Our popular Christmas lunch and lecture will again be held in the Thurlestone Hotel. Looking at some of opera's greates rivalries, spats and tiffs. Opera singer and lecturer Tim Mirfin will entertain us with musical examples from singers past and present.

Last chance to book - deadline Friday 28th November 2025

For booking information and menu please click here

Meet the Artist: Penny Hardy 

Wednesday 13th November 14.00 for 14.30 at Harbour House, Kingsbridge

“By using discarded metal pieces, skilfully built and used to create their own mechanical energy, I hope to re-use that energy for a different purpose and exchange their function to create a new entity”

As part of our Community Arts programme we have arranged for the exciting and successful local sculptor Penny Hardy to talk to us about her work, the inspiration behind it and the techniques involved. She will bring a couple of her maquettes and give a slide show. Self taught, Penny uses discarded man-made metal items to capture a sense of movement and dynamics in all her pieces; “transforming inert materials into sculptures”. She has exhibited throughout the UK including Hill House Dartington, Beaulieu Palace Gardens, Royal West of England Academy, and The RHS Chelsea Flower Show and currently in St Ives. There is no charge for this event but we will be making a collection for UNICEF at Penny’s request. Harbour House in Kingsbridge kindly agreed to host this event.

For more information about her, do visit her website  https://pennyhardysculpture.com

Moorish Architecture: the Legacy of a Vanished Kingdom

Lecture
with Ian Cockburn

Wednesday 23rd October at 14.30hrs
at
The Methodist Church, Kingsbridge

Dear Members and Friends,

The clocks are about to go back, the evenings are drawing in and the temperatures are dropping.  What better way to spend an Autumn afternoon than to join us on Wednesday for our lecture which takes us into the world of Moorish style and architecture.

Please do look for the Notice of our AGM in November, details of our Christmas lunch and lecture and information about a special event, all of which can be found towards the end of this email.

The  Alhambra of Granada, the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alcazar of Seville are the three most impressive monuments to the architectural creativity of the Moors in Spain, but there are many other examples worthy of mention too. The classical origins that influenced the Moorish style are less well-known, but fascinating to explore, as too is the unique interior decorative style developed by the Moors, which gives their architecture its beauty and exotic appeal – an appeal so strong that the Christians sometimes copied it, even as they slowly reconquered the territory from its Islamic rulers.

Our speaker this month is Art historian Ian Cockburn. With a BA  (Birkbeck College) in art history and an MA (Courtauld Institute of Art) in medieval Spanish art history, his specialist interest is in the nearly 800 years of Moorish occupation and the Christian reconquest of medieval Iberia. Ian is founder and director of an art tours company which specialises in guided cultural tours in Spain. He lectures in London at various institutions including the V&A, SOAS, Christies Education and the London Art History Society. His former career as a Chartered Accountant and senior manager in multi-national IT companies, gave him extensive public-speaking experience.

We will, as usual be offering this lecture via Zoom, I will be sending the Zoom link to members, in the evening of Tuesday 24 October, the day before the lecture. 

Guests and non members are welcome to join us for a fee of £10.00, but will need to contact me either by replying to this email or by phone 01548 532850 before 6pm on Tuesday 22nd October if they wish to participate via Zoom, so that I can forward the joining link.

Community Arts - A November Treat

Meet the Artist: Penny Hardy - a free talk by a local artist
Wednesday 13th November 14.00 for 14.30 at Harbour House, Kingsbridge

 “By using discarded metal pieces, skilfully built and used to create their own mechanical energy, I hope to re-use that energy for a different purpose and exchange their function to create a new entity” Penny Hardy

As part of our Community Arts programme we have arranged for the exciting and successful local sculptor Penny Hardy to talk to us about her work, the inspiration behind it and the techniques involved. She will bring a couple of her maquettes and give a slide show. Self taught, Penny uses discarded man-made metal items to capture a sense of movement and dynamics in all her pieces; “transforming inert materials into sculptures”. She has exhibited throughout the UK including Hill House Dartington, Beaulieu Palace Gardens, Royal West of England Academy, and The RHS Chelsea Flower Show and currently in St Ives. There is no charge for this event but we will be making a collection for UNICEF at Penny’s request. Harbour House in Kingsbridge kindly agreed to host this event.

For more information about her, do visit her website https://pennyhardysculpture.com

The Arts Society Kingsbridge

NOTICE is hereby given that the 

2024 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

will be held at The Methodist Church, Kingsbridge

Wednesday November 27th 2024 at 14.00

We are seeking new Committee members, if you wish to nominate yourself or another member for a place on the Committee, please send your nomination in writing to the Secretary Gill Markham, 6 Mead Lane Thurlestone TQ7 3PB or by e-mail (gill.markham@talk21.com) before the 20th November 2024.

