Launceston
ArtsNational Launceston welcomes you.
In 2025 ArtsNational Launceston will deliver an exciting program of superbly illustrated lectures on a diverse range of topics within the arts and related disciplines, including:
- 8 regular Tuesday night face-to-face lectures followed by complimentary light refreshments
- 2 Special Events providing 3 additional face-to-face lectures through our Special Events Program
Our lecturers are chosen for their communication skills and expert knowledge in their fields. They are approachable, well prepared and their enthusiasm and willingness to share their knowledge is infectious.

Image: Nothofagus Gunii Gold, Rosanne Bender
Our friendly members all have one thing in common – an interest in learning more about a wide diversity of the arts, ranging through fine arts, history, photography, literature and music. ArtsNational Launceston also has an active Young Arts program, and we explore and provide opportunities for young people in our local community to develop an interest in the Arts.
Lectures:
Venue:
Lectures are held at Sir Raymond Ferrall Lecture Theatre at The University of Tasmania’s Newnham campus, Launceston. Please click here for venue information.
Time:
All regular lectures are held on a Tuesday evening; arrive at 5.45pm for a 6pm lecture start.
Special Events commence mid-morning with final details circulated and advertised closer to the event, including venue selection.
Program
Find full details of the 2025 program here
Membership:
Annual membership:
Single $170 (Earlybird rate until 31 Jan 25 $165)
Couple $320 (Earlybird rate until 31 Jan 25 $300)
Click here to join or email: launceston@artsnational.au
Guests welcome:
Visitors are welcome to attend 3 lectures per year. for a fee of $30 per lecture. Please email launceston@artsnational.au
Committee
Chair: Margaret Archer
Secretary: Wendy Webster
Treasurer / Membership: Ursula Love
Contact:
For all enquiries please email: launceston@artsnational.au
Postal Address: PO Box 445 Launceston TAS 7250
ABN: 16 630 263 813
2025 PROGRAM
Tuesday 18 March 2025
AUCTIONEERS TALES – 35 YEARS IN THE ART MARKET
Presented by Marc Allum
Time & Venue: 5:45pm Sir Raymond Ferrall Lecture Theatre, The University of Tasmania’s Newnham campus
With three decades under his belt Marc has gathered a wealth of experience and fascinating tales based on his work in the auction business. This insightful talk will both amaze and amuse as he recounts incredible stories of great discoveries and emotive situations.
Marc Allum is a freelance art and antiques journalist, writer and broadcaster based in Wiltshire, UK. He has been a specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow for over 25 years. Marc regularly writes for mainstream magazines and is an author, antiques consultant and lecturer. He also runs a fine art valuation and consultancy service. Marc’s interests range from pre-history to modern design, and he is a self-confessed ‘collectaholic.’ Marc has lectured widely to organisations in both the public and charity sector, including travel companies, The National Trust and at literary festivals including Cheltenham, Bath and Wells. Marc is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

SPECIAL EVENT
Thursday 20th March 2025
Lecture 1: THE CHIPPENHAM GLADIATOR BOWL
Lecture 2: BRING AN OBJECT
Presented by Marc Allum
Venue & Time: Valentino Safe Co, 1/1973 Main Rd, Lilydale TAS 7268. Time to be advised
Lecture 1: The Chippenham Gladiator Bowl
Marc tells the amazing story of how, after moving into a medieval house in the market town of Chippenham, he was inspired to conduct an archaeological dig in his back garden based on historical evidence that King Alfred the Great’s encampment was nearby. What he found was very different, as it transpired that his house is built on a Roman villa! This talk outlines the tales and finds from a fascinating personal endeavour that revealed 2000 years of history right under his feet.
Lecture 2: Bring an Object
One of Marc’s most popular talks and based on the age-old Antiques Roadshow premise of people arriving with their personal objects and Marc spontaneously deciphering them to the audience. Always different and peppered with historical anecdotes, emotional tales and also highly audience interactive.
Marc Allum is a freelance art and antiques journalist, writer and broadcaster based in Wiltshire, UK. He has been a specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow for over 25 years. Marc regularly writes for mainstream magazines and is an author, antiques consultant and lecturer. He also runs a fine art valuation and consultancy service. Marc’s interests range from pre-history to modern design, and he is a self-confessed ‘collectaholic.’ Marc has lectured widely to organisations in both the public and charity sector, including travel companies, The National Trust and at literary festivals including Cheltenham, Bath and Wells. Marc is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

Tuesday 8 April 2025
“LIFE IS VERY LIKE A RAILWAY” A quotation from an apologue by Arthur Hugh Clough
Presented by Robert Ketton
Time & Venue: 5:45pm Sir Raymond Ferrall Lecture Theatre, The University of Tasmania’s Newnham campus
In a wide-ranging and eclectic lecture, Robert Ketton looks at the way in which Railways changed the world. From the introduction of standard time to the impact on the national diet and the redistribution of population, railways continue to have a huge influence on everyday life everywhere, except perhaps, in regional Australia. From fine art to architecture, from film and theatre to literature, Robert looks at the social impact of the railway. Nations have gone to war by and because of railways. Railways have been the source of national unity and national disgrace. With the passion of an enthusiast, Robert will take you on an express journey through the past, present, and future of the railway.
In a long career as Lecturer in Theatre at the University of Southern Queensland, Robert taught acting and directed dozens of plays for the University’s Performance Centre. Since retirement he established “Floodlight” a federal government funded organisation aimed at helping flood victims. Robert has published books and plays and is currently working on an illustrated children’s book with his artist wife, Catherine.

