This lecture celebrates the remarkable life and career of British sculptor Barbara Hepworth, tracing her journet from rural Yorkshire to international acclaim

Ian Giles studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and is a practising artist. His artworks and films have been shown internationally, including at MoMA PS1 (New York), the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), and the Whitechapel Gallery (London).

He has been a visiting lecturer at Chelsea College of Arts, Cambridge School of Art, Camberwell College of Arts, Birmingham School of Art and the University of Cambridge, Department of Architecture.

His work has been supported by Arts Council England, Art Fund, The Jerwood Foundation, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Recent press coverage includes features and reviews in The Guardian, Frieze, Artforum, and on BBC radio and television.

In 2026 he will present exhibitions and projects at Queer Britain, Southampton City Art Gallery and Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery

In this lecture we play armchair dectective and follow trails of clues to discover more about London life of the ''Queen of Crime''.

It's unsual for there not to be an image of at least one angel, if not many in our churches and cathedrals and yet passers-by know very little about them.  Where do they come from and what are they for?  And when did they get wings?

Ilustrated by contemporary cartoon illustrations and live drawing, this lecture lifts the Safety Curtain to reveal a host of the theatre's darkest secrets; the ghosts, the fueds, the riots, the superstitions, the flops, the scandals, the divas and the deaths (both figurative and physical).

An introduction to the first ever exhibition bringing together all nine of the artist's know painted portraits.

Come and meet the curious beasts, intriguing figures and uncanny monsters hiding at the edge of the page in this stunning and fascinating lecture exploring the imaginations of medieval book illustrators.  

Though religious and practical subjects were the order of the day for most work for medieval manuscript illuminators. in the margins at the edge of the page, artists had the freedom to have fun.

Throughout time jewellery has been used as a form of expression to replace words.  We will look back in time to observe these intimate moments when a jewel has passed between lovers and admirers to convey a personal message.  Jewellery has also been worn to represent status and wealth, and there have been times when it has been used to signal politcal aspirations and desires.

Despite being the 'matriarch' of the Bloomsbury Group, Vanessa Bell's art and biography are often overshadowed by the international renown of Roger Fry (her lover), by cutting-edge art theory of Clive Bell (her husband), by the paintings of Duncan Grant (her soul mate) and by the books of Virginia Wollf (her sister).  The lecture will aim to leave you with a sense of a life well lived, but according to her own rules, and a body of work that is sometimes abstract and sometimes deeply personal.

The lecture will be preceded by our AGM.

2024-2028 marks one hundred years since Winnie-the-Pooh was introduced to children of all ages in four iconic books created by AA Milne and EH Shepard.  This lecture tells the story of how these much-loved books were created by the genius of Milne and Shepard's groundbreaking collaboration and why they remain embedded in our national identity.  A wonderful oportunity to see behind the scences of these marvels in childhood for a hundred years.