A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM THE AREA TEAM - The Arts Society ...

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM THE AREA TEAM

As 2019 slithers downhill to the new year of 2020 with an uncertain political scene
exercising all the media pundits, it is time to reflect on the happier events of The
Arts Society in the southwest over the past twelve months.

The high spot of the year has been the production of our area book Fifty Treasures
of the Southwest. The cooperation of the society committees and members in
collecting items for inclusion has personally given me great satisfaction as has the
help from my area colleagues Jo Wymer, Jeremy Logie and Dilys Farrant in
choosing the selected items and endless proof-reading.
(I hope that you have not discovered 'typos' - I am now convinced that we all read
with predictive text and so easily miss any error!)
The sales have been phenomenal thankyou and although we printed 50% more
than the other areas have produced (3,000), after less than eight weeks only 200
are left. So - if you want some more for your society, please let me know quickly.
First come/first lucky!.

AN IMPORTANT QUESTIONNAIRE COMING TO YOU
All society committee members will very soon be receiving an important email survey to
    gather information about your relationship with your Arts Society Area (this one!)
This is to produce a cost benefit/benefit analysis of the area structure - essentially what
  you pay for it and how and what you get back in return. (In this area, your area team
     receive an area capitation fee of 30 pence per member from you to run the area
structure). Although the area team is regarded as a 'regional department' of the national
   organisation, it does not receive funding out of the £13.40 per member that you pay
                           annually in the national affiliation fee.
  This exercise is a part of a large governance review of The Arts Society and was last
                             looked at about twenty years ago.
        I would encourage all of you please to complete this questionnaire.
   How and what is on offer from the area (Chairmen's fora, informal chairs meetings,
         grants, advice, arts courses, study days and tours) are all up for review.
                  Your responses will shape the future for years to come.

AREA EVENTS SINCE SEPTEMBER

 All our area-organised events have been very well attended which indicates that they
         are what the members want and that they offer good value for money.
  Once again, our three area study tours have been fully booked and the Sussex trip
since our autumn chairmen's forum proved a varied selection of arts - the very different
      Towner Gallery, the beautifully restored Brighton Royal Pavilion, the music of
Glyndebourne and the home of the Bloomsbury set at Charleston House. The Rigoletto
production was a modern version, somewhat different as set in a 1920's film studio. Not
 as unusual as what our local acclaimed opera star and lecturer Tim Mirfin told me that
   he had to perform in Germany with the opera set in the antartic and the chorus all
                     dressed as penguins with huge yellow flippers!

SUSSEX TOUR OCTOBER 2019

Forty members (and prospective members) travelled to Sussex to visit The Towner
Gallery (top image) in Eastbourne - as different, exciting and well worth visiting inside
as outside; the refurbished Royal Pavilion in Brighton with Platinum covered wall paper
and a treat of treasures, and a performance of modern (1920s) Rigoletto at
Glyndebourne (middle image - and note the excellent star of a 1950's MG TF car - bit of
a boob actually, as this was not around thirty years earlier when the opera was
set!) and with Rigoletto the clown as Charlie Chaplin.
Finally, a morning at Charleston House (bottom image), the country home of the
Bloomsbury set. A very different place and the inside of the house is a great
demonstration of the arts and crafts of the period. (Whacky!)
Well worth a visit."They lived in squares, socialised in circles and loved in triangles"

PLANNED EVENTS 2020 -
  (Please see the area website for study days and tours organised by
                           SW societies)
                   http://www.theartssocietysw.org.uk/Special/FutureSpecial.aspx

                             SW AREA STUDY DAY
  'From Holbein to Hockney: A History of British Portrait Painting' at Buckfast Abbey
                       Conference CentreValerie Woodgate
                               Friday 01 May 2020

                            AREA STUDY TOUR 2020
                      TO DURHAM AND NORTHUMBERLAND
                      For full details, please see the area website

AREA ARTS COURSES 2020
The area History of Arts courses ('Am I missing something?') start from January in
Plymouth, Exeter, Taunton and Sidmouth.
These courses remain very popular and although a waiting list is in operation in some
centres, there are a few places left in others. For details and up to date information,
please look on the SW area website.