Tuesday 6 May 2025
A HAAAAND BAAAAG? The Importance of Being Oscar (& Earnest)
Presented by Simon Whitehouse
Time & Venue: 5:45pm Sir Raymond Ferrall Lecture Theatre, The University of Tasmania’s Newnham campus
This lecture explores Oscar’s literary successes, beginning with The Picture of Dorian Gray,1890. Simon will focus on The Importance of Being Earnest, one of the funniest, most performed and most quoted plays in English. Described as ‘A Trivial Comedy for Serious People’, it was of its time and yet ahead of its time, satirising the shallowness of upper-class Victorian society. Simon explores the hidden elements which the audience then (and now) were not aware of and we discover that, for the author, this triumph heralded the beginning of his own fatal final act.
Simon is a (recovering) actor, presenter, Alexander Technique and voice teacher, and award-winning London Blue Badge guide. He has worked as a guide in-house at Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Opera House, the BBC and the National Gallery guiding both public and private tours. He is on the faculty of Ithaca College and lectures for the Blue Badge Guide training course on the performing arts and English literature. Simon’s specialisms and passions are theatre, literature, fashion, and art history but whatever the subject, Simon will weave a wonderful story from it.

Tuesday 8 July 2025
FRIEDA KAHLO AND DIEGO RIVERA: A Volatile Relationship
Presented by Maria Chester
Time & Venue: 5:45pm Sir Raymond Ferrall Lecture Theatre, The University of Tasmania’s Newnham campus
This duo of eccentric artists , political activists and vibrant human beings will captivate the audience. Frida and Diego were both exceptional in so many ways! This will be a talk about love, passion and art created by both of them in the first half of the 20th century. The focus will be on their artworks, but their creations are always linked to the political situation, health and their own relationship.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, multilingual Maria Chester studied Fine Arts and Art History and is a Professor of Pre-Columbian Art. She taught in several South American universities and at private institutions. She is a Senior Lecturer and tutor on Art History for BEA – Berwick Educational Association in the Scottish Borders, where she lives. She also works for Berwick Visual Arts delivering conferences linked to art exhibitions complemented with guided tours. In May 2018, she was made a Visiting Research Fellow at CAUA Research Centre for International Elderly Education, Shanghai, China. She became an Accredited Lecturer for The Arts Society in 2018.

Tuesday 12 August 2025
THE RIJKSMUSEUM IN AMSTERDAM: Rembrandt’s Night Watch and Much, Much More
Presented by Sophie Oosterwijk
Time & Venue: 5:45pm Sir Raymond Ferrall Lecture Theatre, The University of Tasmania’s Newnham campus
This lecture offers an introduction to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam: the collection, the building, its history and the 10-year renovation (2003-13) that brought back the splendour of architect Pierre Cuypers’ original neo-gothic decorations. The collection of the Rijksmuseum includes works by Hals, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh as well as medieval art, jewellery, musical instruments, Asian art and even an FK 23 Bantam plane from 1918. It also has Rembrandt’s famous Night Watch – but only on loan! All this and much more will be revealed about the most famous museum in the Netherlands.
Born in Gouda (Netherlands). Sophie has an MA in Medieval Studies (York) and a PhD in Art History (Leicester), as well as an MA and PhD in English Literature (Leiden). Sophie has taught at the universities of St Andrews, Leicester and Manchester, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, National Trust, V&A, U3A, WEA and other organisations, and organised many study days, tours and visits. She is also a regular lecturer for Cambridge University and travel companies, and Vice President of the Church Monuments Society, and has numerous publications to her name.

Tuesday 9 September 2025
CONTEMPORARY FEMALE ARTISTS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Presented by Anna Moszynska
Time & Venue: 5:45pm Sir Raymond Ferrall Lecture Theatre, The University of Tasmania’s Newnham campus
The talk considers the fascinating range of women artists who have emerged from the Middle East, those still working in the region and those who now live elsewhere. Reacting against the exoticized depiction of women as seen in the West though 19th-century Orientalism, female artists from the region have, since the end of the last century, re-examined visual notions of the gaze; engaged with contemporary society, religion and politics, and offered fresh insights into contemporary issues. Artists under discussion include Mona Hatoum, Shirin Neshat, Huda Lutfi, Zenib Sedira, Monir Farmanfarmaian and Shirazeh Houshiary.
Anna is a London-based lecturer and writer specialising in contemporary art. During the 1990s, Anna oversaw the development of the first British Master’s Degree in the subject at Sotheby’s Institute. She has also taught at institutions including The City Lit, the Royal Academy and Tate London, as well as lecturing globally from Dubai to New York. Anna currently teaches in London and continues to write on art. Her books include Abstract Art and Sculpture Now. Anna enjoys introducing art to audiences in a lively and approachable way to make modern and contemporary art both accessible and interesting.

