Molonglo Plains (Queanbeyan)

ArtsNational Molonglo Plains welcomes you.

ArtsNational Molonglo Plains serves rural and regional members in and around the ACT who prefer daytime lectures. We offer a stimulating illustrated lecture program from UK and Australian lecturers on a wide range of subjects relating to visual, creative, decorative and performance arts. All lectures are followed by a convivial afternoon tea. Our society also provides membership outings and events, and is a strong supporter of local Young Arts programs.

Committee
Chair: Lindy Ross   Email: chair@artsnationalmp.au
Treasurer: Lydia Melnikoff
Secretary: Susie Ryrie
Membership: Jessica Cameron   Ph: 0424 229 569

Lectures:

Venue:
ArtsNational Molonglo Plains lectures are held in the auditorium at the C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan NSW 2620.  Entry is from the rear, via the Rutledge Car Park.

Time:
Lectures are on Thursdays, begin at 2pm and are followed by afternoon tea.

Membership:
Annual membership
$190 single
$360 double
Click here to join

Guests welcome:
Visitors are very welcome to attend.  To register beforehand, and for any enquiries, please email the Membership Secretary at: membership@artsnationalmp.au.

Visitor Fees

Non-member $30  
Member of other ArtsNational Society $25 Proof of membership required.
Guest of ABSENT Molonglo Plains member $25 Members who are unable to attend a lecture may temporarily lend their Membership Badge to a family member or friend.

Payment made be made at the venue, by card or cash.  Visitor gift vouchers are also available – please email the Membership Secretary for further information.

Contact and Membership Enquiries:
Membership enquiries please email membership@artsnationalmp.au
All other enquiries please email chair@artsnationalmp.au
Postal Address: PO Box 1005 Queanbeyan NSW 2620
ABN: 23 803 895 180

2024 PROGRAM

Thursday 14 November 2024
SPECIAL INTEREST MORNING WITH PIETER DE VRIES
Presented by Pieter de Vries
Venue & Time: 10 – 12:30pm C3 Auditorium, 116 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan.

Sydney filmmaker Pieter de Vries is one of the leading documentary cinematographers in the world. His career has seen him filming the Red Army in China, rats in the sewers of NY and the wreck of the Titanic with James Cameron. His numerous awards have included Cinematographer of the Year and an Emmy nomination. His work has featured on NBC, BBC, History, Discovery and National Geographic channels as well as on ABC TV.

Two one-hour talks around a delicious morning tea.

Lecture 1: On the Wild Side with David Attenborough and National Geographic
Pieter reveals how he captures amazing images for the documentaries of David Attenborough and National Geographic. Pelicans, Macaques, the Cassowary and boxing Kangaroos are featured and supported by his amusing behind-the-scenes stories.

Lecture 2: Journey to the Titanic with James Cameron
In this lecture Pieter will screen his work with James Cameron, featuring an extraordinary journey 12,500 feet below the ocean. You’ll see exceptional imagery of Titanic using pioneering camera and lighting equipment supported by many behind-the-scenes stories.

Members $50, non-members $55

2025 PROGRAM

Thursday 13 February 2025
LIFE AND TIMES OF JMW TURNER
Presented by Robert Ketton
Venue & Time: C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan, 2pm

One of the greatest 19th century painters, Turner was a fascinating character-secretive, driven, chaotic in his private life. While Robert talks about Turner, Catherine takes to the easel to give us a glimpse of his style and technique. Turner lived at a time of great social change and scientific invention. More than anyone else he recorded, in thousands of works of art, the transition of Britain from a rural to an industrial society. Turner was a fascinating character, secretive, driven, penny pinching and generous, chaotic in his private life and fiercely patriotic.

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.

Thursday 20 March 2025
THE ARCHITECTURE OF INIGO JONES, JOHN WEBB AND WILLIAM SAMWELL
Presented by Christopher Garibaldi
Venue & Time: C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan, 2pm

These men were the most important and influential architects working in England in the mid-seventeenth century. We look at the relationship between the work of these three architects for their respective royal and aristocratic patrons. Whilst Inigo Jones became Surveyor of the Kings Works in 1611, John Webb, his pupil, assistant and natural successor, failed to secure the same role. Webb was nevertheless one of the most important and influential architects at the time in England, he designed part of Greenwich Palace for Charles II and alterations to the Queen’s House and Belvoir Castle. During the same period his work influenced that of the gentleman architect William Samwell who built the palace at Newmarket.

Christopher Garibaldi is an Independant Researcher. He was the Director of Palace House, Newmarket and Co-Director of Attingham Summer School for the Study of Historic Houses and Collections. Christopher was the Senior Curator & Assistant Keeper of Art at Norwich Castle Museum and the co-curator of Flower Power – The Meaning of Flowers in Art and Eat, Drink and Be Merry, the British at Table 1600 to 2000. And catalogued Silver in the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

Wednesday 9 April 2025
SPECIAL INTEREST MORNING WITH SUSANNAH FULLERTON
Presented by Susannah Fullerton
Venue & Time: 10 – 12:30pm C3 Auditorium, 116 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan.

