Come and join us at one of our monthly illustrated lectures and hear an expert share their specialist knowledge about the arts. Lectures are held on the first Wednesday of the month (except July, August, December) starting at 1.30 pm. Recent topics included the life of Caravaggio, Central Asian Nomadic textiles and the phenomenon of the coalminers’ art. Forthcoming subjects range from the Impressionist art of Manet and Morisot to the street art of Banksy, from the Cornish artists of Lamorna Cove to the folk art cultures of Ukraine, and a lot more in between. Full details of 2024 lectures are posted on our website. Non-members are welcome to attend a lecture for a small fee.
Morisot by Manet, Musée d'Orsay, Paris
The Arts Society Leeds is a member of The Arts Society (formerly National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies), a leading education charity with a global network of local Societies connecting people to the arts and to each other. We are a city-wide organisation, but we meet in Headingley.
Our meeting place is Castle Grove Masonic Hall, in Far Headingley village, just off Moor Road. It’s a fascinating Grade II Listed Victorian mansion, one of the first built on Headingley Moor, now extended with a lavishly decorated interior. On a lecture day, Castle Grove Hall is open from 12 noon and refreshments are available to purchase.
In addition to monthly lectures, we also run longer sessions (known as Study Days) for smaller groups which explore a particular topic or subject in greater depth. Past Study Days have focussed on the Pre-Raphaelites in Italy and Victorian Art Nouveau Jewellery; our most recent Study Day looked at the Cartoonist’s Art and was led by Harry Venning, award-winning cartoonist perhaps best known for his Guardian strip cartoon, Clare in The Community.
We also organise full day Visits for members to places of artistic/cultural interest, such as exhibitions, museums, historic houses. Recently we’ve visited Wentworth Woodhouse (for a behind the scenes tour), Brockfield Hall, Aldby Park and Scampston Hall. Another visit was to the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester.
For the past few years The Arts Society Leeds has been supporting the Opera North Education Programmes through fundraising and grants. Members have had the opportunity to attend special “behind the scenes” events.
Membership of the Leeds Society is available for £55 per annum, the membership year runs from January-December. As well as nine lectures each year, members receive a quarterly magazine and monthly email updates from The National Arts Society with a wealth of national information and discount offers. Non-members are very welcome to attend our local lectures for a fee of £10.
Visit our website for full details of the lecture programme for 2024, and for details of membership and also one-off fees.
Jane Collins
Membership Secretary, The Arts Society Leeds
Castle Grove Hall, Castle Grove Drive, Headingley, Leeds LS6 4BP
www.theartssocietyleeds.org.uk
