Welcome to The Arts Society Henley

The Arts Society, Henley

The Chairman, Robert Gurney, Vice Chairman Monnik Vleugels, and Committee of The Arts Society, Henley, are committed to offer every one of our members an exciting selection of Lectures, Special Interest Days and Day Visits for all to enjoy. For most of 2021 we have brought them to you through the magic of Zoom, with wonderful virtual live Lectures and Special Interest Days, with live questions to follow. A variety of fascinating virtual Day Visits across Europe were hosted by the most outstanding guides, hand picked and recommended by other Societies. In September, October and November we were able to hold live lectures at Phyllis Court and these were much enjoyed by all, partly because of the excellent standard of lecture and partly because of the pleasure of seeing members in person once again.

For the first three months of 2022, we have a trial arrangement for live lectures to be accompanied in the morning by a simultaneous transmission to members' homes, through YouTube. The day before the lecture an email link will be sent to all members. However, at the time of writing we are plunged once more into uncertain times, as members will be only too well aware. This may possibly necessitate us returning to virtual lectures and Special Interest Days. All up-to-date information will be posted on the monthly newsletter and on this website.

In the meantime, to get a flavour of what we do, here is our December newsletter:

The Arts Society Henley
e-News December 2021

President: Lady Camoys
Registered Charity No. 289323

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A Christmas Card for all our friends in
The Arts Society Henley

With fondest wishes for a very
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
from
Robert (Chairman), Monnik (Vice Chairman)
and all the members of the
TASH Committee

We can hardly believe that another year is drawing to a close and, God willing, all the season's festivities will be upon us in a few weeks' time. We hope you enjoy every moment.

In spite of all the challenges, our Arts Society has had a most interesting year, brimming with fascinating lectures, interspersed with three superb Special Interest Days and no less than ten truly memorable Virtual Live Visits across Europe. It has been quite a special programme from start to finish, with no less than 27 events in all. A huge thank you to our Committee Members who have worked so hard to organise these for us.

Looking back over the year, what have been your favourites? If there is one that stands out for you (any category) why not tell us about it? Just click here to send us an email. We would love to know your favourites.
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We offer all our Afternoon Members a sincere apology for the error in the printing of the afternoon calendars, which many of you noticed. These have now been reprinted, correcting the error, and have been sent to all those who did not collect them at the November lecture. Those members who received the incorrect card in November will need to collect their correct card at the January 2022 lectures or contact Monnik and she will send one to you. (Monnik's telephone number and email address are at the bottom of this newsletter).
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Now some long awaited news regarding hybrid lectures (live at Phyllis Court and simultaneously streamed to you at home). Here is an announcement from our Chairman, Professor Robert Gurney:

Many of us have been enjoying meeting each other at Phyllis Court for lectures this autumn. We have also been having some events online, including the walks and the Special Interest Day on the Silk Road. In this way, we have tried to balance the needs for people who want to come together with the needs of those members who do not yet feel able to do so.

Your Committee has also been investigating hybrid lectures, which are both given in person and available to you at home online, and we now think we have an acceptable solution for this. We will experiment with the first three lectures of 2022, and the Special Interest Day of April 2022. This should allow everyone to continue to enjoy the benefits of TASH.

The lectures will be given twice in person, in the morning and afternoon in the usual way, but also shown/transmitted live online in the morning. Hybrid talks will not be via zoom but via YouTube. This is very easy to use, with just one click on the link. Links will be sent out the day prior to the talk. Those watching online will see the slides and the lecturer and will be able to ask questions.

We will assess the experience of hybrid lectures once we have some experience with them and will be seeking your feedback. The lecturers involved have agreed to this hybrid format, and we hope the online experience is close to that of actually being in the room.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Robert Gurney

TASH Chairman

(Robert's telephone number, email and address
are at the bottom of this newsletter).

There is no lecture in December, but we do have our final visit to Europe on Wednesday 8th December, this time to Stockholm. Scroll down for more details.
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Our first lecture next year, on Thursday 20th January, is entitled 'Art Behind Bars: The Role of the Arts in Breaking the Cycle of Crime, Prison and Re-Offending', given by Angela Findlay. Scroll down for more details.
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The Arts Society Chiltern Hills Area are holding a Special Interest Day on Friday 14th January 2022, the second in the series entitled 'What Makes a Painting a Work of Art'. More details further down.