Susannah Fullerton, President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia and author of several books about Jane Austen, shares her passion for Austen’s novels and her interest in her life

Two one-hour talks around a delicious morning tea.

Lecture 1: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know the Wicket Poet, Lord Byron
Lord Byron was both famous and infamous for his audacious poetry, his scandalous love life (which included an affair with his half-sister!) and his devotion to liberal ideals. Ostracised by English society, Byron went off to fight for Greek independence and died at 36. His personality and his romantic poetry made a unique impression on 19th century Europe and the term “Byronic” was coined. Susannah Fullerton recites some of his best-loved poems and tells the story of the colourful, shocking and revolutionary life of one of England’s greatest poets. Find out just why Byron was considered “mad, bad and dangerous to know”!

Lecture 2: Vita Sackville-West: Novelist, Poet and Creator of Sissinghurst
Born to affluence in one of the great stately homes of England, Vita Sackville-West never really recovered from the fact that she had been born a girl and so could not inherit Knole, the house she adored. Her life was controversial and full of contradictions: She married Harold Nicolson, but eloped with Violet Keppel; she wanted to be a famous poet, but is best remembered today for creating one of the loveliest gardens in England; she was loved by men and women and had an astonishing variety of sexual partners, but she remained happily married to one man. Susannah Fullerton depicts the creation and development of Sissinghurst’s wonderful garden and discusses the intriguing life story of Vita herself.

Members $50, non-members $55

Thursday 10 April 2025
JANE AUSTEN: HER LIFE AND WORKS
Presented by Susannah Fullerton
Venue & Time: C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan, 2pm

The 6 most elegant social comedies in English literature were written by a woman whose personal life was unexciting and confined. Yet Jane Austen’s genius gave her novels depth and charm and made them some of the most popular novels ever. Susannah Fullerton, President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia and author of several books about Jane Austen, shares her passion for Austen’s novels and her interest in her life. Illustrations bring the Regency world to life and readings will remind audiences just how funny Jane Austen can be.

Susannah has a BA from the University of Auckland NZ and a post-graduate degree in Victorian literature from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She teaches literature and lectures regularly at the State Library of NSW and the Art Gallery of NSW. In 2017 Susannah was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for Services to Literature and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW.

Thursday 22 May 2025
THE BEATLES: Here, There and Everywhere  
Presented by Jaime Hayes
Venue & Time: C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan, 2pm

The Beatles conquered the pop world and their success and legacy remain unrivalled by any other pop band in the world. Re-live their greatest moments and their greatest music, and those unsung heroes behind their success. Four humble Liverpool lads who conquered the pop world. Discover how. Their legacy remains here, there and everywhere. A fully illustrated talk with musical examples and excerpts of the exceptional moments of the fab-four’s extraordinary career. Some pop groups are not just of their time; some are for all time.   

After training at RADA, Jamie graduated as a Stage Manager and subsequently worked for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Bristol Old Vic and the BBC. He became an Assistant Director with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Kent Opera and English National Opera and soon began directing productions of his own. He has directed many new opera productions in the UK whilst other new opera productions overseas include Reykjavik, Malta and Melbourne. Jamie was Associate Director on the original production of the hit musical Miss Saigon in the West End and on Broadway.

Thursday 12 June 2025
ART CRIME AND HEISTS  
Presented by Leigh Capel
Venue & Time: C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan, 2pm

What do Napoleon, Adolf Hitler, Edvard Munch and Brett Whitley have in common? They were all involved in famous art heists. This lecture will be addressing some of the world’s greatest art crimes and heists in history. Leigh will delve into the murky world of fakes and forgeries, using his comprehensive, personal experience as both an auction assistant some of Australia’s most reputable Fine Art auction rooms, and as a successful secondary market art dealer, to expose the deceit, immorality & dark secrets of the art industry; from the Crown to the underground, in Australia & abroad!

Now an accredited valuer of the Auctioneers and Valuers Association of Australia, Leigh gained early experience with auctioneers Menzies, Mossgreen and Sotheby’s as a valuer and specialist. In 2018 Leigh became director of Belle Epoque Fine Art & Antiques, his mother’s business which supplies art and furniture to Australian film and television, particularly Baz Luhrmann’s films. Leigh is also an art dealer at the Sydney and Melbourne Fairs.

Thursday 24 July 2025
PEASANT PASTIMES? THE ART OF PIETER BRUEGEL THE ELDER 
Presented by Sophie Oosterwijk
Venue & Time: C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan, 2pm

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (d. 1569) is probably best known for his colourful depictions of peasants making merry or toiling in the fields. He also painted religious scenes in the Netherlandish countryside. Although these works lent him the epithet, ‘Peasant Brueghel’, his work was more than just charmingly naïve. He was very much a townsman with a good eye for landscape, who painted for discerning collectors. He also lived in a time of religious and political turmoil that is evident in some of his ‘darker’ works. This lecture will show that there is more to Bruegel than peasant paintings.

