The Arts Society West Gloucestershire

CELEBRATING THE ARTS

Welcome to The Arts Society West Gloucestershire

A very warm welcome to our Society website, whether you are an existing member or prospective new member, we hope you will find this site interesting, informative & even inspiring!

We are a Member Society of The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS), a leading arts education charity with a global network of over 380 local societies, which bring people together through a shared curiosity for the arts.

We provide a welcoming place to hear expert lecturers share their specialist knowledge through a programme of Monthly Lectures held on the second Thursday of the month at 2pm covering topics such as painting, sculpture, architecture, music, drama, photography, historic houses, design, archaeology, furniture, gardens, silver, textiles and jewellery. Lecturers are all acredited by The Arts Society and travel to us from all over the UK, many of them regularly touring internationally.

Lectures take place at Highnam Community Centre (Gambier Parry Hall), Newent Road, Highnam, Gloucester, GL2 8DG. There are ample parking facilities, together with good disabled access and the venue is on a service bus route.

Whatever your interest in Art you are most welcome to join us, do get in contact. Our email address is: westgloucesterartssociety@gmail.com.

You can download a Membership Application Form here.

Lectures are not held in February (when there is a Special Interest Day) or in August.

Visits are arranged to places such as art galleries, houses of historic interest, museums and gardens, often linked to one of the monthly lectures. Special Interest Days, usually consisting of 3 themed lectures, are organised for members wishing to expand their knowledge of a particular topic, for which tickets are sold.

Arts Volunteering projects are funded from the proceeds of the monthly raffle to encourage an interest in the arts by people of all ages.

Members receive three issues of The Arts Society Magazine per year and are entitled to certain concessions such as reduced entry to events, museums and galleries. In addtion to our own lectures, members have access to regular online lectures and articles by accredited lecturers.

Visitors and Guests are welcome to attend; a donation of £8 is requested which will be refunded for guests who join at the end of the meeting. Please contact the Membership Secretary, John Giles via email westgloucesterartssociety@gmail.com

The annual subscription is due for payment on 1 September. There is no joining fee. Membership is not transferable.

Subscription rates are reduced for new members joining during the year:

£60 per member - joining between 1 September - 31 December

£49 per member - joining between 1 January - 30 April

£35 per member - joining between 1 May - 31 August

LATEST NEWS

Our October meeting, which marked the start of our 2026/27 programme was well attended by members and guests. We also welcomed new members from Highnam, Ashleworth and Cambridge. Professor in History of Art at the University of Notre Dame in London, Lois Oliver delighted us with her lecture Manet and Music. A very interesting and different lecture combining the wonderful art of Manet and many examples of music of the period. Our members were so impressed with the great depth of knowledge that Lois has of Manet, his Art, his life and the people and events of his time. We wish her well as she curates this work for a forthcoming exhibition at the Royal Academy.

Plus, tickets were on sale for next month’s visit to Sudeley Castle and our Christmas event in December, ‘The Art of Partying': A Feast for the Eyes! There will be another opportunity to buy them in October plus tickets for our Special Interest Day The Art of Art Deco, in February.

Art Deco has the reputation of being the most glamorous and popular style of the 20th century which was prevalent during the 1920s and 1930s. We will review the development of the style within the context of its social and economic environment and look at specific examples of objets d’arts, including silver, jewellery, furniture, ceramics, clocks and architecture.

In October the subject is David Hockney – The Old Master of the Modern World. An opportunity to look at his long career following his recent death. This lecture, given by Douglas Skeggs, follows David Hockney’s career as an artist whose imagination has never faltered from the early abstract expressionist images, through his famous Californian scenes of swimming pools to the photomontages of the mid-eighties.

The Great Age of the Shogun: Art and Culture in Edo Period Japan is the title of our November lecture. During the Edo period of rule by the Tokugawa Shogunate (1615-1868), the arts of Japan gained in richness and diversity. With the rise of the merchant class and the growth of cities such as Edo (modern-day Tokyo), a new vitality was injected into traditional forms, and an emerging middle-class culture gave rise to exciting developments in the visual and performing arts. Our lecturer is Professor Marie Conte-Helm is a long-established Arts Society Lecturer who is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was awarded an OBE in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to UK-Japan educational and cultural relations and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by the Government of Japan in 2019.

WHAT'S COMING UP

Thursday 08 October 2026
Lecture
David Hockney - 'The Old Master of the Modern World An opportunity to look at his long career following his recent death.
Douglas Skeggs
94

Thursday 22 October 2026
Visit
Sudeley Castle

14

Thursday 12 November 2026
Lecture
The Great Age of the Shogun: Art and Culture in Edo Period Japan
Marie Conte-Helm
95

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