The Arts Society Bowdon

Our Next Lecture is on

Monday 15th June 2026

SECRET ART IN THE PASSPORT with speaker, Martin Lloyd who had a career ub HM Immigration Service and is now a lecturer and broadcaster on local TV and radio

"From the wax seal to the microchip, man has exploited the skill of the artist and artisan in his attempt to manufacture a forgery-proof document. The lecture takes you through three centuries of passport design, explains the overt and uncovers the covert to illustrate the defences built in. You will never see your passport in the same light again."

The lecture will be preceded by our Annual General Meeting which starts promptly at 1.30 pm. AGENDA and supporting documents can be found in the attachments box or by clicking here

QUARTERLY FILM SCREENINGS - FRIDAY AFTERNOON

We are showing some specially chosen art films for our members at the Bowdon Parish Centre (opposite the Griffin pub) near the Bowdon Rooms.

Our August screening will take place on Friday 14th August at 2pm.

The film will be "Tokyo Stories" which is based on a major exhibition at the Ashmolean in Oxford.

The film spans 400 years of incredibly dynamic art – ranging from the delicate woodblock prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige, to Pop Art posters, contemporary photography, Manga, film, and brand-new artworks that were created on the streets.

The ticket price of £10 will include the film and a beverage with a cake/biscuit. Numbers will be restricted to 50 members so get your ticket early.

More information can be found here: Tokyo Stories.

Tickets will be available at our June meeting and afterwards from Judith by email at: guesteveningrepresentative.bowdon@theartssociety.org

CHURCH RECORDING IS ON ITS WAY BACK!

After a hiatus, we have restarted our paused Church Recording projects so watch this space for more information.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL - 2026/7

Membership renewal for next season will open in June. We have frozen the membership fee at £70 per person.

We will not require renewing members to complete a membership form this year, but instead ask that you confirm that your name, address and email address (if applicable) and Gift Aid status have not changed at a meeting or by email.

We politely request that you renew your membership by July 31st 2026.

For a preview of our 2026/7 lecture programme please click here Next Seasons Programme. Printed copies will also be available at the next lectures.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We currently have 2 vacant positions for volunteers to help us run the society. We are looking for:

A Secretary to take the minutes at our monthly committee meetings and keep the society's records and
An Events organiser to arrange events and visits for our members to enjoy. This can be one-off or recurring involvement to suit you.

If you'd like to volunteer for either of these roles, please email us at: b owdonmain@outlook.com or let someone know at a lecture meeting.

Click for our latest newsletter

ABOUT US

The Arts Society Bowdon was established in 1982. It is a friendly and welcoming society affiliated to The Arts Society, a leading arts education charity with a global network of local Societies which brings people together through a shared curiosity for the arts.

We meet at the beautiful Edwardian Bowdon Rooms. We offer illustrated talks given by lecturers of national and international standing on subjects related to a wide spectrum of the arts. We host one or two Guest Events each year which usually take the form of a special Society lunch and lecture and these have proved popular with the members and their guests. When circumstances allow, we offer two one-day visits each year to places of interest to members and there are also opportunities to join visits arranged by the Arts Society and neighbour Societies in the North West.

Our volunteers undertake various projects in the local community such as restoration work at the library at Tabley House. We also sponsor educational work in local schools and colleges and this year our Young Arts Group is taking part in the art bytes programme. We have recently created popular Heritage Trails of Bowdon the most recent being about 3 female Altrincham artists. Details can be found on our News page.

The North West Area Arts Society covers all the societies in our area, details of events across the North West can be found on their web page. Click here for details.

To Join Us

The Annual membership fee is £70 per person and we currently do not have a waiting list. The Membership Application form and Gift Aid declaration can be downloaded using the link in the attachments box or by clicking on the links below:

Membership Form

Gift Aid Form

You can either bring the forms to a meeting or post/email to the Membership secretary using the details on the form.

We look forward to welcoming you to Bowdon Arts Society.

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