Armidale

ArtsNational Armidale welcomes you.

In 2024 ArtsNational Armidale will provide for its members and guests a program of ten illustrated lectures, presented by UK and Australian lecturers chosen for their communication skills and expert knowledge in their fields. Members also help to support young artists in our region and materials conservationists at a national level.

Armidale is on Anaiwan country in the Northern Tablelands of NSW. Our city balances a cosmopolitan culture with a stunning rural setting.  Surrounded by national parks, majestic waterfalls and walking trails, our University town also boasts an impressive array of galleries, museums and a rich cultural and artistic life.

Lectures:

Venue:
Our lectures take place at the Michael Hoskins Creative Arts Centre at The Armidale School (TAS), with access and car parking available from both Douglas and Chapel Streets, Armidale.

Time:
Doors open at 5.30pm for 6pm lecture. Lectures run for approximately one hour, usually with the opportunity to ask questions and meet lecturers after each talk. A light supper served with wine or juice is provided following each lecture, the cost of which is included in the membership or guest ticket fee.

Membership:
April – $129
May – $118
June – $108
July – $75
August – $60
September – $45
25 years younger $100

Guests welcome:
$25 per lecture – book using the links on each lecture below
Full-time Student Guests (over 18 years of age): $5 per lecture.
Secondary Students (in uniform): Free

Contact: 
For all enquiries please email: artsnationalarmidale@gmail.com
Postal Address: PO Box 1029 Armidale NSW 2350
ABN: 81 734 702 341

Committee
Chairman: Hilda Nadolny
Secretary: Michael Gibson
Treasurer Membership Enquiries: Tom O’Connor

2024 PROGRAM

Thursday 29 February 2024
RODIN AND THE 19TH CENTURY
Presented by: David Worthington (UK)
Venue & time: Michael Hoskins Theatre TAS, 6pm

Rodin is one of art history’s heroic figures of the 19th century and was internationally celebrated during his lifetime but after his death his reputation slipped and there were questions about his use of the female image. However, he is now seen as having in one career, taken sculpture on a revolutionary path equivalent to what the Realists, Impressionists and Post Impressionists did with many careers.

David Worthington is a sculptor, art curator, writer and Fellow of the Royal Society of Sculptors. He is an Oxford graduate and has carried out public commissions in the UK, America and Japan.

Thursday 14 March 2024
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR : THE LIFE AND WORKS OF OSCAR WILDE
Presented by: Susannah Fullerton (OAM) (Australia)
Venue & time: Michael Hoskins Theatre TAS, 6pm

“Somehow or other I’ll be famous, and if not famous, I’ll be notorious” declared the young Oscar Wilde: he proved to be both! He translated his genius into stories, plays, poems and a novel and gained a place amongst the great Victorian writers. This lecture includes dramatic readings that bring to life Wilde’s extraordinary life story, his fall from fame and the creation of his great works of literature.

Susannah Fullerton is a leading authority on 19th & 20th century writers and is passionate about literature. She teaches literature courses, lectures at the NSW State Library and NSW Art Gallery and leads literary tours overseas.

Thursday 18 April 2024
ELIZABETH TAYLOR’S GREATEST LOVE AFFAIR – WITH JEWELS
Presented by: Adrian Dickens (Australia)
Venue & time: Michael Hoskins Theatre TAS, 6pm

Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor has long been associated with jewels – diamonds in particular, and her legendary jewellery collection was said to be worth over $200 million at the star’s death. Find out the fascinating stories behind the breathtaking collection that rivalled Cleopatra’s, the star who wore them and the man who bought most of them – Richard Burton.

Adrian Dickens trained in the UK before emigrating to Australia and becoming a fixture on the Australian jewellery scene for the last 27 years. He has his own unique personal jewellery service in Melbourne.

Thursday 9 May 2024
THE SCENT BOTTLE:  JEWELS IN THE GLASS CROWN
Presented by: Andy McConnell (UK)
Venue & time: TAS Memorial Hall, 6pm

Despite their mini sizes, the design attention lavished on scent bottles has seen them ranked amongst the most prestigious and expensive items. Small glass flasks for scents and oils have been made for over 3,500 years and this lecture will trace the stylistic and technological advances that have marked the history of glassmaking and the scent bottle from the days of the Ancients and Rome, through the 18th century and Victorian eccentricity to the present day.

Andy McConnell, BBC’s Antiques Roadshow glass specialist has dealt in antiques since adolescence. He writes regularly for publications including The Times and runs Britain’s largest antique and vintage glass gallery in Rye, Sussex.

Thursday 13 June 2024
JOY HESTER:  LOVE, LOSS AND REDEMPTION
Presented by: Kendrah Morgan (Australia)
Venue & time: Michael Hoskins Theatre TAS, 6pm

From the late 1930s to the end of the 1950s Joy Hester forged a body of work that was distinctly her own, groundbreaking in its conception and assertions. Working almost exclusively with ink and gouache on paper she broke with convention and used drawing as a tool to grasp the essence of being human. She portrayed life in all its complexity, tackling subjects that were highly provocative during her lifetime: love, sex, birth, and death.