Christmas Lecture and Lunch

Monday 10th December 2024 at 10.15
at
The Thurlestone Hotel,  Yarmer Suite and Trevida Restaurant

Wild about Oscar: Oscar Wilde's West End
with Simon Whitehouse
To book please email Gill Markham gill.markham@gmail.com with your menu choices, requests for seating and any dietary sensitivities/allergies. The menu and programme for the day can be found by clicking on the purple buttons below. Payment should be made by bank transfer, payable to ‘The Arts Society Kingsbridge’, Sort code 30-94-72,  A/C no 2635226. referencing your surname/Christmas or by cheque posted to 6 Mead Lane, Thurlestone, TQ7 3PB. Any queries should be made by email to Gill as above.

What’s On Locally

The South Hams Arts Forum (SHAF) Arts Trail: 12th - 27th October.
Just a reminder that the South Hams Arts Forum Arts Trail which celebrates our vibrant artistic community runs until 27th October.  Over 50 artists based throughout the South Hams are opening their homes homes and studios to visitors, or exhibiting in galleries, exhibition halls, hotels and pubs. Following the Arts Trail allows visitors to view and buy work directly from these makers and provides an opportunity to explore parts of the glorious South Hams that they might not know existed. More information and details of who is exhibiting can be found on the website. https://shaf.org.uk/arts-trail-brochure/
 

A Day with Harry Venning - 25th November 2024

You are invited to join the Arts Societies of Dartmouth and Kingswear, South Devon and Totnes for A Day with Harry Venning at Borringdon Park Golf Club (Plympton), £35 or £45 with lunch.

Harry Venning is an award winning cartoonist, illustrator and comedy writer. A weekly contributor to The Guardian with the Clare in The Community strip, his work has also appeared in The Mail on Sunday, The Sunday Telegraph, Independent, The Sunday Times, The Stage and Radio Times, as well as publications in Canada, Switzerland, South Africa and New Zealand. Harry is also a member of the exclusive Cartoonist Club of Great Britain with work displayed in the Cartoon Museum, London.

The Day

Lecture 1- The art of the cartoonist: a look at people such as Cruikshank, Hogarth, Rowlandson and Gillray.

Lecture 2 - Oh no dear that’s not funny - looking at modern work and the issues emanating from it eg. Charlie Hebdo murders resulting form their cartoons.

Lunch

Lecture 3 - Release your inner cartoonist. This is a session where Harry draws cartoons and talks about tricks of the trade. There will be an opportunity to join in with the drawing if you want to, but absolutely no compulsion.

We think this day will be a lot of fun, with an interesting twist which is different from most study days, so do come along to Borringdon to join in. Further details of timings etc. will be given out nearer the time. 

Please contact Mike Trevrrow (Chair of Dartmouth and Kingswear) at miketrevorrow@btinternet.com or call him on 07470 484858 for more information.

With my best wishes to you all,

Sheila Hirst
Chairman

The Arts Society Kingsbridge

NOTICE is hereby given that the 

2024 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

will be held at The Methodist Church, Kingsbridge

on

Wednesday November 27th 2024 at 14.00

We are seeking new Committee members, if you wish to nominate yourself or another member for a place on the Committee, please send your nomination in writing to the Secretary Gill Markham, 6 Mead Lane Thurlestone TQ7 3PB or by e-mail (gill.markham@talk21.com) before the 20th November 2024.

Opera and Design - Simon Rees

Dear Arts Society Members and Friends, 

Another month has passed and we once again find ourselves in lockdown. What better way to spend an Autumn afternoon than to join us for our November lecture on Opera and Design. 

Opera is an elaborate, even extravagant, art form. From its earliest times at the beginning of the 17th century, up to the present day, it has employed artists and architects to design sets and costumes, and has used the richest materials and effects, often by means of tromp-l'oeil and other forms of visual trickery. Our lecturer, Simon Rees traces the arts associated with opera through surviving drawings, paintings, early theatres and their scenery, up to the present day, where such artists as John Piper, Sidney Nolan and David Hockney have thrived as theatre designers. Simon draws on his own experience as Welsh National Opera's Dramaturg from 1989-2012 in delivering this detailed and entertaining account. 

Simon Rees, our speaker, studied English Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge, before teaching in Italy and Japan, exploring the art and architecture of both countries. From 1989 to 2012 was Dramaturg at Welsh National Opera in Cardiff, working with set, costume and props designers and giving lectures on their work in opera production. Now a freelance writer and lecturer, lectures widely on opera, art history and literature, travelling extensively with travel companies. Has published several novels, including the award-winning The Devil's Looking-Glass, poems and opera librettos. 

Non members and guests are welcome to join us for this lecture at a fee of £8.00; if anyone is interested, please contact me, before 8pm on Tuesday 24 November.

Public Art: David Worthington
 

Dear Arts Society Members and Friends, 

What a success our first Zoom lecture was on Caravaggio. Thank you to all who contacted me with such positive feedback, it was lovely to know that my efforts were well received. Our membership numbers are slowly creeping up, I do hope we might manage to encourage a few more to re-join. Do feel free to forward this email to any friends or guests who might be interested. We would be happy to offer a free trial lecture for new members. 

