strength-to-strength; WSO performs several concerts each season and Keith is a regular guest on BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester promoting the orchestra and classical music amongst the local community. In 2014 WSO commissioned a new Children’s work in the style of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf entitled The Magic Bojabi Tree which was a huge success. In 2018 WSO performed in Worcester Cathedral in remembrance of the Armistice Centenary. Continuing his passion for music education, Keith worked with primary schools in the area to create a truly remarkable concert. In recognition of his services to WSO, Keith was honoured to be invited by Her Majesty the Queen to a private gathering to celebrate HRH’s Diamond Jubilee in Worcester.

We will have the opportunity to talk in detail about the history of the orchestra, an orchestra about which a complete history of has yet to be written, but a “Worcestershire Orchestral Society” had been part of the county’s musical scene since 1905, its founders being Mr (later Sir) Ivor Atkins, and Sir Edward Elgar. Its first concert was given in the Public Hall on 26th April 1906, with Ivor Atkins conducting an orchestra of more than 100 players. Elgar assisted in drawing up the programme and conducted the orchestra occasionally in performances of his own works. World War I caused a hiatus in the life of the orchestra, but it was re-instituted in 1921, continuing until the outbreak of World War II when it again lapsed for want of players. The inaugural concert of the Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra was given at the Christopher Whitehead School on Saturday 14th May 1949, under the baton of its founder Eric Holt. 

The recording of this session is availalbe to view here.

Two well-known Worcester museums have current exhibitions of interest with the common link of China Clay. The Arts Society Worcester is delighted to be able to host a pop up Session with an Expert next Thursday 14th October at 6pm when Philippa Tinsley Head of Service at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum and Sophie Heath the Director of the Museum of Royal Worcester give us some of their valuable time to discuss Clay Country by Kurt Jackson and the Botanical Treasures exhibition at MORW in partnership with the Gloucestershire Society of Botanical Artists. The Kurt Jackson runs at Worcester City Art Gallery until 20th November and the Botanical Treasures exhibition finishes on the 31st October

The recording of this session is available here.

We were delighted as a committee to receive such positive feedback about last year’s Sessions with an Expert so have decided to offer a further series of six this year which begins on Thursday 7th October at 6pm with our Chair Maggie Keeble hosting a Zoom conversation with Worcester based photographer Richard Purvis.

Richard started taking pictures as a hobby but within a few short years has ended up making waves with The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) (one of Richard’s photographs was in the top nine most popular images on their site) and rubbing shoulders with celebrities like Leo Sayer and Bob Geldof.

His photographs have been featured on BBC Springwatch and he’s the official photographer for many artists within the music industry as well as for stunt teams involved with blockbuster movies which has seen him working alongside Terry Grant, stuntman for the James Bond franchise and also Tom Cruise for the Mission Impossible series. As Richard commented to the Worcester News, "I've got a real passion for pictures of birds in flight, capturing that moment of movement’ noting the similarity to ‘trying to capture an artist on stage with flashing lights and smoke machines. It's a tricky thing to get it right."

As well as running his business, Richard is an enthusiastic member of Digibox, a local Camera Club which was one of the organisations displaying their work at the recent Worcester Show and a group about which he says, "The only training I've had is what I've learnt from Digibox. It's all come from joining a camera club and talking to people."

If you would like the opportunity to enjoy some of Richard’s wonderful photographs in advance of the 7th October they can be found on facebook Rjpphotography and Instagram @rjpphorographyuk

The Arts Society Worcester and Bevere Gallery have co-operated to stage a selling exhibition of exciting contemporary prints by ten nationally recognised print-makers.

The artists include Colin See-Paynton, known for images of the natural world; Harry Brockway, known for book illustrations; Royal Academician Anne Desmet and Angie Lewin whose lino cuts appear widely on cards, notebooks and calendars.

All the prints in this exhibition are 'Original Prints', which is to say that they have been produced by the artists themselves, printed by hand using pressure to imprint the image onto paper. Multiple coloured works are usually built up on the paper impression by impression and no two prints will be absolutely identical. These prints are original works, not mechanical or digital copies.

This exhibition is the inaugural Original Prints exhibition at the long established Bevere Gallery, already well known for showcasing the best of ceramic works as well as other original art.

The exhibition will run from Saturday the 25th of September to Saturday the 23rd of October. (Closed Sundays and Mondays.)

