Gravesend February Newsletter

Dear Arts Society Member

Welcome to our February newsletter.

Please check our website for up-to-date information about Arts Society activities and don’t hesitate to email us on info@theartssocietygravesend.org.uk.

Past and forthcoming lectures

Tuesday 10 February    Rosalind Whyte: The Changing Face of London: a painted documentary

We were delighted to welcome Rosalind Whyte back to Gravesend for this lecture. Drawing on her deep knowledge of the history of London and the artists who have documented it, Rosalind took us on a fascinating journey across the capital.  Rosalind used a remarkably wide range of contemporary prints and paintings to give us a rich insight into Londoners’ changing fashions, tastes and pastimes, as well as into the changing face of the city itself.

Tuesday 10 March Denise Heywood: Painters in Paradise: Visions of French Indochina

Old Saigon, elegant Hanoi, mystical Ha Long Bay ... these places captivated French artists of the 19th century colonial regime in Vietnam where they taught painting at the School of Fine Arts. In this lecture, Denise explores the historic background of Indochina, of ancient Hindu temples, Buddhist pagodas and Chinese style palaces, that was transformed by the addition of French architecture and culture. A new aesthetic emerged, depicted by French artists as paradisical and romantic, reflecting an era and a way of life that would vanish with war.

As this will be our last lecture before Easter, the committee would like to invite members and visitors to enjoy a complimentary cup of tea or coffee and a hot-cross bun afterwards

Trips and Visits

Visit to The Lansdowne Club - Monday 18 May 2026

We are delighted to be able to offer members a rare opportunity to see and learn about the art deco splendours of the Lansdowne Club in London’s Mayfair.The tour will be led by Pamela Campbell Johnson, who members will recall delivered a very well-received lecture on The Art of Art Deco in 2024. The visit will last 90 minutes and will include a guided tour and the opportunity to ask questions. Tea and coffee will be available. Please note that the tour will cover rooms across all seven storeys of the building, though there is a lift! 

Cost: £18 per person.  Participants will make their own travel arrangements to and from The Lansdowne Club. 

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first served basis before the lecture on 10 March.A waiting list will be set up of the trip becomes full. 

Opportunities to get involved with your Society

As a local society, we depend on the willingness of members to help with the organisation of our activities. Please consider whether you would be able to contribute in one of these three areas:

1. Helping on the morning of lectures to set up audio-visual equipment or to meet and greet members as they arrive, help with registration and steward in the hall.

2.Nominate yourself or a friend to become a member of our active and friendly committee.  

3. Join us for one or more committee meetings to find out more about our work, perhaps with a view to applying to join the committee at a later date. 

If you are interested or would like to find out more, please talk to one of the committee members after the March lecture.

All of us on the Committee look forward to seeing you at our next lecture on 10th March.

Gary Holden

Chair, The Arts Society Gravesend