We are very much hoping to be able to hold a New Members Coffee Morning next year subject, of course, to Government regulations prevailing at the time. This will be on Tuesday 15th February at Badgemore Park Coach House. More details in the January newsletter.
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It's a long way ahead, but we have had to change the date and venue of the December lecture next year, 'Christmas in Bach's Leipzig: The Christmas Oratorio of 1734/5'. This will now be held at St Mary the Virgin church in Henley on 1st December. Don't forget to alter the date in your diary!

I have included details again in this newsletter of the holiday to Lyon and Annecy in France next autumn. As always, scroll down to see them.

The long awaited book compiled by the Chiltern Hills Area, Fifty Treasures of the Chiltern Hills Area, will be on sale again at the January lectures, price £5.00, or £7.50 if posted. It is particularly interesting; do please have a look at it. Scroll down for more details.

Finally, as the year comes to an end, it is my great pleasure to pay tribute to our Chairman, Robert Gurney, Vice-Chairman, Monnik Vleugels and all our most dedicated and hard-working members of the Committee. Throughout the year they have put their hearts and souls into making the most of our Society, in spite of the difficulties and frustrations faced by us all. May I, on behalf of all members, say a huge thank you to them.

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone,

With warmest wishes

Ginnie Johnston
Editor

Wednesday 8th December 2021
Virtual Tour at 4.00pm
A Virtual Live Tour of Stockholm
accompanied by Per Dahlström

Friday 14th January 2022
Special Interest Day
What Makes a Painting a Work of Art, Part 2
given by The Arts Society Chiltern Hills Area

Thursday 20th January 2022
Lecture at 10.45am repeated 2.15pm
with live streaming in the morning
Art Behind Bars: The Role of the Arts in
Breaking the Cycle of Crime, Prison
and Re-Offending
given by Angela Findlay

Thursday 17th February 2022
Lecture at 10.45am repeated 2.15pm
with live streaming in the morning
Imperial Chinese Court Art and Portraiture:
Emperors, Ancestors and Jesuits
given by David Rosier

Thursday 17th March 2022
Lecture at 10.45am repeated 2.15pm
with live streaming in the morning
The Rise and Fall of
Napoleon Bonaparte
given by Stephen Duffy

An email will be sent to you the day before
each virtual event
with a link to it.

For our last event of 2021,
on Wednesday 8th December at 4.00pm
we have a virtual live tour of Stockholm,
accompanied by Per Dahlström

A taste of Christmas in Sweden, walking around Stockholm in the company of Per, local resident and tour guide for 30 years. For more information please click here.

Our first lecture of 2022,
on Thursday 20th January at 10.30am,
is entitled Art Behind Bars:
The Role of the Arts in Breaking the Cycle of Crime, Prison and Re-Offending
given by Angela Findlay

Years of working as an artist within the Criminal Justice System in England and Germany have given Angela unique insights into the destructive and costly cycle of crime, prisons and re-offending.

Angela Findlay is a professional artist, writer and freelance lecturer with a long career of teaching art in prisons in Germany and England. For more information on this fascinating lecture please click here.

A little reminder of the details of our wonderful holiday to
Lyon and Annecy, France, next year
31st August - 9th September 2022

Palais de l'Isle, Annecy

A two centre holiday to Lyon and Annecy is being organised by Arts Society affiliate tour operators, Travel Editions. We shall spend four nights in central Lyon and five nights by the lakeside in Annecy, both in exclusive 4 star hotels. All breakfasts, some lunches and the majority of evening meals are included.

Lyon Bridge and Cathedral

There will be an opportunity to explore the historic centre of Lyon, and other attractive Alpine towns, such as Megève. We will visit three different Alpine lakes. On the holiday, we will enjoy three boat trips, including an evening dinner cruise in Lyon. Other highlights include a ride on the rack and pinion railway up Mont Blanc to enjoy the magnificent Alpine scenery, and a special last night event.
Please click here to see the full preliminary information. This holiday is certain to be popular, so if you are interested, please contact us as soon as possible.

Any queries, please contact

Shirley Lees Tel: 07775 893148
shirley@leeshenley.co.uk

David Lees Tel: 07855 275588
david@leeshenley.co.uk

As mentioned above, if you think you would like to participate, please register your interest speedily with Shirley and David as this is bound to sell out fast. This holiday does, of course, depend on Covid circumstances at the time.

Fifty Treasures of The Chiltern Hills Area

This delightful book has been compiled by The Arts Society Chiltern Hills Area, with contributions from many of its member societies, in particular ours. (Please note the picture of the Maharajah's Well in Stoke Row on the front cover!)
In it there is an eclectic collection of treasures, illustrating the variety of lesser known manmade creations in this part of the country. This is a delightful book to dip into, visit hitherto undiscovered places and objects of interest, and even give you inspiration when entertaining guests.

The book will be on sale again at our lectures on Thursday 20th January; price £5.00 or £7.50 to include postage.

Please click here for more information and to see a small example of the book.

The Arts Society Chiltern Hills Area
A very special
Special Interest Day

What Makes a Painting a Work of Art, Part 2,
on Friday 14th January 2022,
given by Lynne Gibson

Please click here for all the details.

If you wish to apply, please click here. This will be on sale from 1st December 2021 at 9.30am.

For further information please contact Felicity Sykes
by email acechilternhills@theartssociety.org
or by telephone 01296 620830.

Online Lectures from
The Arts Society Head Office

As mentioned in previous newsletters, The Arts Society Head Office in London has compiled a series of fascinating online lectures for all its members across the world. Please click on the following links to see the latest. They are charming, interesting and informative and a pleasure to read.

Become an Instant expert on
A Short History of Magic
by Bertie Pearce
The Arts Society Volunteering
with Cherry-Anne Russell,

Head of Arts Volunteering

The Arts Society Artvent
A Celebration of The Season of Light

Contact Number and Email address for
Chairman and Vice Chairman

If you need to contact our Chairman,
Robert Gurney,
his telephone number is 07828 505133
and his email address is
robert.gurney@ntlworld.com

If you need to contact our Vice Chairman,
Monnik Vleugels
her telephone number is 07505 778405
and her email address is
monnik.vleugels@gmail.com

Copyright

The address for all correspondence is:

Professor Robert Gurney OBE
Chairman, The Arts Society Henley
104 Hamilton Road
Reading RG1 5RD

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"THE ARTS SOCIETY IS A COMMUNITY THAT WANTS MORE PEOPLE TO ENGAGE, TO APPRECIATE AND ABOVE ALL TO ENJOY THE ARTS AND DISCOVER HOW THEY ENRICH OUR LIVES” JULIE GOLDSMITH, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF THE ARTS SOCIETY.

Our Background

The Arts Society Henley (formerly Henley Decorative & Fine Arts Society) was founded in 1976 by Françoise White, with our first lecture in January 1977. The membership grew rapidly and now stands at about 626.

The Arts Society Henley is one of over 385 societies throughout the UK, in mainland Europe and New Zealand as well as 35 societies in Australia as part of the Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Society (ADFAS) with a combined membership of over 98,000 worldwide.

Before Covid struck, our lectures were held in the Ballroom at Phyllis Court Club in Henley. We shall return to normal at the first opportunuty. When all is back to normal we have a morning lecture starting at 10:45am and the same lecture at 2:15pm on the third Thursday of the month, except July, August and December. There are 10 lectures each year with two in November, one being at the AGM. We also have three Special Interest Days where we embrace a subject in greater depth. Four day visits are arranged each year to exhibitions, houses, museums and many other places of interest. In addition, in normal circumstances we have a short holiday in the British Isles in the spring and in the autumn a holiday abroad, accompanied by expert guides.

Do email your news, views and photographs to Ginnie Johnston (Website and Newsletter), at henley@theartssociety.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

To find out more about The Arts Society world wide, its structure and history, visit theartssociety.org website.

To find out more about becoming a member of The Arts Society Henley, please go to Join Us.

Registered Charity No. 289323 Photograph of Henley above by kind permission of photographer Tim Hodges ARPS