The last in our series of Sessions with an Expert on Thursday 24th June at 6pm sees glass fuser Sarah Greening in conversation on Zoom with Programme Secretary Liz Poole.

Sarah’s conversation with Liz is entitled ‘Using science to create unusual glass’. Sarah says, ‘I had been experimenting with glass in my husband Chris's ceramic kiln for a while and then started my jewellery business in 2017 after a long career in the NHS. I use my science background to create unusual fused glass jewellery designs and also the more textured effects of enamelled copper jewellery.’ Sarah is always looking for effects that are new or rarely seen but are also beautiful as her designs are very much intended to be worn and admired!

Sarah is a gold member of the Guild of Jewellery Designers and loves sharing her passion for glass in classes for individuals or small groups (to date some 500 people)in Worcester and she and Chris can combine crafts for a half or whole-day experience which she says is great fun.

If you haven’t had sight of Sarah’s exquisite work, I urge you to take a look at her website and shop www.sarahgreeningglass.co.uk. and social media accounts @greeningglass. You can also make an appointment to meet Sarah in person in her studio and gallery space in Claines.

The idea for the Sessions with an Expert took shape when Maggie and I were on one of our many walks together over the last year. There have been nine sessions in total which we hope you have enjoyed and that they have served as a little distraction in what has been a very challenging year.

Thank you so much for all of your support and a huge final thank you to all our guests who have so generously given their time for free, you’ve been brilliant.

All best wishes

Caroline Hoddinott
Vice Chair
The Arts Society Worcester

For "With an Expert" on Thursday 27th May at 6pm I will be in conversation with Anna Muggeridge, from Tudor House Museum on Friar Street in Worcester. The recording of the session is here.

Tudor House Museum is a free, independent museum on Friar Street, set in a fine example of a close-studded timber framed building with the only remaining original embossed ceiling in Worcester. Much of the building as it stands today was constructed in the 1550s, when it housed well-to-do workers in Worcester’s broadcloth trade. Over the centuries, it has had many other uses — as the Cross Keys Tavern, a coffee shop run by Richard Cadbury, and one of the city’s ARP stations in the Second World War to name but three — and has been an independent museum since 2004.

Anna has a PhD in history from the University of Worcester and has worked at Tudor House Museum as Engagement Officer since 2019. She is passionate about social history and sharing local heritage within the community and is a member of the steering committee of the Women’s History Network and the Black Country Society.

The Tudor House Museum reopened on 19th May and is open to visitors from Wednesday to Saturday. The website is www.tudorhouse.org.uk and you can follow the museum on social media, @tudorhouseworcs

Anna tells us that the Tudor House crew are always looking to welcome more volunteers. Contact Anna anna@tudorhouse.org.uk if you want more details about getting involved.

Jane Arthur, a member of The Arts Society Worcester, is also Vice Chair of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.

The recording of this session is here. In the meantime, why not adopt a penguin!

Francesca Currie is a Worcester born fine artist, specialising in representational painting in oils.

She is currently exhibiting at the Trinity House Gallery in Broadway until the 11th of May. https://www.trinityhousepaintings.com/exhibition/francesca-currie-art-collection/

She is rapidly gaining an excellent reputation as a portraitist, and is also a gifted teacher of painting in oils.

The session is now available to view here.

A recording of this presentation is available free of charge.

I am absolutely delighted that the fifth in our series of conversations with experts on Wednesday 24th February at 6pm will be with Michelle Hill, the Senior Collections and House Officer at Hanbury Hall. She and I will be chatting about her role, the hall, the last year and she has promised to share with us a couple of pieces from the collection.

Originally from just outside Sheffield Michelle moved south to Canterbury to attend University completing a joint degree in Art & History, her two great loves. After completing her degree, her first job in the heritage sector was at the British Museum working on the gallery side which gave her a wonderful opportunity to spend lots of time viewing and learning about the Museum’s amazing and diverse collection.

 After three years of London living she was yearning for countryside and green space again and was lucky enough to be employed by the National Trust at Hanbury Hall in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside where she is now in her eighteenth year at the property. In this times there has been a lot of change and challenges and no two days are the same which, she says, is the reason why she loves the place so much.

Her role as Senior Collections & House Manager entails a wide range of duties. Primarily she cares for the building and collections at Hanbury and the Hall’s sister property Greyfriars in Worcester. This can involve the day to day care, project management and specialist conservation work as well as the presentation of the property to visitors.

