Future EVENTS
AT ALL Lectures
Members and visitors are invited to socialise with others during this period, to meet members of the committee and to view any displays of forthcoming events at the back or side of the hall.
In particular, members are requested to seek out and offer a warm welcome to new members and visitors.
Please ensure that cups are returned to the serving hatch and that you take your seat 5 minutes before the lecture time so that any announcements and the lecture itself are not delayed.
New Members and Helpers party
Past Events
New Members and Helpers Party 2026
Digby Hall, Sherborne
Tuesday 23 June 2024 6pm – 8:15 pm
Last Tuesday (June 23rd) some fifty people – members and guests – braved the abnormal Summer heat to attend the New Members and Helpers Party at the Digby Hall. Fortunately, Julian Halsby our Social Secretary, had laid in ample supplies of wine, water and soft drinks and lavish plates of nibbles, created by Julian and Miranda, his wife – with help from Angela, our Programme Secretary – and both the wine and the the conversation flowed freely. It was good to see so many new members there and that many established members had brought guests – some of whom we hope will be inspired to join the Society !
After a short welcome speech, in which the Chairman paid tribute to the Helpers – those members who do so much to keep the society running smoothly, by helping in reception and serving tea and coffee before lectures – we were treated to a characteristically entertaining and trenchant talk by Julian Halsby on Ruskin Spear, an important but unjustly neglected figure of Post-War British Art. I, for one, was dazzled by the vigour of Spear’s colourful depictions of London’s pubs and clubs, with their sly humour and daring compositions, no less than by the technical brilliance of the more conventional portraits by which he earned his living. He was also a brilliant painter of cats, so what is there not to like ? Sadly, Spear remains under-appreciated, as he failed to conceal his contempt for the more modish developments in modern art. But I am sure that Julian’s talk will have convinced many of his listeners that he was a figure worth taking seriously on his own terms.
Altogether, it was a very convivial evening and with its combination of good fellowship and culture, a perfect example of what this Art Society is all about.
Pictures: Angela White
Twelfth Night Lunch 2026
Interiors by Lamplight
Digby Hall, Sherborne
Wednesday 7 January 2026, 1 pm to 5 pm
After drinks and canapés, we were treated to a delicious 2 course meal, produced by Helen Furness and her team, followed by an illuminating talk by Jenny Newman on ‘Interiors by Lamplight’, it is ironic that the start was delayed by technical issues relating to the lighting in the Hall. Perhaps we should have held the talk by candle light , but – being the true professional she is – Jenny rose above the distractions to deliver a typically passionate and insightful lecture on the ways in which artists have exploited the potential of artificial light to add drama and meaning to a scene. Altogether, it was a delightful way to spend a Winter’s afternoon and has left me with much to think about – and much to look forward to in the coming year.
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Valentine’s Day Lunch
Digby Hall, Sherborne
Friday 14 February 2025 12:30 to 4 pm
After a two-course Japanese-themed lunch members and guests were treated to a talk by accredited Arts Society lecturer Suzanne Perrin on Japanese Kimonos covering a brief history of their evolvement, how they are worn, their status in society, and the meaning of their symbols and patterns. Different methods of production will be discussed, with some examples showing the variety of silk fabric and its decoration.
Two talks covered the development of the building and future plans.
Thursday 16 May 2024 5:30 – 7:15 pm
Twelfth Night Lunch 2024
Friday 5 January 2024 1 – 5 pm