Born in Gouda , Sophie has an MA and PhD in English Literature (Leiden), an MA in Medieval Studies (York) and a PhD in Art History (Leicester). She has taught at the universities of St Andrews, Leicester and Manchester, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, National Trust, V&A, U3A, WEA, and organised many talks and tours. Sophie is also a regular lecturer for Cambridge University ,travel companies and is Vice President of the Church Monuments Society. Sophie has published three books and numerous articles.

Thursday 21 August 2025
THE GOLDEN ROAD TO SAMARKAND: The Architecture, Art and Textiles of Uzbekistan 
Presented by Chris Aslan
Venue & Time: C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan, 2pm

Uzbekistan in the heart of Central Asia boasts glittering mosques, madrassahs and minarets in the Silk Road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. These contrast wonderfully with the brutalist Soviet buildings of Tashkent, Urgench and Nukus. This lecture is an overview of the country, and a primer for anyone thinking of visiting. We explore the Savitsky Museum in Nukus, with the second largest collection of Russian Avante Garde Art, collected at a time when these artistic styles were banned by the state. We explore the revival of Islamic miniature painting in Bukhara and the resurgence of handicrafts all over the country that ceased during the 1930s and the Soviet drive to make everything factory-based. Embroidered suzanis from Nurata, stunning ceramics from Rishton, and the production of silk and velvet in Margilan. Plus, what are the ways that tourism is helping and hindering the production of high-quality handicrafts?

Chris spent his childhood in Turkey and in war-torn Beirut and is currently based in Cambridge. His career extended from the sea, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Oxford. He established a UNESCO workshop reviving fifteenth century carpet designs and embroideries which became the largest nongovernment employer in town. He was kicked out as part of an anti-Western purge and recorded his experiences in book “A Carpet Ride to Khiva”.

Thursday 25 September 2025
I GOT THE DUST BOWL BLUES: Texas and Oklahoma Photography, Art and Music 
Presented by John Francis
Venue & Time: C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan, 2pm

The Wall Street crash in 1929 led to a questioning of the success of the American dream. President Roosevelt stepped in with the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and the New Deal. The government initiative meant employment for over eight million largely unskilled Americans and importantly 5,300 artists. Murals, painting, photography, graphic design all flourished. In this lecture we will explore some of the key artists at this era. Jackson Pollock will be evaluated along with the social realism of Dorothea Lange and Ben Shahn. The soundtrack of the era is provided by Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rogers. 

John is an inspirational speaker who has delivered lecturers and workshops in the US, Beijing, Malaysia and the UK. Initially trained as a painter, John was awarded the Max Beckmann Memorial Scholarship in painting in Brooklyn, New York and went on to be artist in residence for the state of Texas. Later in his career John produced and directed several short films and animations. He has taught film, art and pedagogy at the University of Exeter, Arts University Bournemouth, University Sains Malaysia, Southwestern College, California, Brunel University, London and Kingston University.

Thursday 23 October 2025
THE KNIGHTS CRUSADERS
Presented by Eileen Goulding
Venue & Time: C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan, 2pm

The Orders of knights who helped keep the Kingdom of Jerusalem safe for Christians settled and prospered on islands in the Mediterranean such as Rhodes. Learn of the exploits of the Hospitallers and Templars, their legacies and the notorious Assassins. 

Eileen has an MA from the Department of Archaeology at the University of London, is a published author and an authority on the ancient cultures of the world. She specialises in the History and Culture of the ancient worlds of the Mediterranean, South America and Australasia and spends her time doing further research and giving lectures to The Arts Society, on cruise ships and to various local organisations. Her first book “What Did the Poor Take with Them? “is an academic treatise on Ancient Egyptian funerary goods, while her second book “Understanding Ancient Egypt” is a more accessible introduction to the subject.

Thursday 13 November 2025
TREASUERS: THE SUPERB SILVER IN AUSTEN’S ENGLAND
Presented by Anne Harbers
Venue & Time: C3 Church, 116 Monaro St, Queanbeyan, 2pm

Antique silver gives us a window into the society of their original owners with Silversmiths making both practical and decorative pieces. This
talk will look at the enticing silver of Jane Austen’s time (1775 – 1817) including beautifully engraved patch-boxes, shaped and decorated snuff boxes designed to fit in the pockets of those smart tight Regency gentlemen’s breeches, and little vinaigrettes, to overcome the smells of the street. A status item was a personal silver nutmeg grater. You will also be introduced to some of the Huguenot silversmiths, including Louisa Courtauld and her wonderful tea set.

Anne Harbers received her M. Art History from University of Sydney in 2014 and is currently living part-time in The Netherlands whilst working on her PhD on the 17th century Dutch painter, Abraham van Beyeren. She also holds an MBA & Masters research degree in science and worked for 30 years in medical research & international business. She currently works as a University lecturer within the Business faculty. Her current art history research interests lie in Dutch 17th century art, and 17th & 18th century European Art & Decorative Arts. She has published on collecting, art and science.