click on the here to see the result of our collaboration 

Our Society received a community grant to buy the art materials. The art packs are for children whose families use the Sevenoaks food bank.

Dear Members,

It was very good to see so many of you who came to the last lecture on Rembrandt’s Night Watch, especially on such a dank and drizzly evening. Could I ask that you take a minute to log on to our website and provide a review? The password is “temPera”. It is important to encourage our lecturers, most of whom I believe to be excellent. 

https://theartssocietysevenoaks.org.uk/AboutUs/LectureFeedback.aspx

The next lecture will be on 11th December and is called “Getting the Drift” by Matthew Wilson. The doors will open at 7.15pm and you will be offered a glass of wine and mince pies, without being asked for payment! Like last year, we are also suggesting that members might wish to bring a guest (who will not be asked to make a donation). They too will be given wine and mince pies! We hope that this will be an opportunity for lots of Christmas cheer and an opportunity for guests to see what the Society has to offer.

We had a very successful Study Day on 7th November on the subject of “Beside the Spanish Seaside” delivered by Jacqueline Cockburn. The Knole Society had printed off review forms which most people completed, and I am happy to report that attendees universally thought all three lectures to be outstanding / excellent. Our thanks to Michael Jones and Helen Turner, the catering team and all the wonderful volunteers who helped on that day. 

It was an unusual Study Day for two reasons. Firstly because we shared with The Arts Society Knole and secondly because it was held at the Bat & Ball centre rather than at Kippington Hall. We hope to share a Study Day again in the future.

Our next Study Day is on 27th March 2026 and is titled “Istanbul, City of Faith, Power and Beauty” by Antonia Gatward Cevizli. However, contrary to what is shown in our printed programme, it will be held at the Bat & Ball Centre. The March event is an Arts Society Sevenoaks Study Day only. If numbers allow, we will invite Knole members.

I do understand that some of you may be disappointed, being concerned that the opportunity to socialise at a Study Day might diminish due to an absence of the intimacy that is offered at Kippington Hall. We will try to ensure that we create a similar social intimacy at Bat & Ball. The reasons why we have thought it better to hold the next Study Day at the Bat & Ball Centre is that it has better parking, better sound, is more spacious and we have no frenetic moving of chairs and tables before and after lunch. The aim is to provide a better experience for as many of you as possible.

Our new Outings organiser, Elaine Johnson, has now finalised arrangements for our visit this week to Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great and Charterhouse. We thank her for this and are very grateful to her for further Outings being arranged for 2026. We will be in contact with details once they have been organised.

I mentioned in my last letter that Anne Deane has kindly agreed to take on being our Young Arts Volunteering representative. Our donation for the children at Otford Primary school to enjoy half a day of Emma Johnson and her fellow musicians and four sessions with Magic Lantern was well received. I am very glad to report that Anne is in the process of arranging donations to other schools in the Sevenoaks area and more details will follow in the New Year.

Finally, please remember also that there is no lecture in January. On 12th February, we will have the lecture on Banksy, by Pepe Martinez, which had to be postponed from September.

Best wishes for a Happy Christmas

Charles Dymoke

To read the Chairman's January 2025 Letter CLICK HERE

You can access the Winter 2021/22 Newsletter here.

We are now holding our lectures again in Walthamstowe Hall School. Seating is well spaced and mask wearing is encouraged. Drinks are available before the meeting.

For those members unable to attend the meeting in the Hall, lectures are being streamed using Zoom. Before the meeting, members are sent a link to enable them to join the lecture from home. 

We enjoyed a very successful visit to Firle Place and Charleston Farmhouse on 30th September.

Review of the visit to Firle Place     Review of the visit to Charleston

Pat Campbell writes:

"I have always enjoyed walking around museums and galleries either in cities or towns, well-known exhibitions or a local art class hanging paintings on railings. Joining my local art society has opened my eyes to art of every description. The team arranging the monthly meetings offer a wide range of subjects such as paintings, silver, glass and jade, even travels with a donkey in the hills of Ethiopia (I’m pretty sure it was Ethiopia). I’ve also learned to look behind the subject in the painting to get more of the thought process of the painter. I enjoyed them all. Even during the months of lockdown the members had virtual coffee mornings and the lectures continued on zoom. In hindsight I should be a bit of an expert myself but…I hope I’ve retained some useful nuggets of information that will allow me to answer a question on ‘University Challenge’."

We welcome Barbara Ropek onto the Committee with responsibility for Community & Heritage Volunteers. Barbara is a previous Chairman of our Society.

Our Committee

We have asked members to comment on how the Arts have helped them through the difficult time of lockdown.  Many of our members have commented on the pleasure of seeing works of art displayed on their screens at home by out excellent lecturers via Zoom.  Here is a lovely piece contributed by Wendy Young:

Spring Cannot Be Cancelled is the title of David Hockney's book of his Normandy iPad paintings and drawings.  To quote,  “It is a manifesto that affirms art’s capacity to divert and inspire”. We may feel that life has been cancelled during lockdown, with its endless restrictions and cancellations, but Art, like Spring, is still there in all its glory. As members of The Arts Society in Sevenoaks we have been invited to 'zoom' in to a series of lectures given by inspirational lecturers on 'art' in all its forms from paintings, architecture, ceramics and music, all beautifully illustrated. A diversion indeed. Even better when we can meet again in person and share the pleasure together.

What was your experience?  We would greatly value further contributions. 

From October 2021 the School Hall is booked for our monthly lectures, which we intend also to relay by Zoom for those who cannot attend in person: what are called Hybrid lectures. Our society was founded as The Sevenoaks Decorative and Fine Arts Society in 1972, and so reaches its Golden Jubilee next year. We intend to celebrate with a lunch at St Julian's on 14 July 2022.  More details to come!

At the 2021 AGM, Members:

1. Approved the Minutes of the 2019 AGM and the Ballot held in lieu of an AGM in April 2020.

2. Accepted the Committee’s Report on the activities of the Society and the Treasurer’s Report and Accounts for 2020.

3. Elected Andrew Pembroke as Chairman for 2021-2

4. Elected David Bonner as Secretary

5. Re-elected Gordon Wright as Treasurer.

6. Elected Jill Webster as Programme Manager.

7. Re-elected Linda dell’Avvocato and Helen Thorne to the Committee for 2021-2.

8. Appointed John Airey FCA as Independent Examiner.

The Arts Society Kent Area has a new Website. This is currently still under development, but it does list events going on at other Kent AS societies, particularly study daysThis is currently still under development, but it does list events going on at other Kent AS societies, particularly study days.

You can access the Arts Society Kent Area website here.

Because of the Coronavirus situation, we are holding our 2020/21 season of lectures and other meetings 'virtually' using Zoom. Lecturers have helpfully agreed to make their presentations 'virtually' and they will as fully illustrated as live lectures. We are planning to record lectures and to make these available to members for viewing for a limited period after the lecture.

Members are sent an invitation in advance of each 'virtual' meeting, with details of how to access the Zoom meeting.

At the national level, The Arts Society has launched a new digital platform, with a series of fortnightly lectures by the UK’s leading art historians, as well as film screenings, live author Q&As and a community forum. The Arts Society Connected