LECTURES

The Arts Society Woodford Green (with Bancroft’s) PROGRAMME 2023-24

Lectures take place in BANCROFT’S PREPARATORY SCHOOL’S HALL, on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, unless otherwise stated. LECTURES START PROMPTLY AT 8PM. Please be in your seat at 7.50pm for notices and introduction by the Chairman.

Refreshments are available from 7.15pm.

We are an independent charity & welcome donations from our visitors.

PROGRAMME OF LECTURES 2025

January 14thThe Rivalry between Leonardo and Michelangelo An account of the animosity between two icons of the RenaissanceDr James Lindow A specialist on the Renaissance, he has lectured and written widely.
February 11thThe Divine Sunflower in Art and Culture From the Aztecs to Van Gogh and Klimt – how this flower is celebrated  Twigs Way A writer, researcher and speaker – she is fascinated by the role of flowers and the art of gardens.
March 11th NB 7.30 STARTHenry Purcell and the Music of Westminster Abbey England’s Orpheus, how Purcell’s life and music are intertwined with the Abbey The Lecture will be preceded by a short musical presentation by Bancroft’s pupilsPatrick Craig Vicar Choral of St. Paul’s Cathedral.  Regular lecturer, choirmaster and conductor.
AprilNO MEETING 
May 13th Persepolis: Art, Architecture and Ideology of the Persian Empire An important and vast ancient empire, how its artifacts illustrate its power NB This lecture will now take place in St. Mary’s South WoodfordJames Renshaw A teacher of Classics at Godolphin and Latymer, as well as enthusiast of the Classical World.
JuneNO MEETING 
July 8thBecoming Jane Austen: the making of a literary superstar: 250th Anniversary ‘I write only for fame’.  How Jane Austen became a superstar.Annalie Talent An expert in romantic and Victorian literature, Annalie has also worked in libraries and literary houses
AugustNO MEETING 
September 9thLondon Bridged: 3,500 years of crossing the Thames How London grew around the Thames, divided and united by the methods of crossing the river.Charlie Forman A London Tour guide and lecturer, he has a firsthand knowledge of the city.
October 14thDutch Paintings in National Trust Houses How Dutch paintings and artists became status symbolsJane Choy-Thurlow A University Lecturer and guide at the Mauritshuis, she has been honoured for her work in promoting History of Dutch Art.
November 11th AGM 7.30pm.Bad Behaviour: a history of unruly audiences Is the phenomenon of unruly audiences so recent?Mark Fisher A freelance theatre critic and feature writer, he is a theatre critic for The Guardian and has written about the Edinburgh Festival.
December2nd N.B. 1st TuesdayJohn Singer Sargent: The Private Radical His subjects were the wealthy. Beneath the façade, Sargent had a finger on the pulse of change.Gavin Plumley A writer and broadcaster, he has a wide range of interests but especially Europe of 19th and 20th centuries.
2024 Lecturer
Jan 9How to get down from a Yak – adventures in central Asian nomadic textiles      Chris Aslan 
Feb 13Can Art Change the World – Empowering People Doug Gillen
March 12A Life of Art and Love:  The Life and Works of Giacomo Puccini  (100 yrs since death) Roger Askew/Berks
May 14NG200 – Celebrating the Bicentenary of the National Gallery  Lydia Bauman
July 9Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes (100 yrs Bakst death)Rosamund Bartlett
Sep 10The Maya Heritage: Ancient and modern Maya cultureChloe Sayer
Oct 8Degas to Lautrec: The Divas at the Café Concert, Circus and the Moulin Rouge (Ex. early 2024)Daphne Lawson
Nov 12Society’s AGM, followed by: A piece of the Auction: Behind the scenes at an international auction houseSimon Cottle
Dec 3Master Masons: The Men who built the CathedralsImogen Corrigan
2023 Lecturer
January 10A Tale of Two Cities Pompeii and Herculaneum  Dr Stephen Kershaw
February 14Cezanne: the Artists’ Artist  Jacqueline Cockburn  
March 14A Musical presentation by Bancroft’s pupils, followed by: Resurgnam: the Music of St Paul’s Cathedral      Patrick Craig
AprilNo Meeting   
May 9L S Lowry: a Visionary Artist  Michael Howard
JuneNo meeting   
July 11Butterflies, Maharajas and Tiaras Power and wealth in China, India and Europe  Dr Peter le Rossignol
AugustNo meeting   
September 12Beautiful, Beastly, Bizarre The Art of Hieronymus Bosch  Dr Paula Nutall
October 10Wilde about Oscar – his extraordinary life and times. Simon Whitehouse (an actor/ lecturer/ presenter/ Blue Badge Guide)
November 14Society’s AGM, followed by: Spices from an Eastern Paradise: A Story of Art, Merchants and Desire  Anne Howard  (lecturer of the V&A, the British Museum and The Queen’s Gallery)
December 5 (first Tuesday in December)An Actor’s Life for Me? – the pains and pleasures of a career in the theatre.Tyler Butterworth (scion of a theatrical family, who has worked extensively in the theatre and TV)
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