Our lecture this month is entitled Public Art, it is the most visible form of art and a contentious subject. Why are some examples loved and others loathed? How is that they appear in our public spaces? Our lecturer will guide us through the development of public art over the last century; he will explain the process of procurement from the initial commission to the production and installation. Drawing on his own experiences and using various examples and case studies he will show us why we are all richer with the presence of art on our streets. 

"Family from Another Place", Great Queen Square, Covent Garden. 
By David Worthington from Red Iranian Travertine. 
David Worthington, our speaker has been drawn to abstract sculpture since seeing a Barbara Hepworth in a school history book aged 10. He graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Theology, then studied fine art in London, Barcelona and New York. He makes, curates and writes about art. He was shortlisted for the Jerwood Sculpture Prize in 2009 and is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Sculptors (Vice President in 2010-13). 

David has carried out public commissions in the UK, America and Japan and has work in the Creative Cities Collection, Beijing. He has had solo shows at numerous galleries as well as Glyndebourne Festival Opera and taken part in many exhibitions including Colyer Bristow Gallery and Contemporary Sculpture at Fulmer 2018. 
Once again, please do note the date and time, Wednesday 28 October at 2pm and remember this is a Zoom lecture, there will be no one in the Methodist Church! Members will be sent an invitation to join the lecture via email on Tuesday 27 October (the day before the lecture). I have included the Zoom guidance (below) for those who may be unsure of how to participate. 

Non members and guests are welcome to join us for this lecture at a fee of £8.00;

Caravaggio: Murderer or Genius - Julia Musgrave
 

Dear Arts Society Members and Friends, 

Thank you to those of you who have renewed your membership and for those of you who are hesitant, there is still time before our first lecture. 

It is now only a week before our inaugural Zoom lecture and I thought I would remind you all of the topic and give some guidance to those of you who are new to Zoom, on how to join the lecture. Please do note the date, Wednesday 23 September at 2pm. Whilst this is not the last Wednesday in the month it would have been the date of our first lecture in the Methodist Church. 

Julia Musgrave, our speaker this month, is a freelance lecturer in the History of Art and Co Director of The London Art Salon. She has a Graduate Diploma in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and an MLitt in Art, Style and Design: Renaissance to Modernism. She is currently researching the involvement of Roger Fry and the Bloomsbury Group in the development of the Contemporary Art Society (1910 to 1939), whilst working towards her Ph.D. Our lecture on Wednesday will follow the dramatic incidents of the life of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, an artist who is famed as much for his art as for his criminal record. Was it the violence of his times or his own violent spirit that inspired the dramatic lighting and intense naturalism of his work and how and why has his influence spread so far? Do join us on Wednesday to find out more.

Dear Art Society Members and Friends, 

It has been sometime since I last wrote to you. I do hope that as the 'lockdown' has been eased you are managing to get out and about and enjoy our beautiful countryside. The coronavirus, however is still impacting our lives and the life of the Arts Society Kingsbridge. 
We have continued to sponser a flower bed for Kingsbridge in Bloom. It is in the same place as last year, right beside the pedestrian crossing on the Market Square, do look out for it. 

I promised to keep you updated with our plans for The Art Society Kingsbridge for the coming year, starting in September. We had very much hoped that we may have been able to meet in again in the Methodist Church but unfortunately this is not to be. The Church is not opening its doors to outside groups until at least October and with the existing Government guidelines and the Church's own risk assessment it will be untenable for us to meet again there for the foreseeable future. Please do not despair, your Society is not about to disappear, your Committee are still here and working to bring you the planned lectures. 

I expect many of you have become much more computer savvy during the 'lockdown', keeping in touch with loved ones and friends with the use of various clever electronic means. 'Zoom' and 'Houseparty' have allowed us to see and talk to friends and it is by using 'Zoom' that we intend to bring you our lectures for September, October and November. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this it is a way of seeing and hearing a live lecturer from the comfort of your own home, via the use of a computer/laptop or tablet. Many Societies around the country are using this technique and it has proved to be very successful, members attending the virtual lecture have expressed how much they have enjoyed the meeting. 

I had the privilege of attending one of these 'Zoom' lectures held by the Taunton Art Society. Everyone had received detailed information on how to login and what to do, there was a technical adviser available by telephone for those who had any difficulties. The Chairman gave an introduction in the same way that would be given at a normal meeting and then handed over to the Speaker. On your screen you should be able to see the Lecturer in a small box throughout the talk and all the slides that form part of that talk will appear as the main picture. There is a way of asking questions electronically at the end or you can ask a live question directly to the speaker. The Taunton Society had over 100 members join in and their feedback was very positive. 

After much discussion, your Committee have decided that for these virtual lectures we will only offer one session instead of the usual two (Wednesday pm and Thursday am), this will be on the last Wednesday of the month in the afternoon at 2pm (14.00hrs). For those of you without access to a computer, we are hoping that we might be able to pair you up with a friend or neighbour, socially distanced of course, so that you will not miss out. 

We will be printing our Membership Cards and sending them out shortly. These will have details of the temporary timings and of course the lectures that we have planned.