               THE ARTS SOCIETY WEST CORNWALL
                         YOUNG ARTS
Felicitas Wagner's picture "Feathered Flight" has been selected to appear at ROSL and
             The Mall galleries as part of the RBA Star Students competition.
 "Felicitas was the winner of our Emerging Artist Award this year, which West Cornwall
       present annually at Penwith College's Art Student's show held in Penzance.
   Apparently the successful entries were divided into two groups as the standard of
                  entries was so high (and there were over 200 entries).
 The first group will be displayed in both galleries, and the second group just at ROSL.

   Felicitas is in the first group which we are pleased about as only 20 entries were
         selected for both galleries." (John McEvoy, Chairman West Cornwall)

MORE SPLENDID YOUNG ARTS WORK FROM CORNWALL
BELOW
Young artists form four local secondary schools in and around Liskeard have shown
                        their art in an exhibition organised by
                             The Arts Society Liskeard.
                       Shown here are the prizewinning works -
          Top by Ester Huckstep (also shown below receiving her certificate)
                        Left by Jack Stevens (Peoples' award)
                        Right by Aaron Dark (year 10 winner)
All the pupils were from years 10 and 11 (15 and 16 year olds) and presentations of
certificates were made by The Arts Society, Liskeard at a ceremony in Stuart House,
                                       Liskeard.

TRAINING IN THE SOUTH WEST AREA
MAILCHIMP
There have been three courses in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall over the autumn
period with a total of 25 members participating. More courses are planned for the
spring together with mentoring sessions.

SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING
To be announced shortly are area social media training workshops for tuition in ways to
promote The Arts Society in your locality by Facebook, twitter, etc.
These will be announced by Jo Wymer, Deputy Area Chairman and Area Trainer.

      GRANTS AWARDED BY SOUTH WEST AREA IN THE
              SECOND ALLOCATION OF 2019
                     (NOVEMBER)
  Since the last allocation of grants from the area grant fund, £1,450 has already been
      given to fund Young Arts projects for the Teignbridge and the Exe (Topsham)
                                            societies.
    In the recent round (closed on 30th November), awards totalling £1200 have been
         made to The Arts Society Sidmouth and The Arts Society Dartmoor.
The Sidmouth grant is to fund part of a project in association with Sidmouth College to
  provide access for more than fifty selected students to two workshops to provide an
               arts society activity focussing on well-being and mental health.
 It is the intention of the whole community of Sidmouth to become a mental health and
                           well-being town with a focus on the arts.

The Dartmoor grant is for a collaborative venture with the Devon Guild of Craftsmen to
 sponsor a series of workshops at Whipton School in Exeter for children registered as
Education, Health and Care plan holders or those identified as in need by the staff. The
   workshops would be for between 6 - 10 children and will encourage confidence,
                    feelings of self-worth,social and practical skills.

 LANDSCAPES OF THE MIND: AN EXHIBITION OF THE ART
           WORK OF TRISTRAM HILLIER.
         The Museum of Somerset, Taunton
  Tristram Hillier RA (1905–1983) was one of the most accomplished and distinctive
   20th-century British artists. Painting for many years from a base in Somerset, he
             created pictures in a uniquely intense and memorable style.

On now until 18th April 2020 ‘Landscapes of the Mind: The Art of Tristram Hillier’ brings
      together over 50 pictures from private lenders and from national and regional
collections. Major works include ‘Variation on the Form of an Anchor’ and ‘La Route des
Alpes’ from the collections of Tate Britain and ‘Pylons’ and ‘Quantoxhead’ from National
  Galleries Scotland. It is the first retrospective of Hillier’s work in more than 30 years.
 Many of Hillier’s paintings evoke an air of other-worldliness. Incongruous objects and
 the use of unreal perspectives add a surreal quality. He was part of the Avant Garde
 modernist group, Unit One, led by Paul Nash. Outstanding paintings by Nash, Edward
    Wadsworth and Ben Nicholson, lent by Tate Britain, also feature in the exhibition

    With every best wish for the festive season from all the
                South West Area team. David.