This will be a ticketed event - £15 members, £20 non-members) - please contact [email protected] or 07717 338341 to buy tickets.

Arrive 9.15 for a 9.30 start; there will be two one-hour lectures with a refreshment break; finish 12.30; tickets required

Artists Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) and Diego Rivera (1886-1957) have iconic status in Mexico. In their different ways, both helped to shape the cultural identity of twentieth-century Mexico. Rivera’s panoramic images adorn the walls of public buildings. Kahlo's paintings, often small in format, reflect her experiences, dreams, hopes and fears. The V&A's 2018 exhibition, 'Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up', focused on Frida's passion for Indigenous clothing and the popular traditions of Mexico. In 2026, Tate Modern will celebrate her life and work with a ground-breaking exhibition ‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’ (25 June 2026-3 January 2027).

Chloe Sayer is a freelance specialist in the art and culture of Latin America. She has lectured in the UK, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, and has curated exhibitions, and assisted on TV documentaries for BBC and Channel 4. She has made collections in Mexico and Belize for the British Museum, and is Research Associate in the Department of World Cultures at the Royal Ontario Museum. In 2016 she was awarded the prestigious Ohtli medal by the Mexican government for her long-standing commitment to Mexican culture. Her many publications include Mexican Textiles (British Museum Press, 1990), Arts and Crafts of Mexico (Thames & Hudson, 1990), Focus on Aztecs and Incas  (Watts Books, 1995), The Incas - The Ancient World (Wayland, 1998), Textiles from Mexico (British Museum Press, 2002), and Mexico: Clothing and Culture (Royal Ontario Museum, 2015). 

Day of Discovery - Featuring Marc Allum Lecturing on Antiques

Wednesday 9th April 2025 at Caryford Hall

Commencing 10:00am

- The Anatomy of Collecting
- Fakes and Forgeries

In the afternoon the audience can participate by bringing along an item they would like to know more about, an instant "Antiques Roadshow"

Refreshments supplied by Dorset Delights

Something of interest during our summer break - a Take Art (Rural Touring) event at our regular venue Caryford Hall:

Kathakali is a highly visual, emotional, and powerful drama that captures human nature through theatre.

Through this classical dance drama, observe the destruction of war and how arrogance plays its role in the breakdown of humanity. Somerset’s halls with visual delight.

Details at caryfordhall.co.uk

Tuesday 9th April 2024 Commencing 10:15 am

KINGS BRUTON SCHOOL,
Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0ED

Our journey will take us from Tamerlane’s capital Samarkand through Afghanistan with Prince Babur and across the Hindu Kush into India and the glories of the four imperial cities of Mughals.

We are very lucky to have as our speaker Sue Rollin who is an archaeologist, historian and linguist  with thirty years of experience and a highly recommended  lecturer with The Arts Society.

For further information contact our Study Organiser on 01749 342496.

Will be held King's Bruton, The Plox, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0ED on Thursday 1st June 2023 Commencing 10am

Follow this Link:

http://theartssocietymidsomerset.org.uk/Visits/FutureVisits.aspx

In 2022 we celebrate the centenary of the greatest archaeological discovery - the excavation of Tutankamun’s tomb by Howard Carter in 1922. The name of the boy king conjures wonderful imagery and mysterious tales of the pharaohs.

The lecturer for the day is Lucia Gahlin who is an author and a specialist in the archaelogy of Ancient Egypt.

In this study day Lucia explores the intriguing pharaoh, his unusual tomb and its iconic treasures. She examines the childhood and reign of the boy-king Tutanhkamun and the design ad decoration of the most famous tomb in the Valley of the kings.

She discusses Carter’s discovery and the incredible wealth of funerary goods found within. Enjoy the art on the walls of this extraordinary tomb,and its fabulous treasures,from Tutankhamun’s golden funerary mask to his ornate board games.

Lecture 1: The Pharaoh behind the Tomb
Lecture 2: The Tomb: its design decoration and Discovery
Lecture 3: The Treasures - “Everwhere the glint of gold”

The day includes morning coffee and a buffet lunch.  Members £35.  Non Members £40

The applicarion form is availabe for Download

Our day of special interest in 2020 was held in February. The day was led by Siân Walters on 'Explore Venice'. Her lectures encompassed the development of Venetian Architecture, Venetian Painters and Venice at Play.