Kendrah Morgan is Senior Curator at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne. She has worked in the commercial gallery sector and as a lecturer in art and design history. She has also published numerous books.

Thursday 11 July 2024
THE ARCHITECTURE OF MUGHAL INDIA:  PALACES, MOSQUES, GARDENS AND MASUOLEUMS
Presented by: Dr John Stevens (UK)
Venue & time: Michael Hoskins Theatre TAS, 6pm

Before the British arrived in India, the Indian subcontinent was ruled by the Mughal Emperors. The stunning buildings and gardens they constructed have left an indelible stamp on India’s architectural and cultural landscape. Mughal architecture and the colourful personalities involved in their construction, fused elements from Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural traditions, and gave rise to some of the most beautiful and iconic buildings in the world.

Dr John Stevens is a Research Associate at SOAS, University of London with a PhD in history from University College London. He publishes widely in the fields of British and Indian history.

Thursday 8 August 2024
WHAT HAVE THE HUGUENOTS EVER DONE FOR US?  MASS MIGRATION AND THE ARTS IN BRITAIN
Presented by: Vivienne Lawes (UK)
Venue & time: Michael Hoskins Theatre TAS, 6pm

The mass migration of the French Protestant Huguenots in the 16th and 17th centuries impacted the arts, the military and finance sectors of the countries to which they fled after suffering Catholic persecution in their homeland. It is estimated that upwards of 50,000 Huguenots settled in the British Isles alone and this lecture looks at how the artistic works of the Huguenots changed material culture and became integrated into British national identity.

Vivienne Lawes is an art historian, art market analyst and curator/ writer who combines a hands-on career in the art business with academic research and teaching and writes for a wide array of publications.

Thursday 12 September 2024
BREECHES, BONNETS AND BAGS
Presented by Rosalind Whyte (UK)
Venue & time: Michael Hoskins Theatre TAS, 6pm

This lecture follows the different fashions as revealed in paintings, looking at dress and accessories, and some of the more ridiculous styles of fashion from the 16th century to the 19th century. In times when Sumptuary Laws prescribed what you could wear, according to your status in society, fashion was much less of a personal choice and more a reflection of social standing. Have fun exploring the wildest extremes of fashion through the ages.

Rosalind Whyte holds master’s degrees from Goldsmith’s College and Birkbeck College. She is an experienced guide at major UK galleries and lectures on cruises.

Thursday 17 October 2024
MATISSE: SIMPLE BEAUTY
Presented by Paul Chapman (UK)
Venue & time: Michael Hoskins Theatre TAS, 6pm

Matisse is regarded as one of the artists who best helped to define the revolutionary developments in the visual arts throughout the opening decades of the twentieth century. During WWI he moved from Paris to the South of France, where his work became more figurative and traditional, and he was heralded as an upholder of the French Classical tradition. In later age he had a second flourish as an avant-garde artist.

Paul Chapman is an art historian and a National Gallery trained guide with many years of experience working in education. He has published a book, which examines the subject of cultural crossovers and appropriations in 20th century painting.

Thursday 14 November 2024
BUILDING A COLLECTION
Presented by Leigh Capel (Australia)
Venue & time: Michael Hoskins Theatre TAS, 6pm

This lecture will explain the processes of acquiring art, building a collection and navigating the art world. Find out the basic principles to consider as well as what types of art or situations to avoid. You will get insights into condition & restoration and how it affects value, and ways to detect fakes and forgeries. Cycles and changing tastes over time are also covered.

Leigh Capel has been working in the art and antique industry as a valuer and specialist since 2013 and then with a firm known for supplying art and furniture to the Australian Film & Television industry.

VENUE AND TIME OF LECTURES 

Our lectures are held at 6pm at The Michael Hoskins Centre at The Armidale School (TAS), followed by a light supper. The Armidale School provides ArtsNational Armidale the TAS Michael Hoskins Centre as a venue for lectures, with related technical support.  ArtsNational Armidale is indebted to the School for its ongoing support to our Society.


MEMBERSHIP

Our annual membership subscription is $150 per person for the year’s season of ten lectures.
An innovation for 2024 is an Under 25s Membership Subscription at a discounted rate of $100 for all ten lectures and suppers.
Gift Vouchers are available for Under 25s Membership Subscriptions.

MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES

Tom O’Connor / Trish Rasmussen
Ph:  0460 649 700 / 0458 303 101
Email: artsnationalarmidale@gmail.com

VISITORS – LIVE LECTURES (Check Try Booking for details once known)

Guests are welcome – a $25 fee applies per lecture.
Full Time Students (over 18 years of age) guest fee $5 per lecture.
Secondary Students (in uniform) Free

There is no fee for visiting ArtsNational members.
Gift Vouchers can be provided for Guest Tickets.

 

Click here to read about our vice chair’s passion for modern Australian painting and his extensive collection.