 From the Norman Conquest onwards, the Hanbury estate was within the boundaries of the Royal Forest of Feckenham. Feckenham's royal status was lost in 1629 and local families like the Vernons bought up land to increase their own estates. The building of the Hall started in 1701 and was designed, we believe, by William Rudhall. The lasting legacy of Thomas Vernon (1654–1721) includes the wall and ceiling paintings that he commissioned Sir James Thornhill to create. These depict the story of Achilles and, having been recently restored, are Hanbury's crowning glory. Most notable were the changes made by Emma Vernon (1755–1818) who, after inheriting Hanbury aged 16 in 1771, used her fortune to alter the sitting room and drawing room. When Emma eloped with the local curate, her husband Henry Cecil closed the hall and sold all of the furniture.

The gardens, commissioned by Thomas Vernon, builder of Hanbury Hall, were designed and completed in 1701 by George London, in the very formal style of the time. They included the parterre, fruit garden and wilderness. Emma Vernon swept away the formal gardens. She favoured up-to-date fashionable 'natural' gardens, inspired by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. The orangery and lawn appeared later. Practical aspects including an ice house, walled garden, orchard, and mushroom house were also created in order to sustain the estate - these additions were invaluable to produce food. Funding was secured in the early 1990s for the restoration of the gardens. Plans, maps, paintings, archaeological and geophysical techniques were used to gain a better idea of position and scale to produce the garden you see today. The jewel in the crown is the magnificent parterre, which looks impressive all year round.

Anita will be talking about architecture locally, nationally and internationally, what inspires her and the thinking that goes into making the buildings she designs such special places to live and work. We can expect visuals of buildings in a range of situations and countries to give context to what makes architecture such a passion for Anita as well as her thoughts on up to the minute projects like the extraordinary vaccination centre in Rome.

After qualifying at the University of Arizona, Anita spent a brief time in Boston, Massachusetts designing hotels and restaurants before moving to the UK in 1989. She worked in London for over 20 years on projects in The Square Mile and Docklands, Cairo and Holland and even a marriage hall in Jeddah.

Anita founded the Worcester practice of Herlig Marles Ltd. with co-director Vanessa Anderson in 2017. Herlig Marles specialises in buildings for education, churches, private homes and corporate headquarters. The practice is founded on the principles that good architecture can change lives and that spaces should be light filled, comforting and delight the user.

Herlig Marles are committed to the City of Worcester and volunteer their time for local community projects and career fairs and mock interviews for young people. The directors are STEM Ambassadors promoting science and the building industry in local schools.

The Zoom recording link for this free lecture is https://theartssociety-org.zoom.us/rec/share/OtxW1S9_R-hUfPcNcMG_JWf10P27lbGeYi3jafpShxwy4v-I7KxxpJGLzBMAkElI.8_w3c-kvuN8HwH01

Non-members of the society are also very welcome to view lectures in the "With an Expert" series.

The third in our series of sessions with an expert on sees Jenni Waugh in conversation with Arts Society member and textile artist Jane Arthur about Gertrude Jekyll, her gardens and art. We selected this topic as we know that we have many keen gardeners in the society.

A recording of this talk is available to view here.

Gertrude Jekyll (1843 – 1932) created some 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and America and she influences garden design to this day. Her own books about gardening are widely read in modern editions and she contributed over 1,000 articles to Country Life, The Garden and other magazines. She is well known for her association with architect Edwin Lutyens with whom she collaborated creating gardens for many of his houses. Her attitude to garden design was influenced by Arts and Crafts principles where a sympathetic relationship between house and surroundings was vital and each individual plant studied for culture, habit, foliage and colour to achieve a practical, beautiful and appropriate effect.

Jenni Waugh is a community historian and cultural engagement consultant who works with heritage and arts organisations across the Midlands to promote the value of their wonderful collections, activities and creations as widely as possible.

The Zoom link for the recording of this session is https://theartssociety-org.zoom.us/j/97098583793

The second in our series of conversations with local artists and supporters of the arts.

To see the recording of this conversation, click here.

The Arts Society Worcester's Programme Secretary, Liz Poole, talking about her work as a fine art auctioneer.

The recording of this conversation can be watched here.

Meeting Recording: