On the eve of the start of 2024 I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our members who have steadfastly stuck with us through thick and thin and are now once again able to enjoy Granta as it used to be before Covid cast its long shadow over our proceedings. The Society is now back to being what it was always intended to be - a social gathering for people of enquiring minds and an interest in one - or many - aspects of the vast and fascinating world of artistic endeavour. 

The days of zooming ar over! It was a wonderful solution during isolation, and an acceptable one in the year following the waning of the pandemic, but it has to be acknowledged that the quality of the transmission to members who joined via zoom had a tendency to be erratic, and for members who attended in the Wolfson Hall the experience was not enhanced by the occasional technological glitch. It was also a bit sad to see our fantastic lecture venue so sparsely filled. It is therefore especially heartwarming to see so many members now returning to Churchill. There's a real 'buzz' in the Buttery over coffee before the lecture, and a number of people have taken up the idea of staying on after the lecture to have lunch in the College dining hall, where they have a chance to spend a bit more time with the lecturer while enjoying a modestly-priced midday meal. 

The 2023-24 season has opened with three excellent lectures, visits to the Scott Polar Museum and the Cambridge Central Mosque, and the announcement of a residential trip to Yorkshire in April 2024 and the 'resurrection' of the VIth Form Art Competition in Michaelhouse in the summer. We have also started to develop closer links with our sister societies in Cambridge and to share some of our events. We have other visits in the pipeline as well as five more enticing lectures this season, and a wonderful programme already announced for 2024-25. There is every reason to feel optimistic - Granta is alive and well and thriving. And that is due to you, our members, for supporting us, to our fantastic hard-working committee for organising our events, and to a great pool of brilliant lecturers to entertain us. 

Thank you, and may I wish you and your families a very Happy New Year! 

Nan. 31.12.23.

As we approach the end of the 2022-23 season, the Granta committee would like to thank our members for their loyalty in sticking with us through the trying period of Covid and its aftermath. We know that Zoom lectures are not the same as 'the real thing', and we are grateful to you for mastering the technology so that you could continue to enjoy some contact with Granta, even when you could not attend in person. 

We are delighted that the days of Zooming are nearly over! From October 2023 we will be finally fully back to normal. No more disembodied voices, intermittently wobbly sound production, or lecturers' pointers which you can't see on your screen! Come back to Churchill College and enjoy once again the experience to the full. There's free coffee and biscuits beforehand, the chance to meet friends and chat, and above all the top quality lectures which you expect from Granta. We have a fantastic programme lined up for 2023-24. Don't miss out! We're looking forward to welcoming you back. 

Welcome to the new Arts Society Granta season.

It is our firm intention to return to ‘normal’ as far as is possible and as soon as possible. However, we are disappointed that Churchill College could not give us the go-ahead in time to organise an ‘in-person’ presentation for our first lecture of the season on Tuesday October 12th: From Peasants to Czars: A Portrait of Nineteenth Century Russia, given by Brian Healey.  https://theartssocietygranta.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx. This lecture will therefore be delivered on Zoom, and a link will be sent to you a couple of days before the event.

The November lecture, A Tour of Big Ben by Tim Redmond will be in the auditorium at Churchill unless there is another twist in the covid saga. Then on Monday November 22nd we have a Special Interest morning: The Life of a Decorative Arts Curator at the Fitzwilliam Museum, with Dr Vicky Avery. https://theartssocietygranta.org.uk/Special/FutureSpecial.aspx. This will be a 2-lecture event beginning at 10.30am. More details concerning booking will be given at the October lecture and on the website.

We regret that the Sicily trip has had to be cancelled. Overseas travel arrangements and costs are still too uncertain for us to go ahead with it in confidence, but we intend to reorganise it when conditions allow. However, the good news is that the trip to Ludlow which had been proposed for 2021 is to be resurrected. It will probably take place in April 2022. More details will be provided before the October and November lectures and on the website.

Finally, may I respectfully remind you that subscriptions for the next season are now due. If you have already paid, thank you. If you have not, but intend to remain a member of Granta, please make your payment as soon as possible by sending a cheque for £50, made out to ‘Arts Society Granta’, to the Treasurer at 5 Ambrose Way, Impington, Cambridge CB24 9US.

Thank you for sticking with us through an extraordinary season, and we look forward to seeing you again in person at Churchill very soon.

Dear members

We have (fingers crossed) now more or less returned to 'normal', so this page is hopefully becoming obsolete. However, there are still a few items which may interest you, even though opportunities to enjoy artistic pursuits and exhibitions live are once again plentiful, so I will leave the page 'active' while it may still serve a useful purpose. I'd be delighted to receive your suggestions too!

There's a cheerful Christmas Art Quiz in our Documents section. Look for the date: 16th December 2020. It was compiled by Lizzie Darbyshire, Chair of the North East Area.

The Arts Society news page lists a wide range of events coming up: https://theartssociety.org/arts-news-features

Here's a jolly 2-minute watch. Monti's Czardas, played by the Kanneh-Mason family. Sorry about the annoying advertisements at the beginning.

