Future EVENTS

AT ALL Lectures

Coffees and biscuits are served free of charge at our Wednesday lectures from 2:15 pm until 2:45 pm and from 6:15 pm to 6:45 pm.

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.

Next Event

New Members and Helpers party

Dear Member,

As you may have heard, we have decided to change things up this year and make the annual New Members and Helpers Party open to all members – with one proviso: that if you are not a New Member or a Helper, you bring a friend who you think might be interested in joining the Society !

Whether you are a New Member – or a Helper – or not, we do hope you can come. It will be a great opportunity to share some nibbles and a glass of wine, to catch up with old friends – and make some new ones. And – as if that wasn’t enough – we can look forward to a very entertaining talk on Ruskin Spear- that colourful painter of Cockney London – from our own Julian Halsby!

We hope to see you there!

Best Wishes,

Richard Danckwerts ( TASS Chairman )

Book for this event

If you are a new member or a helper you will have received, or will shortly, receive a personal invitation to this event and do not need to book here.

Members who would like to attend and bring a prospective new member or members, please complete and submit the following form

Past Events

Twelfth Night Lunch 2026

Interiors by Lamplight

Digby Hall, Sherborne

Wednesday 7 January 2026, 1 pm to 5 pm

Georges DE LA TOUR Christ in the Carpenter’s Shop (1645) Louvre

Jean François Millet – Woman Sewing by Lamplight (1852), Frick Collection, New York

Pierre Bonnard, The Lamp (c 1899), Flint Institute of Arts (Michigan),

Gerrit VAN HONTHORST, The Matchmaker (or The Procuress) 1625, Centraal Museum, Utrecht

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.

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.

Summer Party at the Sherborne

Pavilion, The Sherborne Thursday 20 June 2024

Members and guests joined us for drinks and canapés in this exiting new venue, with the possibility of exploring the building.

Two talks covered the development of the building and future plans.

New Members and Helpers Party 2024

Digby Hall, Sherborne

Thursday 16 May 2024 5:30 – 7:15 pm

On Wednesday 10th May we held a party for new members and helpers in the Digby Hall. Guests were offered a glass of wine and canapes and a chance to meet members of the Arts Society Sherborne as well as the committee. This was followed by a short lecture given by Julian Halsby on the work of Giovanni Boldini, in his time one of the most fashionable portrait painters of his period, but today largely forgotten outside his native Italy.

Picture: Denis Borrow

Twelfth Night Lunch 2024

Theme – Snow Painting

Digby Hall, Sherborne

Friday 5 January 2024 1 – 5 pm

70 members of TASS attended and after a welcome glass of prosecco and canapes, sat down to a two course lunch catered by Helen Furness. Following the lunch members took their places for two lectures by Jenny Newman and Julian Halsby on the theme of snow painting. It was a very successful event and an excellent way of starting the new year.