Tuesday 14 October 2025
MY SCRAMBLING AFFAIR: How Constable’s Late Paintings Changed the Face of Modern Art
Presented by Sarah Cove
Time & Venue: 5:45pm Sir Raymond Ferrall Lecture Theatre, The University of Tasmania’s Newnham campus
Would you recognise John Constable R.A.’s ‘late’ oil studies? Constable’s exuberant, almost abstract, brush and palette-knife work shocked audiences for a full 50 years before Impressionism. In fact, the handling is so avant-garde that it is impossible to tell what these paint strokes depict! Constable only sold 20 or so paintings in England during his lifetime, as their rough and ‘specky’ surfaces horrified audiences. By contrast, he sold many to forward-looking French art dealers and collectors. Consequently, his radical ‘late’ works influenced generations of French painters, making Constable a Forefather of Modern Painting. Sarah Cove’s work reveals a ‘Jackson Pollock of the 1830s’.
Sarah Cove ACR is an accredited paintings conservator-restorer, technical art historian and lecturer with several decades of experience working on paintings for the heritage and private sectors. She is a specialist in British portraits, 19th-20th century British landscapes and oil sketches on paper and board. She founded the Constable Research Project and is the leading authority on Constable’s materials and techniques. Her presentations are lively, enthusiastic and passionate about her work and research.

SPECIAL EVENT
Wednesday 15 October 2025
THE PAINTINGS CONSERVATION ROADSHOW
Presented by Sarah Cover
Venue & Time: To be advised
Sarah discusses the nature of oil painting materials, and common problems associated with the ageing and deterioration of, and damage to, easel paintings. These can be on canvas, panel, board or paper in a range of mediums: oil, acrylic, egg tempera, or mixed media. Problems can involve natural deterioration and neglect, sketches accidental damage, vandalism and even war! Modern approaches to conservation and restoration will be illustrated with slides ranging from early Italian religious paintings via rapid oil on paper to 20th century British paintings and modern abstract works. Hints and advice on the care of paintings is given liberally throughout! Sarah will then turn her attention to paintings that members bring along that they own for a hands-on ‘Antiques Roadshow’ style condition assessment and give recommendations for conservation. Advice on packing and transport is given beforehand.
Sarah Cove ACR is an accredited paintings conservator-restorer, technical art historian and lecturer with several decades of experience working on paintings for the heritage and private sectors. She is a specialist in British portraits, 19th-20th century British landscapes and oil sketches on paper and board. She founded the Constable Research Project and is the leading authority on Constable’s materials and techniques. Her presentations are lively, enthusiastic and passionate about her work and research.

Tuesday 11 November 2025
BEYOND THE LITLE BLACK DRESS – CHANEL
Presented by Claudia Chan Shaw
Time & Venue: 5:45pm Sir Raymond Ferrall Lecture Theatre, The University of Tasmania’s Newnham campus
Fashion is what’s in vogue, the latest trend, the up to the minute. Fashion is ever changing. Yet 100 years on, the designs and ideas created by Coco Chanel are just as relevant today. We have Chanel to thank for popularising the Little Black Dress, championing pants for women, and creating the first designer branded fragrance. Join Claudia Chan Shaw to discover Chanel’s influence and the legacy of the Little Black Dress, showing that, as Chanel once said, “Fashion fades, only style remains.”
Sydney born creative Claudia Chan Shaw has a multi-faceted career as a fashion designer, television and radio presenter, author, public speaker, installation artist, photo artist, and curator. With a BA in Visual Communication Design from Sydney College of the Arts, she is co-designer and director for the internationally acclaimed Australian fashion label, Vivian Chan Shaw. The label is renowned for its exquisite handmade knitwear and jewellery. The designs are represented in the permanent collection of the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.

ARTSNATIONAL LAUNCESTON YOUNG ARTS PROGRAM
The object of our Young Arts Program is to inspire young people with an enthusiasm for the Arts. As well as direct donations from ArtsNational members, we conduct raffles and organise special functions to raise money for this Program to provide financial support assisting young people, under 22 years of age, to experience a range of local artistic endeavours-music, painting, poetry, sculpture, singing, photography, and dance/movement.
ArtsNational Young Arts does not run programs, it offers funding sponsorship for young people to have exposure to arts activities that would otherwise not be possible for them. Preference is given to projects benefiting a group rather than an individual, and to projects without the capacity to attract institutional funding.
ArtsNational Young Arts has supported a variety of art projects and in 2019 ArtsNational Launceston was the winner of The Pauline Hopkins Cup, awarded in recognition of the variety and achievements of its 2018 Program of Young Arts.
For further details, contact the ArtsNational Launceston Young Arts Coordinator: launceston@artsnational.au