Guy Johnson and Melvyn Tan - from the Wigmore Hall. Something a bit different.

The Romanovs Art of Survival, another interesting read. Sorry about the annoying advertisements again, I can't get rid of them unfortunately.

Rembrandt's 'Night Watch' revealed by Will Gompertz. An interesting read.

Bach's G major cello prelude in D - a 10-minute 'deconstruction'. Skip the daft adverts at the beginning!

Exhibitions at the Royal Academy. Missing your trips to the RA? There are some videos you may enjoy here.

'Tutankhamun: The truth uncovered'. Did you have to cancel your trip to the exhibition because of the lockdown? There's an interesting BBC documentary here.

We do not know how the Coronavirus (Covid19) pandemic will develop but in the light of the government’s recommendations we have had to postpone the remaining lectures of the 2019-20 season.

It is our intention to have the postponed lectures in the autumn if the epidemic in the UK has resolved by then. We are investigating the possibility that we could start our season earlier than normal in September. It is also possible that we could have two lectures on the same day in order to fit in the postponed lectures. We will make every effort to deliver all of the postponed lectures. We are working with Churchill College to manage the situation sensibly in order to protect our Members and their students and staff. They have been sympathetic and helpful.

The cancelled SID will be moved to the next season.

It is likely that the Ludlow trip will be cancelled by Heritage. Mary Bligh will email those Members who have signed up as soon as there is news.

The AGM will take place in the autumn. All Members will be given the statutory notice.

We will not be able to produce a programme card until we have a clear idea of the medical situation and have arranged changes with Churchill College and the speakers. Our website will give you up-to-date information and we will contact you by email with any new information http://theartssocietygranta.org.uk/

Contact by email is even more important than ever. If you have changed your email, telephone number or address please email nr10000@cam.ac.uk with the changes. If you have an email that you have not told us now is the time to divulge it. Postage is expensive and time consuming.

May I thank those people who have already changed their standing orders and remind those who have not yet done so that there is some urgency in order to prevent your existing standing order effecting a payment on 31st May. Please remember that there will be at least 14 days delay in executing the change at your bank. Members with internet banking may be able to make changes more rapidly.

Our finances rely on Gift Aided subscriptions. If you do not already have a Gift Aid agreement in force, and are a UK taxpayer, please consider filling in the appropriate form (attached).

Finally, please keep well and look forward to our new, expanded, programme in the autumn.

The Arts Society King’s Lynn is currently helping to organise the joint Kings Lynn Festival and a Study Day organised by the Groundwork Gallery. GroundWork Gallery shows works by contemporary artists who care about how we see the world. Its exhibitions and creative programmes show how art can enable us all to respond to our changing environment and shape its future.

For more infrmation about this organisation please visit their website: www.groundworkgallery.com

If you would like to attend the study day, please book using the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fragile-nature-an-art-and-ecology-study-day-tickets-62610658164

Cambridge Drawing Society Art Exhibition

Saturday 23rd March to Saturday 30th March: 10.00am to 5.30pm every day except 30th March when it closes at 4pm
Exhibition of paintings, collages, prints and sculpture by members.
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge (opposite Fitzbillies).
Free admission.

You can read more about it here.

We urgently need a few more committee members! The work involved is not arduous - the committee meets once per month in congenial surroundings, with refreshments provided. We usually meet on the Tuesday before the next lecture, and the meeting lasts a couple of hours. At this stage we are looking for committee members 'without portflio' - i.e. no-one is going to expect you to take on one of the major responsibilities immediately.

Having said that, we are looking for someone to take on the role of Treasurer. If you have an interest in numbers and spreadsheets and would be willing to help in this way we would love to hear from you. Whoever takes on this role will be extremely well supported while he/she gets familiar with the task.

Please contact any committee member - details on this page - if you would like to hear more about either of these roles.

Hazel Courtley, Community Engagement Manager at Palace House, Newmarket, has written to ask whether any of our members would be interested in volunteering at Palace House, Newmarket: the National Heritage Centre for Horseracing & Sporting Art.  She is particularly keen to find people who would like to be Volunteer Hosts in their art galleries between now and the end of October. For more information please see the 'get involved' page of their website.

Hazel can be contacted on hazel@nhrm.co.uk or by phone on 01638 667314 ext 220.

GOLDEN ANNIVERARY CELEBRATION WITH THE ARTS SOCIETY EAST ANGLIA

A special day has been arranged at Culford School the celebrate the Golden Jubilee of The Arts Society.

The day will include a new talk by Bertie Pearce, who is a Member of the Magic Circle, and a glass of fizz before a special lunch. The afternoon will include more magic and music by the classic jazz band Joyspring.

The day will finish with tea and celebration cake.

The cost of the day is £37 and places are limited so book early!

Please click on the link below to find further information and the booking form.

Golden Anniversary booking form